Emami targets INR 1,000 crores revenue for ‘Smart and Handsome’

Emami has rebranded its men's grooming brand, 'Fair and Handsome' to 'Smart and Handsome', moving away from its 20-year-old brand identity. The rebranding exercise, according to Emami, has been done to align the brand with the changing consumer preferences and its expanded offerings of male grooming products across skincare, haircare, and body care.

Marking a clear departure from its earlier emphasis on 'fairness', the rebranding aims to address the broader male grooming needs and to connect with contemporary male consumers. This rebranding aims to comply with the increasing trend among men focusing on natural skin health and overall self-care, according to the company.

“The decision to rebrand was guided by extensive research. Today’s men are looking for products that address their grooming concerns such as hydration, oil control, and overall skin health. While fairness remains a cultural aspiration, our approach is to offer comprehensive solutions that resonate with these discerning consumers,” said Sakshi Jha, senior general manager for male grooming at Emami Ltd.

“The male grooming market has evolved. By transitioning to Smart and Handsome, we are positioning ourselves to address a broader audience and capitalise on the sector’s growth,” said Mohan Goenka, vice chairman and whole-time director, Emami Ltd.

Mohan Goenka, vice chairman and whole-time director, Emami Ltd

The rebranding is expected to allow the company to expand into categories such as hair care, deodorants, serums, and beard grooming, and introduce products such as face wash, sunscreen, and lip care for men.

The new, Smart and Handsome identity will also be tagged with the slogan, 'Har Roz Handsome Code' (Everyday handsome code), to represent the qualities of confidence, wellness, and a holistic approach to grooming. To ensure a smooth transition to the new brand identity, the logo will prominently feature on Emami's product packaging along with the message, "Fair and Handsome is now Smart and Handsome."

As part of the rebranding exercise, the company has also released a campaign consisting of two ad films shot in Italy to deliver this message. The campaign is headlined by the Bollywood actor Kartik Aryan, the new face of the Smart and Handsome brand.

"Kartik Aryan is popular among India's Gen Z audience as a male icon. He is perceived to be sexy, mainly, attractive, romantic, and tough, the qualities that the 'Smart and Handsome' brand champions, making him the right fit as its ambassador," said Vijay Gupta, group brand manager, Emami Ltd. While the first film in the campaign communicates the change in branding, the other defines the attributes of Smart and Handsome.

The move reflects Emami’s ambition to compete in a market projected to grow rapidly, targeting a mass market. Stating that men's grooming market in India stands at INR 18,000 crores as of 2024, Mohan Goenka informed Emami is targeting to achieve INR 1,000 crore in revenue of this pie over the next three to four years. Currently, the company's revenue in this segment stands at INR 250 crores.

In the men's grooming segment, Emami has competition from companies such as Hindustan Unilever and L’Oréal, as well as the D2C players like Beardo. However, most of these brands focus on the prestige segment, thus, minimising the overlap, according to Goenka.

Emami's premium D2C offering, 'The Man Company' a brand it obtained through its acquisition of Helios last year, serves the prestige segment, while the 'Smart and Handsome' will be targeted at the mass and mass-tige segments, with price points starting at INR 10, Goenka said.

The company has earmarked a budget of INR 15 crores to be spent over the next two to three months as part of the rebranding exercise, he additionally informed. This will cover brand messaging across TV, digital, and regional media. The company will focus on advertising in regional media across languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, etc. In addition, Emami will also take the rebranding messaging by conducting marketing outreach programmes in 48 colleges from 17 Indian cities over the next few months.

While the company maintains that its rebranding is the result of extensive consumer research, it coincides with legal scrutiny over misleading advertising claims for 'Fair and Handsome'. According to media reports, the Delhi High Court imposed an INR 15 lakh penalty on the company, questioning the credibility of its previous product claims.

While Emami denies any connection between the rebranding and legal cases, these developments could influence public perception. The rebranding may, therefore, be looked upon as serving a dual purpose of modernising its brand image and nullifying the effects of such negative news.