Screening Questions:

Speaker 1
1. How many brands of toothpaste are you aware of?
a. I am aware of 3-4 brands such as Colgate, Pepsodent, Close-up, Patanjali
2. Which brand of toothpaste do you use regularly?
a. Patanjali Dantkanti
3. Do you currently use any variant of Colgate toothpaste?
a. No
4. Have you previously used any variant of Colgate toothpaste?
a. Yes.
5. Have you purchased Colgate in the last 6 months?
a. Yes.
Speaker 2
1. How many brands of toothpaste are you aware of?
a. I am aware of 3-4 brands such as Oral-B, Close-up, Colgate and Pepsodent.
2. Which brand of toothpaste do you use regularly?
a. Pepsodent
3. Do you currently use any variant of Colgate toothpaste?
a. I had used Colgate Charcoal. (used before Pepsodent)
4. Have you previously used any variant of Colgate toothpaste?
a. Yes, Colgate Charcoal.
5. How many times have you purchased Colgate in the last 6 months?
a. Once or Twice.
Speaker 3
1. How many brands of toothpaste are you aware of?
a. I am aware of 3-4 brands of toothpaste namely Patanjali, Colgate, Pepsodent, Oral-B
2. Which brand of toothpaste do you use regularly?
a. Colgate
3. Do you currently use any variant of Colgate toothpaste?
a. I use the classic variant of Colgate.
4. Have you previously used any variant of Colgate toothpaste?
a. Yes, I have.
5. How many times have you purchased Colgate in the last 6 months?
a. 2 times.
Speaker 4
1. How many brands of toothpaste are you aware of?
a. I am aware of 3-4 brands of toothpaste like Colgate, Pepsodent, Dantkanti, Dabur,
Sensodyne etc.
2. Which brand of toothpaste do you use regularly?
a. From past 3-4 months I’m using Red by Dabur and before that I used couple of
brands like Pepsodent and Colgate.
3. Do you currently use any variant of Colgate toothpaste?
a. No.
4. Have you previously used any variant of Colgate toothpaste?
a. Yes. I have used before 6 months.
5. Have you purchased Colgate in the last 6 months?
a. No.
Speaker 5
1. How many brands of toothpaste are you aware of?
a. I am aware of 2-3 brands of toothpaste such as Colgate, Close-up and Sensodyne.
 2. Which brand of toothpaste do you use regularly?
a. I use Close-up.
3. Do you currently use any variant of Colgate toothpaste?
a. Max-Fresh. (used it when he was using it)
4. Have you previously used any variant of Colgate toothpaste?
a. Yes.
5. How many times have you purchased Colgate in the last 6 months?
a. Yes, I did purchase it. I think it was once or twice I purchased it.
[After the candidates being shortlisted, we sat for the FGD. Following part of the transcript takes
places in the area where the FGD was conducted.]
Moderator(M): Hello everyone, welcome to today’s session. I am Aishwarya Gupta, from IMT
Business school Dubai, your moderator for the session. Today, we have quite an interesting
discussion on your behaviour when it comes to buying a toothpaste. This session will be around 30
minutes and I expect your active participation and cooperation throughout the session. We would like
to tape the focus groups so that we can make sure to capture all your thoughts, opinions and ideas. No
names will be attached to the focus groups. So, please feel free to express yourself comfortably.
The purpose of this discussion is to assess consumer behaviour when it comes to buying a toothpaste.
This will enable us to know about the factors that affect the market share of Colgate in the toothpaste
market. This will also help us to analyse & hence, suggest solutions for falling market share of
Colgate.
Now I’ll be describing the ground rules for this session:
1. Please keep your cell phones in silent mode throughout the session.
2. Please make sure that only one person speaks at a time.
3. There are no right or wrong answers; so, please feel free to share your views without any
hesitation.
4. It is normal that one may differ in their approach towards the discussion. It’s important to
respect other’s views. So, please maintain the decorum throughout the discussion.
5. The preferred language for our discussion is English. However, occasional use of Hindi is
also permissible.
Without further ado, let’s start our discussion with our first question.
So the first question is for you Speaker-5, how long have you been using the Colgate Toothpaste?
S5: So I have been using Colgate toothpaste for the last 10-15 years.
M: Did anyone from your family also use it earlier?
S5: Yes, everyone in my family is a regular user of Colgate’s toothpaste.
M: Speaker 4 next question is for you, you said earlier that you have used Colgate earlier. Can you tell
me about your experience with Colgate?
S4: That time when I used Colgate, the prices were more competitive as compare to now. Since, now
there are cheaper brands, I switched from Colgate to other brands.
M: So we can say price was the only issue due to which you switched from Colgate to other brands.
Okay Vishal, let me get back to you, how did you first hear about this product?
S5: Initially, I got to know about toothpaste via television and newspapers.
M: So the mode through which you got the information was Advertisements.
S5: Exactly.
M: What was your first impression about Colgate toothpaste?
S5: When I started using it, it was pretty cheap which was obviously a factor. Apart from that, the
quality of the cleansing was also one of the factor that I considered.
M: Okay, fine. Among the factors you mentioned can you tell me the factor most important to you?
S5: I think price is the most important factor for me.
M: Can you name other brands with which you can associate this product?
S5: Compared to the prices of Sensodyne and Pepsodent, I find the price of Colgate pretty economical
that was the factor that I considered.
M: Fine. So coming back to Speaker 4, can you tell me which brands were cheaper than Colgate when
you switched from Colgate to other brands?
S4: Talking about brands I still use other products of Colgate like toothpaste and mouthfreshner and
mouthwash. But the reason why I switched to other toothpastes was because Colgate stopped making
newer products and the variants of Colgate were going down. There were new variants in the market
by other brands which is why I switched. When I switched to other brands, the price was quite
economical when we considered the newer brands like Dabur Red and Patanjali which came to the
market and they are giving more aggressive pricing in their toothpaste and they offer much similar
kind of production which is advertised in the media platform. And apart from that I feel that Colgate
is a good brand like the packaging and the quality is very good. They have been in the market for a
long time, but I think they should be more experimental with their variants and they have stopped
making new products that is why I have switched to other Products.
M: Okay, So Speaker 2 let me ask you the same question like in the market in the current scenario
which brands do you think are the main competitors for Colgate.
S2: I think Close-up and Pepsodent can be the main competitors for Colgate in terms of their pricing
and the packaging system.
M: Okay, Do you think that the varieties that Colgate or the competitors in the market currently are
producing, which of the brand is having the most number of variety in the market?
S2: The most variety, actually I think Colgate has it, considering their Charcoal salt and some lemon
kind of brand is there and yes there is more variants of Colgate than their competitors so I think they
have a clear advantage here.
M: Okay, so Speaker 1 do you agree with Speaker 2’s point?
S1: Yes, in terms of variants yes.
M: Okay, and in terms of pricing?
S1: Pricing, I think of Patanjali is cheaper as compared to its competitors.
M: Why do you think it’s cheaper, I mean Colgate is producing a number of variety and Patamjali is
mainly focused on herbal products and introducing natural ingredients to its toothpaste, so why do
you think that Colgate is lagging behind Patanjali?
S1: Because the consumer’s preference has changed towards ayurvedic products, that’s the main
reason and moreover, following this strategy Colgate has started a product which has Ayurvedic and
herbal products.
M: Okay, So let me get back to Speaker 5. So, Speaker 5 my question to you is what Speaker 1 right
now said is true for Indian market but when it comes to Global market people are not aware of
Ayurvedic products and things, they are mainly focused about things which are going to benefit of
health and hygiene. So, do you agree that only the natural ingredients provide this benefit or artificial
or synthesized materials can also be beneficial?
S5: According to me Patanjali had a certain boost but now it has come to a saturation level so it’s not
like that it’s increasing at the International level because people aren’t really concerned about the
herbal things. So, according to me Colgate is still the market leader and has the leading market share
in india and internationally. So I think it is going strong and according to me it provides a lot of
variants so that works for Colgate.
M: Okay, great! So coming back to Speaker 3, my question for you is can you say that Colgate is
easily available in grocery stores or convenience stores?
S3: yes, I think Colgate is easily available in my nearby grocery stores or convenience stores.
Generally when I go and shop for them I get them easily. So yeah.
M: Okay, one more question I’d like to ask, like there are different variants of Colgate toothpaste and
by variants I mean the price variants, the different price segments in which Colgate introduces its
product. So do you think all these segments are available in a small grocery store?
S3: Yes, I think that most variants like the normal Colgate and the max-fresh, these two are the
variants I use the most so I feel that they are easily available at my nearby convenience store atleast, I
can say that.
M: Okay, so coming back to Speaker 2. Do you think Speaker 2 that the grocery store present in some
remote area, the availability is still the factor where Colgate lags behind?
S2: Yes, I think there are local brands which imitate the original brands and they are still selling their
product and aren’t aware of the real brand. So, I think that’s a factor which should be considered
while selling their original product.
M: Okay, it’s a very good point Speaker 2 that you have mentioned here. Going back to Speaker 4,
Suppose you did not find the Dabur Red toothpaste that as you said that you are using currently in a
nearby convenience store, would you switch to Colgate?
S4: Well, for me brand doesn’t really matter, if I do not find the brand that I am currently using so I
would definitely switch to the next best thing which I will find there. And if I feel that Colgate is there
or even if any other brand is there with the same value or pricing, then I will not think twice before
switching to that brand.
M: Okay, so Speaker 5 as you said that you were using Colgate as your current brand, so I would like
to ask the same question to you, will you change the brand if there is an availability issue/
S5: In this case I disagree with Speaker 4, for me brand is really important. So if I am not able to find
Colgate, I don’t think that I’ll switch but instead I would you know carry in advance the sufficient
stock that will e sufficient for me.
M: Great, Okay! So Speaker 1, as you mentioned that you are using Patanjali right?
S1: Yes.
M: So, let me ask you a question that if Colgate in future provides you with the same variance or taste
difference or whatever may be the reason that you switch to Patanjali. If Colgate provides you the
same variants, or same advantages. Would you switch to Colgate?
S1: I might consider shifting! Because the reason I switched to Patanjali was because of the herbal
products firstly, secondly it is easily available even in the rural markets, Patanjali products are easily
available and third was that it had good taste and smell.
M: Okay. And so you think that Patanjali having their own exclusive stores in every different part of
India can be a factor why people switch to Patanjali?
S1: It might be a factor!
M: For you, was it a factor?
S1: no.
M: Coming back to Speaker 5, so as you mentioned that you were using Colgate as your current brand
so have you faced any issue while using this product or any product of Colgate?
S5: Yeah I think that when Patanjali stormed into the market, the availability of Colgate, like it was
not really available easily, but since I’m really loyal to the brand so I had to figure out other ways to
find Colgate. But I think regarding the quality and the pricing I have not faced any such issues.
M: Okay, so nowadays brands are spending a huge amount on their advertisements, so do you think
Colgate is lagging somewhere in terms of on competition with other brands in this market segment?
S5: No, I don’t really think that marketing strategies of other segments have affected the sales of
Colgate because even Colgate has hired really big superstars for marketing so I don’t think it is really
effective.
M: Okay, so skipping back to Speaker 3, do you think that availability, market strategies and
introduction of big celebrities in the advertisements is a factor for Colgate sales?
S3: Yeah, I feel that availability is a big factor for me because if the product is not available in my
nearby convenience store, I won’t buy it. And, coming to the endorsements from big celebrities, I
think Patanjali is a company who have endorsed Baba Ramdev, so he being such a large celebrity
having such a large pool of followers so I think it really plays a major factor because Colgate
compared to Patanjali has been quite low lying when it comes to celebrity endorsements. So I think it
does play a major factor as trust issues come into play. So yeah.
M: So the factors that I have asked you or you listed, have you faced any issues while using a Colgate
product?
S3: I think earlier I faced some freshness problems, I wasn’t enough you know, refreshed by the usage
and also the taste differed, before I used the cooling crystals so the taste was quite different. So yeah,
the freshness problem.
M: So the issue you faced, have you ever tried to raise it to the company and tell them about this?
S3: I haven’t been that active with the Colgate segment because it didn’t bother much because the
switching cost was quite less. So I didn’t raise any issue as such, so no I just switched to a different
company if there were any issues I faced.
M: Okay, fine. So Speaker 2, as you mentioned that you were using Colgate recently, so have you
ever faced any issue with the product?
S2: I think that the main issue was with the packaging system and there were very less offers
compared to its competitors. So these were the main two issues I faced while using the product.
M: So have you ever tried to reach the company and address them about this?
S2: I tried to contact them via mail and they actually replied but it wasn’t really resolved in the long
term, so there want any real consumer satisfaction from my side.
M: Okay, fine. Are you satisfied with the amount you pay with respect to others?
S2: I was, but in the recent times there are many more variants of different brands and they have a
much lucrative options compared to Colgate.
M: And, final question to you is would you recommend this product to others?
S2: Right now, there are some variants which are actually really good but some certain have lowered
their quality with time and I think they have to keep up to just compete with different brands.
M: Okay, so coming back to Speaker 5, are you satisfied with the amount you pay for this product?
S5: Yeah, I’m completely satisfied with the amount I pay for this product. Also, I’d like to mention
the offer that Colgate offers like 2 plus 1 offer where you pay for 1 and get 3 products. So completely
satisfied with the price I pay for Colgate.
M: Okay, and the last question for the day to Speaker 3, would you recommend this product, Colgate
toothpaste to others?
S3: yes, I would definitely recommend this product to others because at the end being the final
consumer, the product being available everywhere and pricing also being quite satisfactory and
getting the benefits like freshness and good taste, so yeah, I would definitely recommend this product.
M: So my final question to all the participants is that whether there is any topic or anything you want
to add in this discussion?
S4: I think Colgate should work on their marketing. Apart from that, there is nothing I’d like to add.
S5: No, I ‘m really happy with Colgate.
S3: I think apart from the Brand ambassador, all aspects of Colgate are covered.
S1: I think Colgate should focus on the rural market because they are more towards the Patanjali
segment.
S2: I think they should increase their quality and reduce their prices to retain their customers.
M: Hereby, I conclude this discussion. Thank you for your whole hearted participation. Your opinions
will definitely add value to our study. I hope that everyone found this discussion interesting. It was
great meeting & interacting with you all.