CONSUMER METER. Grooming ambassador

Alongside celebrity brand ambassadors, grassroots brand ambassadors are doing the job with equal alacrity. FMCG major Godrej details how it engaged 50,000 barbers in nine states in a co-branding exercise for its hair colour products in rural India. Salons — big, small and tiny — added the ‘expert’ tag, with all fixtures such as mirrors and chairs bearing the company logo. They were also provided grooming kits with company products. “People turn to hairdressers for advice when colouring hair. So it makes sense to influence the influencer,” says Godrej, which has since added 7,000 villages and 2,000 towns to its distribution network.