While the quest for fighting duplicates is believed to be a never ending one - usually ending up in legal wrangles or raids - Marico claims to have found a way out by introducing tamper-proof sealed caps for Parachute bottles. In addition to brainstorming ideas on how to fight the war against duplicates, consumer research was conducted simultaneously on as to what changes the consumer desires in Parachute.

Says Marico Industries CEO (nature care division) Shreekant Gupte: ``The company brooded on the issue as a whole: Can we change the packaging to a more consumer friendly pack which can also solve the problem of duplicate products? The company evaluated many options to solve the problems and finally stumbled upon the solution which no garage operation (read manufacturers of duplicate products) can replicate.''

The R&D department of Marico came up with this new tamper-proof cap for Parachute, after scouting around the globe for the right kind of design. The company co-developed this along with a Holland-based mould maker, which has cost the company about Rs 1 crore, says Gupte. The new cap has been structured for the Parachute bottles in volumes of 200 ml and 500 ml. The benefits are being offered at the same price.

Moreover, the company plans to use this new capped Parachute as the main tool to retain brand loyalty at a time when the retail shelves are getting noisier with competitors getting aggressive.

``While there are the brand loyalist consumers who are likely to stick to Parachute, we need to retain the brand indifferent consumers who do not mind shifting brands. The objective is to give a reason to the consumer as to why only Parachute? And we are giving a fairly good reason in our communication, which goes: Unless it is pilfer proof, can you be sure it is pure?'', elaborates Gupte on the strategy.

That explains the base line of the new Parachute ad "Shudhata Seal", and clearly indicates that the new ad is an answer to rival Coco Care's USP which stresses on the product's aroma as being the key to the brand's purity.Marico is faced with stiff competition from Hindustan Lever which is armed with two brands, Nihar and Coco Care, to take on Parachute. While Parachute is the undisputed market leader in the Rs 500-crore coconut hair oils market with a share of 53 per cent, Nihar and Coco Care together have a share of about 24 per cent.