As brand custodians we are obsessed with Brand Architecture, Brand Identity, Brand Personality & Brand Behaviour. We focus a lot on the semiotics, communication, packaging etc;. But are we obsesses enough with the role of Temple Ingredients & Temple Products in the brand craft?. A few brands are! Using examples of Dove, Nivea, Dettol, Loreal, Lancome, Bajaj Pulsar etc; this thought-piece aims to instigate implications for brand custodians on thinking their Temple strategy. #wolfSIGHTS Temple Ingredient & Temple Product are terms coined by @wolfzhowl to create a handle for driving home the importance of this strategic approach. There are a few strategic instigations for brands like Parachute & Dettol, based on this approach as well. Another thing brand custodians can possibly think of is using the digital media to socialise and drive home their temple ingredient & temple product advantages. What perhaps could be a thought piece - 2 on this is service brands and do they have a temple service that can anchor their brand in?. Note: Temple Strategy is a thought-piece crafted as one of the 5 instigative pieces for "The Howl". #The Howl is a strategic instigations news letter by @wolfzhowl mailed to brand custodians every full moon. If you want to be a part of the mailing list, please send us a request at intelligence@wolfzhowl.com

1. Temple Strategy: Product architecture for brandsA few strategic instigations…

2. as brand custodians, we focus a lot on brand architecture
Temple product architecture strategy for brands

3. we also obsess a lot over, brand personality, communication architecture etc;
Temple product architecture strategy for brands

4. we go sleepless, discussing things thread bare
Expert, Glamorous. Deliberately Distant. Glamorous, caring. Intentionally intimate.
Temple product architecture strategy for brands
The stated confidence, science, model selection etc;
reinforce & project the brand personality.
The affable confidence, lack of science, model selection etc;
reinforce & project the brand personality.
LOREAL LANCOME

5. we are paranoid even about the craft of communication situations
Temple product architecture strategy for brands
Loreal. Would never want to be seen looking so
approachable & casual.
Dove. Would never want to be
seen so formal & distant.

6. But, not many of us obsess over the role of a temple ingredient & temple
product in building a brand…

7. What are temple ingredient /component and temple products?
Let’s look at quick examples…

8. Temple Ingredient
Temple Product
Bajaj Pulsar

9. Let’s look at Dove & its temple
ingredient & temple product
closely…

10. Temple Ingredient
Temple Product
The 1/4th moisturizing cream convinces the consumer
that Dove is good for skin (whether it is body, scalp or
even under-arm).
The way it is rendered with a slight golden hue, makes
it seem special. This leads to the sublimal conviction
about the efficacy of the product promise.
People relate to tangible proof. An ingredient is
invincible beyond a point. So a key product which
captures the best of the product & the brand essence
acts as tangible proof.
Milk/cream is thought of as the best care giver for skin.
A soap represents a physical / solid form of the
lusty/greedy cream . Hence it has become the anchor to
the core product delivery of the brand & product
promise.

11. Temple Product
Establishing a Temple Product
Lets you extend the portfolio
without diluting the core equity
of the brand.
Shampoo
Conditioner
Soap
SOLID. RICH.
Represents a solidified, rich
repository of milk & its
goodness.
(just like thickened milk made
into a concentrate)
THINNER. LESS RICH.
Continues to represent the
richness of milk, because of
Temple Product.

12. Another very good example of a temple product…

13. Temple Product
Establishing a Temple Product
Lets you extend the portfolio
without diluting the core equity
of the brand.
Roll-on Deo
Sun Protection
SOLID. RICH.
Represents a semi-solidified,
rich repository of milk & its
goodness.
(just like thickened milk made
into a concentrate)
GOODNESS DILUTED/ INVINCIBLE.
Even though the goodness of care
is invincible, consumers feel that it
will be gentle on skin.

14. NOTE: Though Nivea does not have a temple ingredient, its temple product lends
itself “care” authenticity.
#stratalogues “reason why even in semi-urban & rural India, even men feel Nivea is better for their skin.
Less harmful. They all remember the heritage of the blue dabba (blue box) from their childhood.
Nivea has huge equity in India waiting to be leveraged even in male grooming.
Source: #stratalogues by @wolfzhowl

15. A Temple Product reinforcement strategy example…

16. In one of its new product launches, Nivea
brilliantly transfers equity of its temple product
to a new variant.
It takes it a step further & casts the packaging in
the shape of milk bottle of the west.
Via both these moves, it ensures that quick
absorb/express hydration ingredient does not
take away the goodness perception.

17. A possible Temple Product instigation for Dove…

18. Dove seems to be moving further away
from a pure/innocent care and gets into
problem solution and goes after L'Oreal
territory in India.
Which means addition of beyond natural
nutrients & ingredients to deliver on its
product promise.
REINFORCE CORE QUITY,
BEFORE FURTHER ILUTION.
It might not be a bad idea
for Dove to consolidate its
core equity, by introducing
the Dove body cream
variant in India.

19. Let’s look at a temple component & a
temple product example from a
different category…

20. Temple Ingredient
Temple Product
DTSi as the temple component with twin sparks, imbued
Bajaj biking with speed as its soul. Fast pick-up and also
better economy.
Pulsar crafted attractively & positioned as masculine and
speedy, created a unique niche for itself in India and appealed
to a New India which was breaking away from its “cautious”
scarcity economy roots to a new found liberated economy.
The temple product forever cast Bajaj bikes as for those with
the need for speed.
Bajaj Pulsar

21. However, we need to be careful with how we cast our temple
ingredient & temple product. For it can lock-us into a tight
corner…

22. Bajaj Pulsar
DTSi
Temple Component Temple Product
How you position your temple ingredient & how you cast it in your temple product
are very important…
=
Economy
Biking
Due to the positioning of its temple component & temple product around speed, Bajaj
biking is finding itself tough to convince consumers about its economy/fuel saving
abilities.

23. Another example of wrong craft of the temple ingredient…

24. The way Reliance & TATA telecom wrongly
positioned CDMA technology on its value for
money only attribute and never highlighted the
superior tech aspects of CDMA is an apt
example of ill-treating your Temple Ingredient
& Temple Product.

25. Cast your temple ingredient & temple product right, if you are
not an ingredient brand, then you might need to re-calibrate
your temple ingredient for different product portfolios…

26. For example:
Temple Ingredient mapping across different product portfolios:

27. Strongly establish care via
temple product for owning care
Mild migration to other
ingredients (natural)
Where necessary usage of more
formula/science ingredients.
Almost Loreal/Pantene language & visual
motifs. But since Dove = 1/4th moisturizing =
sensitive & gentle, the Dove logo makes
even these formulaic motifs & product
ingredients seem more caring & sensitive.
Moisturizing cream does not lend
contradicts with freshness promise – hence
the migration to naturals “go fresh”. But by
this time the core temple ingredient has
already blessed the entire brand with
“care”.
Those who own basic care via moisturizing can easily extend to other ingredients, but the reverse is slightly more difficult

28. 1/4th moisturizing
cream
Naturals Formulaic
ingredients
1. The temple ingredient changes with each portfolio (& with non-nourishment portfolio – it could be just a
collection of ingredients). But the original 1/4th ingredient is suitably dropped.
2. The semiotics the communicate the product portfolio also change. Nurturing/Moisturizing = creamy/golden
hues. Refresh = natural/joyful colors. Formulaic/Nutrient = metallic colors cueing the nature of the ingredients
and hence crafting very good product positioning.

29. 1/4th moisturizing
cream
Dove bathing bar Dove shampoo &
conditioner
Dove Deo etc;
Naturals Formulaic
ingredients
The original care
temple ingredient led
moisturizing/nourishme
nt portfolio lends its
aura to other product
portfolios as well.
Nurturing Portfolio Refresh Portfolio
Problem/Solution and
value added benefits
and styling Portfolio
Temple Ingredient
A corporate brand with ambitions to have multiple product portfolios
should also strategize on which particular portfolio to enter with…

30. So let’s look at a temple ingredient map for launch
& extension of product portfolio…

31. Milk /
cream
(within
&without)
Solid/Paste / Liquid
Maternal sublimal
connection
Reminds one of
infancy & care taken
Degree of care - perception
Natural
ingredients
Mother nature as the
secondary source of
near-maternal care
Visible
ingredients/Essenc
e/sensorials
HIGH LOW
Degree of care / care product – perception (Skin care)HIGH LOW
Proteins/Mi
neral/Vitam
ins
Science or Science +
Nature. Transformed &
hence distance from
maternal cues of care.
Formulas/Chemicals
etc;
Bereft of maternal care. More
paternal care or low/no care
connotations.
Moisturizing Cream / Body
Butter / Soap etc;
Soap//face wash
/body wash etc;
Soap/shampoo/cream/face
wash/body wash, cleansers,
restores, problem-solution
etc;;
Cleansers/Cleaners/Proble
m Solution
Pro-active care / Maintenance Problem/Solution careCARE
Symbolic
representation
Formulaic symbols etc;

32. For an ambitious brand, which wants to extend into other
product portfolios – especially for grooming/personal
care…starting with maternal care product portfolio is the
best approach

33. for…

34. If you launch a brand
with “refresh” or
“styling” as a core
deliverable.
You cannot extend the
brand’s footprint to pure
nourishment.
But the reverse is possible & in most
cases more preferred by consumers.
#stratalogues

35. Another example…

36. Nourishment
Cleansing
Refresh
Styling
The ideal approach

37. A few strategic instigations for re-
energizing/re-enforcing a temple ingredient &
a temple product…

38. #strategic Instigation 1

39. Coconut is a temple ingredient
for a whole range of
Parachute products by
Marico.
In India while the south, west (mostly
Maharashtra) & parts of east (mostly West
Bengal) love coconut oil, the North rejects it.
It has mustard, amla (gooseberry) or badam
(almond) as its revered ingredient.
Except for Almond, none of these ingredients are thought of as
contemporary or exotic ingredients by a western culture-fascinated
India.
TREND ALERT!:
Deploying content strategy approach, Marico could ensure
that consumers in India actually get to know of this trend
and hence re-energize their temple ingredient.

40. #strategic Instigation 2

41. Dettol does not have Temple ingredient (just like Nivea), but it does have a temple symbol
(the sword) & a temple product.
To Start With: A small frame in every
product window of the temple product
going into the variant?
In the sanitation/hygiene/protection wars of Lifebuoy Vs Dettol, the greatest advantage that Dettol has is its
Temple Product. Has it romanticized its Temple Symbol & Temple Product enough?.
Yes as it extends, it is trying to extend its portfolio it is adding a care aspect to it (notice the baby pink & baby
blue colour hues). However re-vitalizing and consolidating its Temple product will only liberate it to focus on
care aspects more freely for those specific variants.
In certain cases, Dettol might have to introduce variant specific ingredients to deliver on the specific functional
benefit sought, this will also be well taken care of if they craft their temple product as theintel chip of
protection well. They could also get social in their communication of the same (instead of a Dettol Dettol Dettol
ho!).

42. The temple ingredient & temple product promotion strategy
actually add to your brand personality, well crafted they
actually energize it better than your communication shall ever
do…

43. a few right examples…
Finally, let’s end with

44. Imbued with the philosophy, culture &
values of the organization. All these Temple
Components & Products are treated with
great reverence by these brands. These add
as much to brand personality much more
than the communications.
Note: Crores of rupees are spent by these brands in positioning their temple
ingredients & temple products right.

45. Howl…