Photo: alexthq13
Did you know that the Indian government is in the condom business? Nirodh condoms are government-supplied, low-priced condoms that were launched about 50 years ago under a family planning initiative. Now Nirodh is also part of the health ministry’s STD prevention programme. At one time Nirodh condoms were the most commonly available, and 800 million were produced in 1985. Over the years, the brand has lost out in popularity to other Indian and foreign competitors that market their products with slick packaging and pleasure-enhancing features.
According to an article in Hindustan Times, 650 million Nirodh condoms are given away each year by the government, but its dull white packaging with only text and no pictures does not appeal to the masses. Many customers relate this poor-looking packing to the quality of the product inside as well, which makes them even more wary of using the brand.
However, the government firmly insists that the quality of its condoms is on par with other big brands and a health ministry official said that these condoms just need a new look in order for them to again grow in popularity and people’s trust.
So to help revive the brand’s sagging image, the government plans to add pictures and colour to the wrappers, hopefully giving it a chance against pricier competitors such as Durex, which is made by the Reckitt Benckiser Group, and KamaSutra, which is made by the Indian unit of Australia’s Ansell Ltd.
In the case of Durex, vibrant colours are used on its different types of products, whereas KamaSutra makes use of erotic imagery to draw customers’ attention to its products. However, the government is aware that, for many people, buying contraception is still an embarrassing task and hence packaging has to be done tastefully and not be over the top. To make the packaging more seductive, the government plans to open up its (French) purse-strings to spend more on the condoms, which now cost Rs1.80 each to manufacture.
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