Merck Ltd, (India) launched a platform in India for collaboration by professionals across design disciplines and industries in an effort to "influence the influencer." The Project effexX initiative is spearheaded by the company's performance materials division, which offers effect and functional pigments for various industries—including coatings, plastic, printing, brand protection and cosmetics.
"Project effexX is a marketing/branding initiative of a much larger marketing strategy by Merck in India," Siddharth Sengupta, head, performance materials, Merck (India) told GCI. "It is a collaborative platform for professionals across design disciplines such as product design, architectural design, interior design, package design, cosmetics and skin care. And will feature innovators who are changing the consumer product landscape. One can find the latest information on global design and trends, opinion columns by pioneers and creative showcases across categories."
In part, the platform is designed to serve and be a "catalyst" for formulators in need of practical guidance, cosmetic innovators looking to market a concept or brand owners developing business opportunities. The portal offers solutions for any application that can benefit from product differentiation through pigments, the expertise of the Merck division, and geared to scale up.
In addition, Merck (India) created a Facebook page for reaching out to end consumers, and has gained 60,000 followers. "We will soon connect the two platforms [Project effexX and Facebook], whereby there is an opportunity to initiate dialogue between the experts and consumers through which we aim to engage and educate our stakeholders and create demand for innovations," said Sengupta.
