The launch is expected to be backed by a heavyweight campaign, due to launch in the next two months.
P&G’s Naturella feminine pads were launched in 2002 to meet the needs of low-income women in Latin America.
Ben Cavender, senior analyst at CMR Group, said that P&G may face some challenges with the positioning of its Naturella product if it targets the budget consumer in China. “Companies are already targeting the cost-consious,” he said. “P&G may do better to take a different direction with its launch.”
He added that Kimberly-Clark, Johnson & Jonhson and McNeil PPC are already big players in China’s feminine hygiene sector.
Feminine care is worth an estimated US$16 billion a year woldwide, of which an estimated $10 billion is feminine pads. Globally, P&G is a market leader with products such as Always, Whisper, Tess and Otros Dias sold in more than 80 countries.
In May, P&G's associate director of media for Greater China, J Alfonso 'Pon' De Dios, relinquished his role after a period of 14 years with the company. It subsequently moved its media negotiation business in-house.