Last year, Himalaya Wellness’ "#NotFair" campaign in collaboration with RCB in the Women's T20 League positioned it as a champion for beauty positivity and inclusivity. This year, they were back with a new strategy – #TakeMySPOT. In a conversation with PITCH, Ragini Hariharan, Marketing Director for Personal Care & Hygiene, Himalaya Wellness sheds light on the brand's shift in approach, its goals for the campaign, and how they're leveraging the power of sports to connect with a wider audience. She talks all things sports, empowerment, and a clever play on words promoting their latest face wash. 

Edited Excerpts:

Can you share the insights behind renewing the partnership with RCB for the second season of the Women's T20 League? What were the key factors that led to this decision?

The inspiration behind Himalaya Wellness's decision to return to the Women's T20 League with the #TakeMySPOT campaign stems from the success of our previous collaboration with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Last year's "#NotFair" campaign with RCB achieved remarkable brand awareness and sparked positive conversations about inclusivity. Building on this momentum, we recognised the opportunity to continue leveraging our partnership with RCB for the second season of the Women's T20 League with the #TakeMySPOT campaign. 

We aim to replicate last season's positive brand impact - last year we achieved incredible brand awareness, trending #1 on Twitter and generating 3.2 crore impressions - and build upon our association with RCB. By promoting our latest product, the Himalaya Dark Spot Clearing Turmeric Face Wash, through this campaign, we aim to continue supporting and acknowledging the well-deserved SPOT of women in sports.

What were the key learnings from your association with Season 1 that would help you push the envelope this season?

The #TakeMySpot campaign will unfold in two phases. The campaign cleverly uses the concept of "spot" with a playful twist. The teaser phase, launched during the first RCB match, saw players sporting #TakeMySPOT on their caps, leaving viewers curious while sparking social conversations. A video featuring RCB star cricketers Smriti Mandhana, Richa Ghosh, and Shreyanka Patil alongside content creator Danish Sait who added a layer of humour into the video with his witty take on the "spot" theme kept the audience guessing, effectively amplifying the campaign's message. To build further excitement, the brand utilized a 360-degree strategy across radio, social media, outdoor advertising, and YouTube.

Could you discuss the shift in communication strategy from the previous season to the current one? What prompted this change, and how has it impacted audience engagement?

From a communication standpoint, we worked on a different message this season. The shift was from the #NotFair campaign which spoke of beauty positivity to the #TakeMySpot campaign which aims to celebrate the spot women have achieved through their relentless work. With this campaign, we are promoting our newly launched - Himalaya Dark Spot Clearing Turmeric Face Wash and Face Care Range.

To help intertwine these two objectives, we used humour to strengthen engagement. The presence of content creator Danish Sait, known for his wit, along with the women cricketers helped deliver the message creatively. This shift has resulted in increased audience engagement, as it allowed us to tailor our messaging to the audience, driving interactions with fans of women's sports leagues.

With the increasing popularity of the Women's T20 League, how do you ensure that Himalaya's brand narrative remains relevant and resonates with the diverse demographic of cricket fans in India?

The Women's T20 League embodies empowerment, inclusivity, and diversity in cricket, values that perfectly align with Himalaya's brand narrative. The inaugural season of the Women's T20 League recorded the highest online viewership for any women’s tournament. As supporters of gender equality and women empowerment, we recognise the importance of ensuring that our brand remains relevant and resonates with the diverse demographic of cricket fans in India. The collaboration with RCB provides us with the opportunity to connect with our target audience, particularly sports enthusiasts and aspirants, and build brand loyalty through shared values and interests. The BCCI's efforts in equalizing sports and supporting the Women's T20 League solidify our belief that the platform is ideal for promoting talent regardless of gender. 

In terms of Himalaya's collaboration with the GoEqual Premier League partnership,  what are the key objectives of this collaboration, and how does it align with Himalaya's broader marketing goals?

Beyond cricket, Himalaya's collaboration with the GoEqual Premier League expands our commitment to women's empowerment. This partnership delves deeper at the community level, focusing on grassroots football programs that nurture participation and inclusivity. Here, our key objectives go beyond the playing field. We aim to invest in the future by supporting infrastructure development and skill-building initiatives for young female footballers.

By engaging with local communities, schools, youth organizations, and professional teams through the GoEqual Premier League, we aim to strengthen our social impact and reinforce our overall commitment to inclusivity.  This aligns perfectly with our marketing goals of empowerment and self-acceptance for women across India. Moreover, by connecting with a new audience passionate about football,  we’re expanding our brand reach and further solidifying our identity as a champion for positive social change. 

In what ways do you plan to leverage your association with various sports leagues to strengthen Himalaya's brand identity and connect with consumers on a deeper level? 

Himalaya is a brand that has always ranked high on trust factor. Our consumers trust us for our products. We believe in responsible marketing and Himalaya feels it is its responsibility to do good for the society which goes with our motto of ‘Wellness in every home, happiness in every heart’. Sports is one of the ways to ensure that awareness of these values is raised through the right medium. These engagements embody empowerment, inclusivity, and diversity, values that perfectly align with Himalaya's brand narrative.

As Himalaya Wellness aims to strengthen its market position, what specific marketing strategies are you planning to implement? How do these plans align with evolving consumer preferences and market trends?

Himalaya Wellness Company strives to bring products that are good for the skin and good for the planet. All our launches are in line with this. Our face washes come in recyclable packaging and formulations that are skin-friendly. We believe this will help us responsibly strengthen our position in the market. It is a good thing that consumer preferences are also moving in the right direction. Apart from this, we are constantly strengthening our portfolio with continuous and relevant innovations, that contribute to the larger Himalaya Wellness promise.