We aim to grow Himalaya Ashvagandha by 3X the category growth rate: Vikas Bansi

Himalaya’s head of OTC business spoke to e4m regarding their new campaign around stress, the expected growth rate from the product, health MarTech and more

by Nilanjana Basu
Published - June 02, 2023
5 minutes To Read
We aim to grow Himalaya Ashvagandha by 3X the category growth rate: Vikas Bansi

“The Himalaya Wellness OTX range is a budding portfolio with high growth potential,” Vikas Bansi, the Head of the OTC business, Himalaya Wellness Company said in a conversation with exchange4media.

Through three ad films and a campaign titled “Ab Stress Nahi, De-stress Kijiye”, Himalaya is looking to raise awareness about mental health and the impact of stress. Bansi spoke to e4m about the growth of the campaign, the trickiness of mixing mental health awareness and marketing and the ROI expected from the campaign.

The reason behind the campaign, Bansi said, is to draw people’s attention to this modern-day problem and highlight the fact that there are multiple stress triggers that often go unnoticed or may seem common.

“These trigger factors, however common they may seem, lead to stress that can affect one’s health, behaviour, and overall quality of life. Building on this insight, the campaign brings common triggers of stress into the spotlight and emphasizes the role of Himalaya Ashvagandha in minimizing stress in daily life and helping bring calm,” he pointed out.

Excerpts:

Tell us a little bit about the campaign and how it was built

For this campaign, a 360° approach was deployed where the three critical pillars – consumer, trade, and ethical – were activated, allowing us to reach the right target group for the brand.

The brand primarily built awareness among end consumers through digital, influencer, and radio campaigns. A series of three advertisements were created, each targeting a different consumer cohort – middle-aged men, working women, and youngsters.

These advertisements highlight the after-effects of stress, where the protagonists experience sleeplessness, tiredness, and anger, respectively, when exposed to certain stressors regularly. The communication is reinforced by the doctor talking about the benefits of Himalaya Ashvagandha in helping manage stress better.

The awareness campaign was further amplified by maximizing the reach via L-band ads on leading national and regional news channels. In addition, the key influencers of the purchase decision journey, doctors and retailers, were targeted through extensive sampling to drive familiarity with the product along with trials.  Taking the campaign a notch further, CMEs and 35 + RTMs on “stress management” were also conducted across the country to engage with doctors.

How is Himalaya working on the sensitivity of the topic while creating awareness for the campaign?

Stress can be a sensitive topic for many individuals. Some people may openly discuss their experience with stress but many still find it challenging to freely talk about what is causing them stress and how it is impacting their lives.

This is why, the Himalaya Ashvagandha campaign has approached the conversation around stress with empathy and understanding. We have tried to make the viewer feel comfortable by treating the stressors and their impact in a non-judgmental manner and as something that is normal and faced by most people around us.  However, we have also taken care to not trivialize the problem either. Having a doctor back the need for a natural intervention for stress management has given consumers confidence in our message and it also helped balance a light-hearted story with the seriousness required for a conversation around stress.

When it comes to mental health awareness and marketing for related products, what kind of marketing mix works best?

Though mental health is an extremely sensitive topic, mental health issues, stress, and anxiety have become extremely prevalent in today’s society. It is important to bring these conversations in front of as many people as possible so that individuals can learn to identify issues and seek timely help and support to resolve them.

That being said, the marketing mix would entirely depend on the problem the product is aiming to solve, its price, positioning, and channel availability in the market. Digital media should definitely be a part of the mix since it allows you to customize communication, improve relevancy, and reach the targeted consumer cohort.

What kind of ROI is expected from this campaign?

We aim to grow Himalaya Ashvagandha by 3X the category growth rate.

Can we expect an uptick in ad spends from Himalaya for the rest of the year, regardless of the rising economic uncertainty?

The Himalaya Wellness OTX range is a budding portfolio with high growth potential. In the categories we are present in, there is immense room for new players to gain traction and hence we will continue to advertise our focus brands to create the required lift in consumer demand.

As a wellness company, what are your thoughts on health MarTech?

The health care sector in India has seen significant digital transformation of late. MarTech can potentially change the marketing landscape in this industry by improving how companies reach and engage with potential consumers. It can help improve patient experiences, deliver personalized care, and drive positive health outcomes.

It offers companies the ability to gather and analyse at scale, patient data, market trends, and consumer behaviour patterns, all of which are critical to developing products and services with real value for the consumers and also for ensuring marketing effectiveness.

However, it's important to note that while health MarTech presents numerous opportunities, it also comes with challenges. Privacy and security concerns, data governance, and regulatory compliance are crucial factors that need to be carefully addressed to ensure the ethical and responsible use of technology in health care marketing.

RELATED STORY VIEW MORE