Unlocking potential of natural products
By NEETA NAIR They are more than a century old company in India which was till recently a Waqf or non-profit organisation. But now Hamdard is planning a makeover for the brand beginning with an aggressive marketing strategy. And the recent ad for its iconic product Hamdard Roghan Badam Shirin is an excellent example of that. Let’s know more about it from Mansoor Ali, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Hamdard India. “Our brand strategy is undergoing a huge transformation right now. Firstly, we want to redefine our target audience. Thus, we made the campaign more youth centric this time and also tried to appeal to the urban audiences. People use almond oil just as an application, either you put it in your hair or use it for a body massage. But in this TV campaign we highlighted the multiple benefits of 100% pure almond oil. Very few people know that you can actually consume Hamdard Roghan Badam Shirin in a glass of milk, and that builds immunity. We are the purest almond oil available in the market and thus the most expensive,” Ali adds. Talking about the medium which is the focus of their ad spends Ali says, “We have used print to a large extent along with TV. Additionally, we are finding innovative ways to market the product in magazines. Also, we are present in a big way on social media where we are engaging with the youth through our ‘Expect More’ page.” Hamdard has 600 plus traditional and herbal products under its umbrella, much of which is still not advertised. The company is hoping to expand its consumer base and has set a goal of tripling the revenue in the next three years. Ali elaborates on how they plan to achieve that, “We had a revenue of more than 500 crore in the year 2014-15. We need to really fire all cylinders as far as our main brands like Rooh Afza, Safi, and the entire FMCG business are concerned. There is a huge potential in this business and we are looking at a huge growth coming from the overseas market as well. Also, our other initiatives in retail will help us achieve that benchmark.” With more and more brands introducing natural and herbal products, the market is no more niche for these goods. Hamdard is attempting to cash in on this increasing acceptance from the consumers and is banking on its ‘Unani’ legacy to distinguish it from competition. Ali elaborates, “People are really jumping on to the bandwagon of rejecting synthetic drugs and instead demanding medicines which have no side-effects. I think that’s where we are already sitting on a sweet spot. Just that we haven’t publicized that aspect much. So, we will now start advertising and communicating on the traditional medicine side as well. We are focusing on this market of remedies and solutions for lifestyle disorders. We will introduce specific products to help people with cholesterol, diabetes, heart problems, etc. Our new range of products called Nature Wonder is already in the market. It is targeted at the young working class which is under a lot of stress. It includes some of our products for which we will use out of the line TV advertising. On the FMCG side we will continue to invest in newer brands and extensions.” Talking about the problems Hamdard faced in the past despite being a trusted brand Ali says, “A year ago, we were just not able to connect with the youth and the younger adults. That was where we were going wrong. Youth forms the biggest part of our population but we were just talking to the mothers and the grandmothers, be it our product Rooh Afza or Safi. I wanted youth to think that Rooh Afza is cool and Safi is a brilliant product. We had to bridge that generation gap somehow. Through our recent communication we have tried to get inside their heads. In addition, we are exploring many new avenues like digital media, and carrying out innovative youth engagement exercises by getting them to sample our products at places where they hang out more.”
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