Dabur's ayurvedic game plan to win over youth

MANY INDIANS START their day with a spoonful of Dabur Chawanprash, an Ayurvedic immunity booster

- VIVEAT SUSAN PINTO

• STRATEGIC SHIFT

For people who are put off by the product's gooey consistency, the firm has introduced Chawanprash capsules. That's not everything. There is a sugar-free variant of Dabur Chawanprash available for diabetics and a jaggery variant for those wanting the goodness of palm sugar. The company has also launched a powdered variant of Chawanprash for those seeking convenience and ease of consumption.

The ₹11,530-crore Dabur India (consolidated revenue), amongst the oldest Ayurvedic companies in the country, is putting in place a strategy to draw younger consumers into its fold. The 138-year-old brand is prioritising e-commerce, direct-to-consumer channels, newer product formats and modern packaging to stay relevant to youth.

"The aim", as Dabur India's CEO Mohit Malhotra explains, "is to increase the addressable market of the company and remain contemporary to consumers."

"There are multiple legs to this. One is the route-to-market strategy, the second is product format and variants and the third aspect is communication and packaging," Malhotra says of the company's modernisation drive, adding that he sees this as a "virtuous cycle" to remain future-fit.

For instance, Dabur's total spends on digital advertising today constitutes 33% of its total ad spends. Five years ago, this number was around 56% of its total ad spends, Malhotra says. The need to take digital advertising to one-third of its total ad budget was necessitated in part by the 24X7, digital-native consumer.