MINOR PROJECT REPORT ON “TO STUDY THE MARKETING STRATEGIES OF PATANJALI” Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University SUPERVISED TO: SUBMITTED BY: MS.DIVYA GUPTA SNEHA SAURABH (ASSISTANT PROFESSOR) ROLL NO:06621401715 (JAGANNATH INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT SCHOOL) BATCH (2015-2018) 1 RESEARCHER’S DECLARATION I SNEHA SAURABH declare that the PROJECT REPORT entitled “TO STUDY THE MARKETING STRATEGIES OF PATANJALI” is record of independent research work carried out by me under the supervision and guidance of Ms.Divya Gupta. DATE: BBA 2nd year(3rdSemester) Roll No : 06621401715 2 SNEHA SAURABH CERTIFICATE This is to certify that SNEHA SAURABH is the student of BBA Second year course affiliated to GGSIPU,New Delhi. He has prepared a project report titled “TO STUDY THE MARKETING STRATEGIES OF PATANJALI” as partial fulfill of Bachelor degree in Business Administration (B.B.A) from Jagannath International Management School for the academic year 2016-2017. Guided By Mr. DIVYA GUPTA (PROJECT SUPERVISOR) 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENT With profound sense of gratitude and regard, I convey my sincere thanks to my guide and mentor,for their valuable guidance and the confidence they instilled in that helped me in the successful completion of the project report. I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my project guide Ms. DIVYA GUPTA, “JAGANNATH INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT SCHOOL” under whose guidance the study was undertaken.Without her guidance at each stage of the project study,the task could not have been accomplished.This acknowledgment would be incomplete without thanking the college faculty who helped me in all possible ways their whole hearted cooperation.Last but not the least I am ever grateful to my friends for their help and support in completing my project. 4 Table of Contents 5 S No Topic Page No 1 Certificate 3 2 Acknowledgements 4 3 Executive Summary 6 4 Chapter-1: Introduction 9 5 Chapter-2: Conceptual Discussion 21 6 Chapter-3: Research Methodology 28 7 Chapter-4: Data Analysis 30 8 Chapter-5: Finding and Conclusions 38 9 Chapter-6: Conclusion 42 9 Bibliography 44 10 Appendices Tables and Graph (If Any) Analytical Master Charts (If Any) Financial Statements (If Any) Disruptive markets are overturning old market certainties. Most companies still follow a traditional marketing strategy that is good for existing markets, but it cannot predict the emergence of new markets. Marketers need to learn how to create markets where none exist. Due to an increasingly crowded market place consumers become stubbornly resilient to brands. Yet brand loyalty & emotional attachment have always been a goal that companies want to achieve. The case study aims to understand the tremendous success of Patanjali Ayurved Limited an FMCG company, established in 2006 and its foray into Ayurvedic, herbs, food, cosmetics & juices and touched an annual turnover of 2500 crore (US$370 million) in 2014- 15. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY There are businessmen, there are entrepreneurs and then there are people who leave you thinking, “What just happened!”. It is an FMCG empire that was not in the competition analysis powerpoints of the big players even a couple of years back. Today, Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali is sweeping away everything in its path. From local stores to Amazon, Patanjali Products are everywhere. The product quality is best in breed, the prices competitive and the distribution chain is probably the first that is rivalling even the Cola majors. And behind all of this, are the meticulous efforts of one man in creating his own brand. And his expertise in what we today call content marketing. So what is content marketing? It is attracting consumers to your product, not by bombarding them with incessant ads (looking at you retargeting ad players) but by educating them on the general sphere where you operate. What many people forget is that the keyword here is ‘general sphere’! You cannot keep harping about your product and expect the target consumers to not be bored to death. Let me repeat that again – Do not keep shouting about how your product is better than everything else. And here, exactly, is where Baba Ramdev proved to be phenomenal. For the last decade, Baba Ramdev did not focus on proclaiming that his brand was the best. Instead, he told us about the evils of MNCs, the virtues of products made in India, the corruption of corporates, the exploitation of farmers, the cancerous effects 6 of fertilisers and chemicals and just about everything that surrounded his products. He just showed us the reasons and left us on our own to explore his products. This was brilliant. See, when someone forces you to try out a product you might have a bias to reject it as ‘overselling’. But here no-one was pushing anything, only an environment was created where you wanted to see if the alternative to above evils was usable. You might have been influenced by the fear of diseases or you might just have been patriotic enough to shun all evil US firms. Whatever the reason, you already had a positive environment to try the Patanjali products. So now the Patanjali brand had a willing consumer. Was this enough? Obviously not, you still had to deliver. And did they do that! The product quality was brilliant. Yes, they were not the panacea of everything as (often) claimed – but the toothpaste was as good as any other in the market, as were the oils, as were the extracts, and as was everything else. And guess what, Patanjali overdid even its own stupendous record in the distribution department. Is there any village, any city in India where you cannot find these products? The recent news reports of Baba Ramdev’s FMCG empire (2013-2014 turnover at INR 1200 crores) were meant to provide shock value, but they underplayed the true learning for entrepreneurs aiming to displace huge incumbents. Beyond the obvious ‘have a great product’ and ‘make sure the product reaches consumers’, Patanjali Ayurveda was a startup that displayed as good a content marketing strategy as anyone ever before. So let us recap again what content marketing is in the context of this example: 1. To make a successful product, your marketing strategy should attract long term consumers. These long term consumers are made by influencing their core beliefs. These beliefs are (almost) impossible to change by superficial claims. You need to find out what values your target consumers hold and appeal to those. Needless to say that the thread should somehow lead to your product, but make it too obvious and you run the risk of losing all trust. Subtlety is the key. If you need another example, subscribe to shopify.com’s mailing list. They are an e-commerce platform 7 provider but every article they write is about you as the ambitious business owner, and not about them as the platform provider. 2. Be consistent. As consumers, we are anyway exposed to hundred ads per day. If you keep changing the core of who you are as a business (yes, today’s catchphrase ‘pivot’ notwithstanding), then even your most loyal consumers will lose their trust. 3. Be persistent, but know when to pull back and when to go full steam ahead. Baba Ramdev (and hence the future of Patanjali) faced plenty of ups and downs, from political to product challenges. He lied low on some occasions and propelled himself to limelight in others. Efficient maneouvering of such situations is often the difference between the winner and the ‘almost did it’. 4. To know your content, you should know your consumers. Patanjali’s consumers had a very specific profile, and the content needed to revolve around that. The products needed to fit into their lifestyle. This was not an aspirational product to show off to others and having someone like Shahrukh Khan as the brand ambassador would simply not have worked. This was a self-improvement product and you, the consumer, were your own inspiration. That is exactly what the content focused on. 5. Have a great product. If you don’t have a product that satisfies some need, solves a problem and works (almost) as you claim – don’t bother about content or any other kind of marketing. Go out, know your consumers and develop the right product. Then come back and apply these techniques. Patanjali Ayurveda is one of the untold startup success stories, and in the next couple of years when it inevitably displaces more large players, be ready for more news stories aimed to surprise the readers! CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 8 OVERVIEW OF PATANJALI PROFILE OF THE ORGANISATION PROBLEMS OF PATANJALI COMPETITION INFORMATION SWOT ANALYSIS OVERVIEW OF PATANJALI Patanjali Ayurved Limited is an Indian FMCG company. Manufacturing units and headquarters are located in the industrial area of Haridwar while the registered office is located at Delhi. The company manufactures mineral and herbal products. It has also manufacturing units in Nepal under the trademark Nepal Gramudhyog and imports majority of herbs in India from Himalayas of Nepal. According to CLSA and HSBC, Patanjali is the fastest growing FMCG company in India. It is valued at ₹3,000 crore(US$450 million) and some predict revenues of ₹5,000 crore (US$740 million) for the fiscal 2015–16. Ramdev baba has stated in his interview with CNN-News18 that profit from Patanjali Products goes to charity. Baba Ramdev established the Patanjali Ayurved Limited in 2006 along with Acharya Balkrishna with the objective of establishing science of Ayurveda in accordance and coordinating with the latest technology and ancient wisdom. Future Group which has tied up with Patanjali sells about ₹30 crore (US$4.5 million) worth of Patanjali products every month. 9 PRODUCTION Patanjali Food and Herbal Park at Haridwar is the main production facility operated by Patanjali Ayurved.The company plans to establish further units in India and in Nepal. In 2016, the Patanjali Food and Herbal Park was given a full-time security cover of 35 armed Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) commandos.The park will be the eighth private institute in India to be guarded by CISF paramilitary forces. Baba Ramdev is himself a "Z" category protectee of central paramilitary forces. PRODUCTS Patanjali Ayurved produces products in the categories of personal care and food. The company manufactures 444 products including 45 types of cosmetic products and 30 types of food products. According to Patanjali, all the products manufactured by Patanjali are made from Ayurveda and natural components. Patanajali has also launched beauty and baby products. Patanjali Ayurvedic manufacturing division has over 300 medicines for treating a range of ailments and body conditions, from common cold to chronic paralysis. Patanajali launched instant noodles on 15 November 2015. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India slapped a notice on the company as neither Patanjali nor Aayush, which are the two brand names under which Patanjali got licenses, have got any approval for manufacturing instant noodles. SALES AND DISTRIBUTION Patanjali Ayurved sells through nearly 4,700 retail outlets as of May 2016. Patanjali also sells its products online and is planning to open outlets at railway stations and airports. Patanjali Ayurveda has tied up with Pittie Group and Kishore Biyani's Future Group on 9 October 2015. As per the tie-up with Future Group, all the consumer 10 products of Patanjali will be available for the direct sale in Future Group outlets. Patanjali Ayurveda products are also available in modern trade stores including Reliance retail, Hyper city and Star Bazaar apart from online channels. Patanjali Ayurved, co-founded by yoga guru Ramdev, is targeting Rs 10,000-crore revenue in 2016-17, after sales grew 150 per cent in the previous financial year to Rs 5,000 crore. Patanjali Ayurved, maker of ayurvedic consumer products, is the fastest growing consumer company in India. Yes, you heard it right. Credit Lyonnais Securities, a foreign stockbroking company, has put out a report wishing for the company promoted by Baba Ramdev, the yoga guru, to be listed on the stock market. PROFILE OF THE ORGANISATION Estd. Date 27 September2007 Company Patanjali Ayurveda Kendra Pvt.Ltd. Promoters Mr. Babukaji Shrestha, President Mr. Raju Shrestha, Managing Director Mr. Pawman Subedi, Director Type of Sole Distributor of Ayurvedic Product of Divya Pharmacy , Divya Yog Business Sadhana, Divya Prakashan & Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd., Haridwar, India Head Patanjali Ayurveda Kendra Pvt.Ltd Office Swotantramargh,Swoyambhu Chakrapath, Kathmandu,Nepal Tel: +977-1-4674666 / 4674777 Fax No.: +977-1-4033557 11 Email: patanjali@wlink.com.np / Patanjali@mail.com.np www.patanjaliayurveda.com Branch Patanjali Ayurveda Kendra Pvt.Ltd Office Millan Chowk, Butwal -11, Rupandehi Nepal Tel: +977-71-544714 Fax No.: +977-71-544715 Email: patanjali.b@wlink.com.np Patanjali Ayurveda Kendra Pvt.Ltd Patanjali Yog Peeth Building, Waling -3, Syangja,Nepal Tel: +977-63-440601 Fax No.: +977-63-440601 Email: walingpatanjali@hotmail.com Number of employees Kathmandu25 Nos. Office Butawal 7 Nos. Office Suppliers Divya Pharmacy , Haridwar,India Divya Yog Sadhana, Haridwar,India Divya Prakashan, Haridwar, India Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd., Haridwar,India 12 Govt. Company Registrar Office Tripureshower Register on 2063.08.15 BS. Reg No. 42691. Tax office on 2063.08.25 BS. PAN/VAT No. 302445329. Department Of Drug Administration on 2063.10.19 BS. Reg No. 17243. Department Of Ayurvedic Administration on 2065.01.30 BS. Reg.No. 1789. STORES We all know that Baba Ramdev Ayurvedic products has got tremendous response from the people and it had stood up to the people's expectation in both quality wise and cost wise. Patanjali ayurvedic products which we used to get only in Patanjali Ayurvedic stores located in rare cities few months ago got available into every town today. Today you can buy Baba Ramdev Patanjali products in Big Bazaar too. You can get them from many sources like Divya Patanjali Ayurvedic Stores, Average super markets, Big Bazaar and from many other. People can also order Patanjali products & medicines through online from almost all major eCommerce websites along with official Patanjali Ayurveda online store. 13 FIGURE 1.2 MISSION STATEMENT 1) TO REACH THE GREAT HEIGHTS 2) TO RESTART THE SWADESHI MOVEMENT 3) TO PRODUCE GOOD QUALITY PRODUCTS AT CHEAPER RATES 4) TO INTRODUCE INDIAN AYURVEDA TO THIS MODERN WORLD 5) TO CRACK THE MAXIMUM MARKET SHARE VISION STATEMENT 1) TO BE A TOP AYURVEDA COMPANY AMONG ALL MNC’s 2) TO RE-INTRODUCE THE INDIAN AYURVEDA 3) TO CRACK THE WORLD’S ATTRACTION TO OUR INDIA 4) TO WORK FOR THE WELFARE OF HUMANITY 14 5) TO REINVENT OUR TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE OF YOGA AND AYURVEDA PROBLEMS FACED BY PATANJALI Maintaining quality and brand promise – The key to buying any Patanjali product is quality and purity (possibly, that’s why its cow milk ghee’s sales forms ~50% of its revenues). This stands as a core brand promise. Consumers associate Patanjali with these attributes. Without a consistent adherence to quality standards across all its product categories, Patanjali cannot shake the boardrooms of FMCG giants. Quality becomes even more important as the company starts relying on contract manufacturers for newer and “inconsistent” product categories. You just can’t open an apparel and shoes manufacturing plant overnight, if you are running a food and medicine plant! An ever expanding product portfolio with brand extensions – Few brands, such as Virgin Group, have done a tremendous job at brand extensions, though with failures in many categories. Considering Patanjali has forayed into categories (such as shoes, apparels, home cleaning solutions, etc.) that are not directly linked with ayurveda or purity or goodness, ensuring their loyal consumers do not get confused with what it wants to do with the brand and how far it wants to stretch, could be a challenge in the longer run. Absence of a key sub-branded range under Patanjali “Umbrella” -Further, most of its products are branded under “Patanjali” umbrella and are then linked with generic names such as Patanjali Atta Noodles, Patanjali ghee, Patanjali Cornflakes. Their communication largely focuses around the name “Patanjali” and not around any sub-brand. This could affect sales of their key categories, if inconsistent product categories do not perform well. It can also confuse consumers if Patanjali want to increase “product depth” and launch variants with minute differences. Parle, a biscuit and snacks company, first nurtured its hide and seek range to a “brand” and then 15 launched newer “related” biscuit categories within Parle’s Hide and Seek range. Patanjali can do something on similar lines. Image driven branding – Consumers don't just buy products to suit their needs, instead they buy a solution that offers them value with “trust”. “Patanjali” is largely co-branded/co-promoted with Baba Ramdev and his companion Acharya Balkrishna. Any questions arising on their integrity will surely affect the brand’s performance. In my opinion, Patanjali should focus on fewer product categories that are linked and consistent. They should also focus on creating sub-brands for newer product lines with a solid brand architecture to offset any future risks associated with umbrella brand “Patanjali”. This will help them create an even greater product depth and appeal to different consumer segments. Moreover, a consumer who uses cow urine-based “Patanjali Shuddhi” for home floor cleaning is less likely to buy “Patanjali Ghee”. So you Patanjali folks, better use market analytical skills to market Ghee and Shudhi together. Having said that, they should also, at least slowly, move away from a being a “Baba image-driven” company, in case they wish to stay relevant and longer in the Indian market. COMPETITORS INFORMATION Yoga guru Baba Ramdev has begun his five-day meditation and yoga camp at the MMRDA Grounds at Bandra in Mumbai. Open to anyone, preparation for this began days before with volunteers distributing pamphlets in all adjoining areas. In camps such as these, Ramdev is known to push products from Patanjali Ayurved, co-founded by him and Acharya Balkrishna. This camp has been no exception. Yoga sessions are interspersed with talks on healthy living and how Patanjali has a solution to every problem. 16 Watching Ramdev's moves are rival consumer goods companies. The Rs 2,000-crore Patanjali, looking to grow its turnover two-and-a-half times in FY16, is striking at the heart of their business, making its presence felt across categories. The stiff competition has prompted most of the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies to hit back. Consider what the country's largest FMCG company Hindustan Unilever (HUL) is doing: It has 'resurrected' its herbal brand Ayush, launching it online. A bunch of new products across haircare, skin care and pain balms have been launched on e-commerce platforms under Lever Ayush Therapy. The plan is to take the brand to general trade in the future. The firm is also expected to increase its 'natural' offerings, moving into newer categories such as health foods, oral care, lip care etc. HUL's managing director and chief executive Sanjiv Mehta says, "What we find is that consumers' interest in natural/ayuvedic products is growing. It is one of the emerging trends now. As a consumer goods company, we have to respond to this, which is why Ayush, which existed in our portfolio, has now staged a comeback. We also acquired Indulekha to grow our presence in the value-added hair oil segment. We will continue to make investments in this area." Companies that have been directly affected by Patanjali such as Dabur, Emami and Himalaya - all three operate in the herbal/naturals space - say they will buttress their portfolios, making their products relevant to consumers. Harsh Agarwal, director of Emami, says he is open to acquisitions to strengthen his firm's position in the herbal space. "Ayurveda has been around for a long time. I don't see this as a new trend. But, the emergence of new players is happening right now. We welcome them and will continue to fortify our range with new variants, launches and acquisitions." 17 Emami had acquired hair oil brand Kesh King last year and was also in the race to acquire Indulekha before opting out. Agarwal says he is looking at new targets, some of them located in the south. Industry source say herbal and non-herbal companies are now going back to the drawing board, looking at how they can incorporate natural ingredients when developing new products. Godrej Consumer, for instance, has launched a neem-based mosquito coil; a creme hair colour that has coconut oil; and launched new variants under Godrej No 1, its naturals platform in soaps. Sunil Kataria, business head (India and Saarc region) at Godrej Consumer, says, "Our endeavour will be to fortify these products as we come up with new innovations in other categories." Colgate, whose volume growth has taken a hit on account of Patanjali's Dant Kanti toothpaste, according to brokerage firm Credit Suisse, is aggressively advertising its active salt neem toothpaste, launched a few months ago. This toothpaste, a variant of Colgate's Active Salt toothpaste, was made in India to address the herbal revolution, according to industry sources. Colgate is expected to come up with more such offerings as Patanjali's threatens to eat into its business. Dabur, on the other hand, is introducing new Ayurvedic products targeting men, women, and children. Existing products such as Dabur Honey and Chawanprash are being pushed aggressively in the marketplace as Patanjali positions itself as a price warrior in these categories. Himalaya - another herbal products company - recently launched its range of wellness products which aim to provide therapeutic solutions to consumers. Products ranging from anti-hairfall creams to pills for staying slim are part of this new initiative. 18 PREPARING TO PUT UP A FIGHT HUL Company "resurrects" herbal brand, Ayush, launching it online. Plans to increase "natural" offerings Emami Firm open to acquisitions for strengthening the company's position in the herbal space Godrej Consumer Launches neem mosquito coil, a creme hair colour that has coconut oil, new variants in naturals soaps Colgate Firm aggressively advertising its active salt neem toothpaste, as its volume was hit after Patanjali's Dant Kanti Dabur Firm launching ayurvedic products. Pushing Dabur Honey and Chyawanprash aggressively Himalaya Recently launched its range of wellness products which aim to provide therapeutic solutions to consumer SWOT ANALYSIS OF PATANJALI 19 STRENGTH : 1) RAMDEV BABA , a brand image with 5,491.514 followers only in Facebook .He can invest a lot into digital marketing , content marketing with good returns. 2)So many followers of YOGA (20 crore ) and association of products with yoga 3) price 20-30% lower than other companies same segment categories products 4)100 AYURVEDIC FMCG products all herbal in nature 5)Strong government support WEAKNESS : 1)Lack of management graduates and think tanks 2)not much advertising like other companies due to which even some products of patanjali are still unknown to all 3)Restrictions over distributions . You cant find every patanjali products in every kirana stores or outlets. 4)packaging is poor as compared to other companies, for example packages of soaps are so dull in color . OPPORTUNITIES : 1)natural/herbal care market alone in INDIA worth RS 9000 crore and 20-25% ayurvedic . 2)YOGA followers to grow at national level and at international level so there are opportunities to do marketing of their products more 3)Ties with retails like BIG BAZAAR . BIGBASKET.com where they can promote their products. 4)Only 21% of revenues from pure ayurvedic products while another 39% from herbal/cosmetics , 40% from foods. And so there is large space for patanjali to explore more in each segment. THREAT: 1)HUL and its own ayurveda brand AYUSH which they are re-branding 20 2)Himalaya worth 600 crore already in to skin care ayurveda segment whose products are very popular 3)Challenges from DABUR INDIA and EMAMI who are planning for making new strategies for playing in these segments. CHAPTER 2: CONCEPTUAL DISCUSSION The Patanjali saga has its genesis in the word that is synonymous with India’s gift to the world- Yoga. In 2003, a relatively obscure TV channel called “Aastha TV” opened its early morning slot for Baba Ramdev. Wearing only a saffron dhoti, he would 21 appear every morning, and demonstrate various yogic postures, their benefits, encouraging the audience to lead a healthy, simple and fit life. He soon became very popular for his free yoga lessons, his easy-to-follow breathing techniques based on his knowledge from several scriptures. In fact Baba Ramdev single-handedly revived the ancient Indian practice of Pranayam- anulom and vilom- the breathing techniques that were till then known only in limited circles. His simple earthy appearance, easy approachability helped his popularity increase in leaps and bounds. Ramdev started providing a heady cocktail of yoga, spirituality, health, Ayurveda and lifestyle to a parched Indian audience that was struggling with these very issues, especially in the fast paced metro cities in India. And millions started flocking to his ashram to savor this tonic without a second thought. THE EXPANSION While Baba was the magnet that was pulling the audience to him, his close associate and also an yurveda expert Acharya Balkrishna realized that this popularity wave and the sheer trust and onfidence that Baba has earned can be expanded to encompass a whole range of offerings. He amalgamated the yoga guru’s popularity and his knowledge of ancient Ayurveda with best of technology and started providing a whole range of medicinal products. Thus was born Patanjali Ayurveda Limited (PAL), a company set up as a small pharmacy by Baba Ramdev and Acharya Balkrishna, in 1997.Balakrishna owns 92% stake and the rest is held by an expat Indian couple. Baba Ramdev holds no stake in the company. PAL which began manufacturing medicinal products initially, slowly and steadily ventured into segments like dental care, cosmetics, and food products. The brand name Patanjali Ayurved combines the names of India’s ancient herbal medicinal system of Ayurveda, and the famed yoga saint of yore, Patanjali. The website of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd clearly mentions that “it is not a company. It is a Concept – a concept that links the rising destiny of millions of rural masses on the one hand and many more suffering the onslaught of the unhealthy urban life style on the other”. It is about economically processing farm produce into daily use consumables ranging from Ayurvedic health supplements to foods and cosmetics. The produce is picked right from the farms, thereby increasing the effective income of the farmers. The health based products are made available to a large urban population at an unmatched cost not seen by the market. To quote from 22 the company’s website “it is all about reinventing the traditional knowledge of Yog and Ayurved, rejuvenation of rural economy by arresting the flight of rural job seekers to the urban slums, strengthening the health grid of the nation and the world, mending the environmental imbalance……and finally fighting the tirade of western culture on Indian panorama.” Thus it can be seen that PAL has built a strong emotional connect with the consumers based on three clear platforms - first- a “swadesi” platform, secondly- resuscitating the rural poor and their economy and finally caring for the health of all by providing the products at very affordable prices. This emotional branding is what has emerged as the strongest differentiating factor. “Emotional Branding” emerged in the late 1990’s and is establishing itself as the new paradigm for branding. It is defined as engaging the consumer on the level of senses & emotions; forging a deep, lasting, intimate emotional connection to the brand that transcends material satisfaction; it involves creating a holistic experience that delivers an emotional fulfillment so that the customer develops a special bond with and a unique trust in the brand. “Emotional Branding says that branding strategies should be more about mindshare and “emotions share”, rather than market share. The advantage it has is that once a consumer buys into the ayurveda philosophy, it's not restricted to just one product.With acceptance comes extension as consumers end up buying many categories simultaneously — a phenomenon not seen with other FMCG companies where individual categories gain or lose a consumer to competition. The company assures the consumers that getting rid the food of the pollutants, poisonous pesticides and chemical fertilizers are their goal and commitment. Thus they are always striving to achieve this by providing consumers with eatables that are cultivated using organic, natural manures and pest repellents. Another factor that is strongly in Patanjali's favor is its objective is to make products available to the consumer at the most reasonable price, and therefore most of its products come at a substantial discount to existing alternatives. The price differential itself may be enough for some consumers to make the shift and for those in the low income class to become loyal customers of the given product category. For example, Chyawanprash, one of Dabur’s flagship products is nearly 25% more expensive than that of Patanjali’s. Similarly, Patanjali Honey is 23 priced at 43% lower than Dabur’s. This is possible for PAL as it remains perhaps the only company in the FMCG space that didn’t spend or rely on advertising for its scalability. Using an intelligent combination of strong word of mouth (WOM) publicity and powerful endorsements by Baba Ramdev via his yoga camps, PAL has been able to achieve an unprecedented scale and growth to the extent that it is now making global & domestic rivals sweat. Coming out of nowhere, Patanjali Ayurved is now India’s fastest-growing consumer products brand and established domestic and global competitors like HUL, Colgate, Nestle, Dabur, Emami and Marico are unnerved by the rocketing sales of its wide range of ayurvedic, nature based staples, nutrition, cosmetics and personal care products of this company. An exclusive store network proved a winning strategy. There are nearly 10,000 consumer touch points as “Chikitsalayas” (Dispensaries) and “Aarogya kendras” (Health centers). These are operated by third party vendors as exclusive Patanjali stores. Brokerage house CLSA’s analysts Vivek Maheshwari and Bhavesh Shah put Patanjali Ayurved in their annual “Wish you were listed” roll last week, saying its topline exceeded that of listed firms like Jyothy Labs and Emami Ltd. 24 LITERATURE OVERVIEW HYPOTHESIS INFORMATION BRAND IMAGE AND BRAND LOYALTY Patanjali has piggy backed not only the awareness of Baba Ramdev but it is built on the brand strength, firstly of Yoga and its proponent, Baba Ramdev, and of Ayurveda. Followers of yoga, Ayurveda and Baba Ramdev were/are its most ardent early adopters, and they spread the word to others on the efficacy of the products. There is the added belief that something from this heritage is likely to be pure, and Patanjali has been quite welcoming of analysts and media to its offices to back this belief. They also have a research lab, Patanjali Research Foundation, which, based on its website has a smallish team building a framework to prove that yoga works. BRAND IMAGE AND CONSUMER PERCEPTION In Indian scenario, perceptions about a particular brand are important because Indian customers rely on the perception of their near and dear ones before actually buying or using the product. The perceptions of the people around us affect our decision to buy or not to buy the product. Perceptions are highly subjective and thus easily distorted. The qualm of buying and not buying continues into the mind or the black box of the prospective consumer unless his decision is not supported by many. Thus in order to survive in the marketing environment of a country like India, brands need to be positioned in the minds of people. India is already an attractive destination for brands to set in due to favorable marketing conditions. India has known to be a hub of Herbal brands as well since the herbal products are deeply associated with the spirituality sentiments of the people. A WHO (World Health Organization) study estimates that about 80 percent of world population depends on natural products for their health care instead of modern medicines primarily because of side effects and high cost of modern medicine (Sharma, Shanker, Tyagi, 25 Singh, & Rao, 2008) The worldwide herbal market products are around $6.2 billion and estimated to reach $5 trillion by the year 2050 (WHO & Kumar & Janagam, 2011). This paper carries out a study on what factors affect buying decision of the buyers for brand PATANJALI. MARKETING MIX OF PATANJALI Patanjali has a manufacturing unit in Nepal, working under the brand name of Nepal Gramudhyog. India’s fastest growing FMCG company is valued at 3000 Crore and generated a revenue of 5000 Crore for the fiscal year of 2015-16. Hindustan Uniliver and P&G are the FMCG companies, whose market share has been potentially affected by Patanjali. P&G and Hindustan Uniliver are on back foot and trying to lure customers back by providing huge discounts and impressive offers. PRODUCTS IN THE MARKETING MIX OF PATANJALI AYURVED Baba Ramdev is constantly pushing Indian people to start using Indian brands and save the economical growth of the company. Patanjali is planning to take over all reputed brands dealing in beverages and foods. Some of the sectors where Patanjali products are already doing great: Foods – Including jams, biscuits, noodles, oats, pulses and many other lines of food products. Beverages Healthcare & Medicines Personal care products Cleaning agents Products that are already making news and have forced competitors to bring their prices down in order to save their presence in the market: 26 Products where Patanjali is present and beating competition are Dabur Honey: Patanjali Ayurved is providing people with option to buy quality honey at around 30% lesser price than Dabur. Colgate: Patanjali Ayurved is preaching how Colgate cheated people in early days. And how ayurveda is the best way to treat your gums and your teeth. Patanjali Noodles: Patanjali Noodles rose to fame while Maggi was away from the market and has done quite damage to Maggi, which once was the king of Noodle’s market. PRICING IN THE MARKETING MIX OF PATANJALI AYURVED Two factors that have made Patanjali Ayurved the fastest growing FMCG company in India are: a) Use of Natural Ingredients and Ayurved and b) Pricing. Pricing plays an extremely important role in putting Patanjali Ayurved ahead of its fierce competitors. Hindustan Uniliver and P&G are trying their level best to cope up with the competition but the love for Indian product growing in people is not helping them. Patanjali is educating people about the benefits of using their products and are also using price comparison as an effective marketing strategy. The pricing strategy is clearly penetrative pricing because Patanjali knows that it cannot conquer the market with higher prices. Plus, if the ingredients are natural and domestic, the cost of the product is lesser too. There is a drop of 25-30 percent of price in almost every product when compared to International Brands which is helping Patanjali reach each and every household in India. PLACE IN THE MARKETING MIX OF PATANJALI AYURVED Patanjali Ayurved is India’s fastest growing FMCG Company but it is not stopping it from spreading its wing to neighboring countries like Nepal. Patanjali has a manufacturing unit in Nepal. Patanjali also imports herbs from Himalayas in Nepal; the well-established trade relation is helping Patanjali expand its wings in Nepal with great ease. 27 With the growing outreach in India and Nepal, Baba Ramdev surely will be aiming to overtake market in lot of other countries. With impressive revenue of 5000 Crores, Patanjali is surely going to have a lot of fund for expansion and growth. In India, 1000’s of stores are now selling Patanjali products, and these stores are exclusively selling Patanjali, making the local retailer quake. The penetration levels will only rise further as the margins in the product are good too. PROMOTION IN THE PATANJALI AYURVED MARKETING MIX OF Patanjali Ayurved goes with the Slogan “Prakriti ka Ashirwad”. Well, Patanjali Ayurved has acquired the requisite fame and popularity among people because of the globally recognized Yoga Guru, Baba Ramdev. This brand ambassador of Patanjali is single handedly responsible for the success of the brand. His contribution to people’s life through Yoga is incredible hence people felt aligned towards him when he launched his very own Indian FMCG Company. While a lot of people shifted to Patanjali Products because of Baba Ramdev, a pool of Indians started following him when they realized how good and cheap Patanjali products actually are. Patanjali Ad campaigns have always focused on surpassing information to people that “revenue of Patanjali is for Charity and not for Brand Owners”.Secondly, it is better that the revenue generated from day to day products remains within India rather then the profits going out to foreign companies. 28 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Title “MARKETING STRATEGIES OF PATANJALI” 3.2 Title Justification This title is justified as the project displays both the qualitative and quantitative factors of Patanjali. From local stores to Amazon, Patanjali products are everywhere.The product quality is best in breed, the prices competitive and the distribution chanel is probably the best. 3.3 Objective of study • To study the brand perception of ‘PATANJALI’ in minds of Consumers • To know the attributes that a customer keeps in mind while buying ‘PATANJALI’ Products • To study the satisfaction level of consumers after using ‘PATANJALI’ Products 3.4 Research Methodology 29 This paper is based on primary data collected through questionnaires from 100 users of Patanjali Products within Punjab. The questionnaire design is built up to know the type of products people use, the reason for their buying such product and their post buying satisfaction level from that product. Secondary sources have been used to collect information about ‘Patanjali’ brands. Journals, articles, research reports and government documents were reviewed to get the insight of the previous interventions that the stakeholders and policy makers have already in place. Also websites of natural products manufacturing company and online document were investigated to conduct this research. To analyze the questionnaire results tools of descriptive statistics, correlation, regression and non-parametric (chi-square) test have been used. 3.5 Data Collection 1. Primary Data Research Methodology The process of collecting original data with the help of research with the help of various methods like: - surveys, questionnaires, industry expert opinions, direct observation and interviews. It is also known as field research. The data collected by these methods is mostly interpreted scientifically to gain meaningful insights from it. 2. Secondary Data Research Methodology Secondary Research was divided into two parts which was done from the related websites and analysis of the academic journals. Websites like: secondarydata.com for consumers and entrepreneur.com for owners was used. 3.6 Limitation of Study The results of the study may not be generalized because researcher followed convenient sampling method. Moreover, the study includes students with zero income which may not give conclusive results as income affects the buying capacity too. Also, Researcher could not gather much data from age group of 55 and above. The 30 bias cannot be excluded since the researcher only reached out to accessible area to distribute and gather information. Time and resource constraint are other limitations too. CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS Patanjali Ayurved is a incorporated company under the Companies Act – Patanjali Ayurved Limited. Though a corporate entity, its working and ideology is not completely that can be compared to that of a perfect corporate culture. The company is focussed on top‐line growth rather than profitability. Its business ideology is inspired by Swami Ramdev’s ideologies to touch every life through Patanjali which will help the consumers and be present in all the segments where the consumers feel they can get a better product at a better price. The organisation conducts its business on the following 3 main principles: (1) Providing world‐class products to consumers (making sure the company does not add any preservatives or uses natural preservatives as far as possible). (2) Producing products in the most cost‐effective manner so that the products are priced very reasonably. (3) Whatever profits the company earns are ploughed back into business so that it can invest the same for launch of new products, cost effectiveness or further capacity expansion. Patanjali will not launch any products that are harmful to the health of consumers and detrimental to the health and lifestyle of the people. Hence, the company will not get into product categories like tobacco and liquor which are bad for health. Going 31 forward, the company also plans to open 500‐600 branches of Acharyakulam (educational institutions). FIGURE 4.1 The 3 vital principles that drive Patanjali’s business TARGETING MORE THAN 250% REVENUE GROWTH IN FY16 Patanjali clocked revenue of ~INR20.3bn in FY15 with EBITDA margin of ~20%. The company targets to achieve revenue of INR50‐60bn in FY16 itself. Growth is being driven by the company’s largest selling product, cow’s ghee (expected to be INR12bn in FY16) followed by Dant Kanti and Kesh Kanti. Patanajali also has a robust pipeline of new products, which will help achieve its target. Patanjali operates via 3 business segments, viz., foods (foods, supplements, digestives, dairy, juices, etc), FMCG (cosmetics (shampoo, soaps, facewash), home 32 care (detergent cakes, powder, liquid), etc) and ayurvedic products (healthcare products for blood pressure, skin diseases, joint pain, etc). In FY15, of the total sales of INR20.3bn, food and cosmetics contributed INR8bn each, while healthcare products comprised the balance. The company has adequate capacity to achieve its revenue target of INR50‐60bn in FY16. 33 TABLE 4.1 34 ASPIRES TO BE PART OF EVERY SKU IN KITCHEN Patanjali is working on a kitchen concept, as part of which it will launch products that will touch all categories of the SKUs used in an Indian kitchen. For instance, the company already has products that are used in the Indian kitchen such as dishwash bar, ghee, rice (has 3 variants of rice), pulses, spices, mustard oil, flour and madhuram (replacement for sugar made out of jaggery) under the Patanjali brand name . FIGURE 4.2 Some Patanjali products used in the Indian kitchen 35 ATTRACTIVE PRICING, NATURAL POSITIONING ENSURE COMPETITIVENESS Patanjali’s key strength, apart from its superior product quality, lies in pricing. The company’s products are priced at ~15‐30% discount to competition, which makes it an attractive proposition for consumers. It is able to offer such discounts primarily because of having negligible A&P spend versus other consumer companies which have A&P spends ranging from 12‐18%, as a % of sales. Another reason for the discounts is the consumer‐centric ideology of the organisation and selling best quality products at attractive price points. There may even be some products in the company’s portfolio which are making losses or fetch low margins, but it continues to sell these products to meet consumer needs. 36 TABLE 4.2 LOWER AND EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING AIDS LOWER PRICING Patanjali Ayurved has limited advertising expenses, which gives it enough leeway to pass on the savings from lower ad spends by way of lower prices. The company advertises in a limited way – news tickers, regional newspapers, some digital advertising, etc., though going ahead it might start other forms of advertising too. Patanjali has adopted the unique informationbased advertising. For instance, the company highlights the positives of cow’s ghee, which automatically helps sale of Patanjali Ghee. In the recent past, the company’s print advertising has seen a marked increase. For the consumers, Baba Ramdev remains the face of Patanjali and its products. Baba Ramdev, during his yoga sessions, showcases the Patanjali products. After the session, he makes the attendees aware of the benefits of using Patanjali products. Till date, 37 close to 70mn people have come in contact with Baba Ramdev through his yoga camps and it is believed that this can increase to 200mn going ahead. This highlights the potential reach that the Patanjali brands can have without much mainstream advertising. Also, being associated with Baba Ramdev helps in creating a better perception among consumers that being ayurvedic offerings, the Patanjali products are healthy. ONLINE PLATFORM TO SPRUCE UP DISTRIBUTION NETWORK Many people complain that due to Patanjali’s weak distribution network its products are not easily available everywhere and they are unable to buy them. To address this concern, the company has chalked out an aggressive plan to improve its presence on the online platform. Currently, it is already selling its products through its web‐site, www.patanjaliayurved.net, from where consumers can order the products and get free delivery of the same if the order value exceeds INR499. Other companies like bigbasket.com, etc., that also sell Patanjali products online have been barred from doing so. The company is also implementing ERP for better mapping of inventory (SAP has already been implemented). Patanjali will also be launching its mobile app, which will allow consumers to locate nearby outlets that are selling Patanjali products and also facilitate online ordering of products. Patanjali also sells its products through the Patanjali Chikitsalayas (where free medical consultancy is given by medical practioners), Patanjali Arogya Kendras (health and wellness centre) and Swadeshi Kendras (regular outlet). As for reach, the company has close to 0.2mn outlets and 10,000 franchisee model of Chikitshalyas and Arogya Kendras. Distributionwise, the company operates through 100 super 38 distributors (this will be bolstered going forward) who in turn supply to the wholesalers and retailers (who operate through a 500‐600 strong sales team). As of now, the company has no plans to have direct reach. Apart from online presence, Patanjali is also taking steps to enhance its overall distributor coverage. The company has invited applications for distributorship of its products. Being seized of the fact that that there is high demand for its products, Patanjali is now offering separate distributorship for food and cosmetics compared to the earlier system when one distributor managed both. Also, the company is giving distributorship at the district, tehsil and mandi levels, which shows its confidence on its the growth trajectory and demand for its products. NEW PRODUCTS PIPELINE STRONG AND INNOVATIVE Patanjali has a separate team for new product development. The company has been able to leave a mark owing to the pace and frequency of new product launches. Its robust R&D department has churned out new products in quick time and lower costs. For instance, Patanjali started working on its own brand of instant noodles post the Maggi issue and within a period of 3 months it is now ready with its own instant noodles. The product has been sent for approval and is expected to be launched within a period of one month (we got a chance to taste the product and really liked it). The company has a robust and innovative pipeline of new products with some set for launch soon and some others at R&D phase. New products that are expected to be launched soon: 39 Patanjali Noodles (will compete with instant noodle players like Nestle and ITC). Dant Kanti Advance (already has 3 variants of Dant Kanti toothpaste – Regular, Medicated (similar to sensitive) and Junior). PowerVita (will provide competition to all health food drink companies (Mondelez, GSK Consumer) – this product is made up of ayurvedic ingredients like Brahmi, etc.). Sugar Free Chyawanprash (competition to chyawanprash manufacturing companies like Dabur and Emami). Powdered hair dye (the company has a separate unit, Coloroma, which manufactures herbal colours and dyes). Divyapay (health drink comparable to tea) in dip dip format. Child range (the company is also planning to launch a children’s range under Patanjali which will include products like baby oil, talcum powder, baby soap, shampoo, etc). Products at R&D phase Butter milk in powder form. Oats with masala. Chicory coffee (caffeine free). Weight gain and loss products. Madhuram – ginger and rose flavor. CHAPTER 5 FINDINGS/OBSERVATIONS 40 PATANJALI AYURVEDA- ENTRY INTO FMCG Patanjali started off manufacturing bulk ayurvedic medicines later branching its operations into FMCG markets as well. Since, the FMCG market has low entry barriers, Patanjali soon established itself as a major consumer goods’ manufacturer. The recent trends clearly imply that the company’s priorities are shifting from medicines to consumer goods, perhaps because the net revenues earned through FMCG are on par with ayurvedic medicines. PATANJALI AYURVEDA – CURRENT MARKET INSIGHTS Patanjali as a brand currently has more than 350 products from Soap to Toothpaste and from Oats to Health drinks. The 2014-2015 revenue of Patanjali Ayurveda crosses Rs. 2000 crore figures. In January 2016, IIFL said “Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd has, in a short span of less than a decade, recorded a turnover higher than what several companies have managed to achieve over several decades. There is no doubt that Patanjali is a disruptive force in the FMCG space and is a credible threat for the incumbents.” The industrial data indicates that the brand has a market share of 4-5%. FIGURE 5.1 41 FIGURE 5.2 FOCUS ON REVENUE OVER PROFITABILITY As per the report by edelresearch “The company is well on course to achieve its targeted revenue of ~INR50‐60bn in FY16 (INR20.2bn in FY15). Even though the thrust is not on profitability, the company managed to clock ~20% EBITDA margin in FY15, aided by better cost management (latest machinery and strong R&D capabilities) and lower A&P spends” PROACTIVE MOVES IN INNOVATION Patanjali Ayurveda is aggressively planning to enter into every consumer category. Currently Patanjali Ghee is expected to be at INR 12 billion in the financial year 2016 and if it gains solid distribution expertise, it could pose a serious threat to its competitors. An innovative R&D facility equipped with latest technology, Patanjali has also launched a mobile app which helps the consumer to locate retail outlets and for online ordering of Patanjali products PATANJALI’S SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT 42 The three phases of patanjali’s supply chain are product flow, information flow and cash flow. Patanjali has recently completed a tie up with Future group to sell the products. They also sell their products through their own outlets opened in almost every district/city of India. Each outlet has to send their demand to central office at Hardiwar. Then as per the demand, various products are gathered from various units of Patanjali. The items are delivered to outlets majorly through Patanjali transport. FIGURE 5.3 SALES AND DISTRIBUTION – PATANJALI Patanjali provides sale of products online and can also be procured through post by sending the money through demand draft Patanjali herbal products are available at Post Offices across the country Patanjali also has “Patanjali Chikatsalayas” and “Patanjali Arogya Kendra” in almost all the cities of the country To strengthen the distribution Patanjali is also implementing ERP which will help them in managing the inventory. PATANJALI‘S R&D FACILITY Patanjali’s R&D center has all the advanced technology and machinery required for testing the products. The company also has a separate R&D department for each of its production units. The company also has a high-end central R&D facility. PATANJALI’S PIPELINE Patanjali has a very strong pipeline, thanks to their innovative and huge R&D setup. The new products include: Patanjali yoga wear (Vastram) Dant Kanti Advance 43 Sugar free Chyawanprash PowerVita Seabuck thorn dietry supplement TABLE 5.1 44 CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSION The Findings in the paper show that there are many significant factors that together make up the buying decision of the product. Customers’ perception towards a brand is built largely on the satisfactory value the user receives after paying for the product and the benefits the user looks for. In the above study, a large portion of the user is satisfied from Patanjali products. It may be because of reasonable price of the product. It may be due to ability of the product to cure the problem. The satisfaction brings in the retention of customer. Patanjali is enjoying the advantageous position in market through spirituality element involved in its products. However, it should not ignore the competitors like Naturals, pure roots, Vindhya herbals. Patanjali in order to retain more customers and satisfy them,must fulfill the claims made by the company before any other brand may mushroom up and take away the benefits of marketing through spirituality. Firms are increasingly recognizing that brands are among their most valuable assets and are, therefore, intensifying the level of resources directed toward building them. At least partially in response, academics are also intensifying the attention directed toward understanding the meaning and value of brands and the process of branding. This development in the branding literature, together with a more general evolution in academic marketing thought, is causing marketing scholars to rethink the logic of brand and branding. Notwithstanding the trajectory that PAL treads in future, it undoubtedly is an exciting development. Its central theme of “swadeshi” produce has resonated very well with consumers, and more important, its quality benchmark is firmly established. A market-disrupting force has emerged from the hinterlands of India that has shaken the foundations of the well established players in the FMCG sector- global and domestic. As of now at least, PAL rivals are frantically looking for a soothing balm to calm their frayed nerves. Perhaps they can rush to the nearest Patanjali store for a magic potion. Unlike global and domestic consumer firms, Patanjali has welcomed touring analysts and potential business collaborators to its factories in Haridwar in India’s northern 45 Uttarakhand state. Again, unlike its rivals, Patanjali Ayurved has not yet spent a dime on marketing or advertising, and its products currently sell on word-of-mouth. But this could change soon. Now with hostile market conditions and mushrooming competition, the company is relying on a blitzkrieg of advertising campaigns directed at end-consumers. It has hired actor Hema Malini to endorse its biscuits and has also increasing its visibility on mainstream television channels. According to BARC, Patanjali became one of the top three most advertised brands on television in late January 2016. "The (Patanjali) products have the right to succeed, especially in ayurvedic categories such as chyawanprash, honey and ghee," said Britannia's Berry, who has been tracking Ramdev's biscuits closely. Given the aggression and rapid-fire pace of its allaround strides, many of its well-known peers already seem overwhelmed with this “swadesi” movement, which doesn’t look like receding anytime soon. However the key question that remains to be answered is whether PAL will be able to sustain this fast paced growth and handle the complexities of a widespread supply chain without compromising on its quality and brand promise. 46 BIBLIOGRAPHY Books: Kotler Philip ,Marketing Management:Analysis Internet: http://stellarix.com/fusce/a-report-on-patanjali-ayurveda/ http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/opinion/columns/a-realitycheck-on-patanjali/article8710429.ece http://www.academia.edu/8147483/Marketing_through_spirituality _A_case_of_Patanjali_Yogpeeth http://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-patanjali/ http://paulwriter.com/patanjali-successful-indian-brand-extension/ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/patanjali-indian-fmcg-giantmaking-strategies-challenges-bussi http://www.business-standard.com/article/management/thepatanjali-effect-116020800204_1.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patanjali_Ayurved 47