At the inaugural session of Goa Fest 2017, Acharya Balkrishna - CEO Patanjali Ayurved, spoke about how Patanjali has disrupted the market place by being aggressively customer centric rather than being driven by profitability alone.
Speaking about how Patanjali differentiated itself from other brands, Acharya said, “The big difference between Patanjali and other brands is largely about being what we stand for. Many brands project a dual image and are largely inconsistent when it comes to brand value and the brand experience, but Patanjali products are exactly the way we project them, no more or no less in any way.”
Crediting Patanjali about with creating new advertising trends, Acharya added, “I remember when Patanjali started advertising its products; we used to feature all our products in one ad, which according to many marketers was not the right approach. However, when we look back, we see the same marketers following the Patanjali approach by showcasing more than one product in their ads.”
“To understand brand Patanjali, it’s important to set the story in some perspective. Patanjali’s journey is not that old. A decade back when we started to manufacture Amla juice, the idea was to benefit the poor farmer who was on the verge of bankruptcy and had no means to market the produce. With the help of Baba Ramdev’s Idea, we turned this loss making farming segment into a profitable industry. This is just an idea of how Patanjali has tried to make a real difference and unlike other companies, which decide the business based on the market size, Patanjali has been the peoples brand first and thereafter comes the market share for us,” added Acharya.
Equating Patanjali with a national movement, he stated, “Patanjali is a movement to build a new India. The idea is to build a formidable brand that has a strong Indian identity and benefits the consumers in a real way. Our products have resulted in a disruption of a different kind which has forced other players to rationalise product pricing and this directly helps the buyers in the long run.”
Underling the importance of holding on to the Indian cultural identity whole marketing brands, Acharya said, “Many people ask me about the role of advertising in creating a brand. Though we have also valued the high impact that right advertising can create, however, Patanjali as a policy will never advertise if it clashes with our cultural values, Patanjali ads will always uphold our cultural values. This is reason you won’t see Patanjali objectifying women, like many brands do to sell products, and as policy we will never do that. We value the rich tradition which our sages and saints propagated and we will always stand by them.”
“My questions to some brand owners is; would you stand by the same values that you showcase in your ads? Would you let your family consume the products that you showcase? If yes, then only make such products and advertise them. Many people tell us that we have taken on some big brands, but that is not the case. We are just doing what we are supposed to do and with an honest endeavour contribute to nation building and that is how we have grown so far in such a less time. There is to other secret to it. Also, Patanjali is not trying to create a monopoly. We are just creating better products and forcing others to follow suit and in all this once gain the end beneficiary is the consumer alone and that is our motto too,” highlighted Acharya.
