India The Land of Ayurveda

Jaipur 03.03.24

I am two months into my India travels and as a yogi, athlete, foodie and market researcher I can't help but get excited with the large amount of ayurvedic products (i.e. good for your health) out there. You can find specially beauty care, health care and food related ayurvedic products. Research shows that 80% of all sales of Ayurvedic products come from India.

Ayurvedic products can be found virtually in almost every shop in the country. Even more predominantly in Southern regions such as Kerala, Goa, and Tamil Nadu where the warm weather allows to grow a wider range of herbs, fruits and vegetables compared to the Northern states.

Supermarkets, mini markets and mom & pop stores sell more mainstream options coming from big Indian brands such as Himalaya (my favourite one!), Dabur, Organic India, Indulekha (i.e. own by Unilever Hindustan) and Patanjali. Please a few examples below.

Specialised Ayurvedic shops (picture below) make their own products based on the health requirements of each person. 

Also, Ayurvedic massage parlours offer a service called "panchakarma" where natural products are used to treat illnesses.

Why Ayurvedic products and services are so popular in India? 

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian medicinal system. Ayurveda means the science and knowledge of life. 

The ayurvedic practice is five thousand years old and its roots are from India. 

Ayurvedic treatments are so popular as they can holistically heal you. It not only treat your illness (i.e. damage control) but also protect you (i.e. prevention). Western medicine is more focused on the former.

WHY is important to keep an eye on the ayurvedic products space?

Over the next decade, I think we are going to find more Ayurvedic related brands in Western countries. From my perspective, brands have understood that consumer behaviours and attitudes are shifting fast. 

"Western society is slowly but surely moving away from a "WELLNESS" oriented culture to a "WELLBEING" one where people actively decide to take care of their health in a holistic manner. Where finding balance amongst the body, mind and spirit and finding happiness is of paramount importance".

The above mentioned trend has accelerated worlwide after Covid-19 as people are focusing more on their diet, nutrition intake, and how they can possibly boost their immunity and overall health. 

Signs of the above mentioned shift can be observed across the board. Please find below some market size figures and facts that can help you understand the potential of this space.

• The global Ayurvedic market size is projected to reach USD 16 billion by 2028, from USD 7 billion in 2021, at a CAGR of 12% during 2022-2028.

• Pilates & Yoga Studios market size is anticipated to reach USD 1,121 Billion by the end of 2036, growing at a CAGR of 10% during the forecast period, i.e., 2024-2036. In the year 2023, the industry size of pilates & yoga studios was over USD 325 Billion."

• Puig, who's a large fashion and fragrance business is supporting the expansion of Kama Ayurveda into global markets including the UK in early 2023 

HOW can brands SUSTAINABLY capitalise on this?

In my opinion, the top 3 things international companies can do to sustainably capitalise on this are below.

• DRAW INSPIRATION from Ayurvedic brands in India but don't become a copycat. 

I suggest brands to define or redefine  their unique selling proposition based on their local heritage and the healing properties of the herbs & spices available in their region which are usually more fit to meet the health needs of that population. L'Occitane en Provence is the first Western brand that comes to mind in regards to that. The firm's unique selling proposition is supported by its know how using lavenders for healing/medicinal purposes.

An extra benefit of the above mentioned suggestion is that using local herbs & spices will help brands reduce their products carbon footprint.

• Get a thorough understanding of HOW to tap into the WELLBEING space as it's a lifestyle not an easy product choice.

Exploring what people understand by Wellbeing and in context of your brand is so important. From experience, wellbeing oriented brands are focused on communicating the end benefit of their products (e.g. herbal tea to relax and reduce anxiety) rather than talking about themselves and their product benefits (e.g. nutritional bar with 20 grams of protein and sugar free or shampoo with no parabens).

• Create a marketing plan (6 Ps) that is congruent with the Ayurvedic values and the protection of nature.

If brands want to be perceived as authentic in this space their marketing touch points need to transpire the Ayurvedic values so before introducing a new product into the market firms could consider to introduce plastic free or biodegradable packaging, get a B coorporation certification, etc.

I hope the above mention post sheds new light into this interesting topic. Also, keep an eye on this industry as I believe it will be a very active and exciting one check during the years to come.

Wishing you a blissful day!

Luis

Resources:

1) 8 Powerful Ayurvedic Herbs With Their Great Benefits

https://pharmeasy.in/blog/8-powerful-ayurvedic-herbs-with-their-great-benefits/

2) Is there a difference between Wellness and Wellbeing? 

https://www.meraki-bws.com/articles/is-there-a-difference-between-wellness-and-wellbeing#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Oxford%20Dictionary,/psychological%20well%2Dbeing%27.

3) Ayurvedic Market Size In 2023 : Growth Opportunities and Future Outlook 2030

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/ayurvedic-market-size-2023-growth-opportunities-future?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via

4) Pilates & Yoga Studios Research by Research Nesters

https://www.researchnester.com/reports/pilates-yoga-studios-market/5414#:~:text=Pilates%20%26%20Yoga%20Studios%20Market%20size%20is%20anticipated%20to%20reach%20USD,was%20over%20USD%20325%20Billion.

5) A Spanish conglomerate acquires majority stake in Kama Ayurveda

https://www.vogue.in/beauty/content/puig-acquires-majority-stake-in-kama-ayurveda

6)https://www.financialexpress.com/business/industry-fmcg-firms-focusing-on-ayurveda-and-immunity-boosting-products-amid-pandemic-2427308/

My long term pause reaches to an end

Varanasi, India (26.02.2024)

The Land of Rebirth & Salvation

Hi everybody, my long term pause (...) of writting has come to an end and this has happened in Varanasi the capital of death, rebirth and salvation for the Hindu religion. Interesting coincidence.

Why am I writting again? 

It is as simple as I truly missed having an outlet to share my thoughts about marketing and consumer behaviour  topics with others. Having the possibility to raise my voice outloud and talk freely about the good, the bad and the ugly of my profession is priceless.

Why did I stop writing in the first place?

I let my context and circumstances dictacte my actions. I stopped writing in this forum 7 years ago right after I left University and I joint Unilever one of the largest marketing companies in the world.

Joining the workforce is a challenge for everybody specially if you work for a massive coorporation where THE HOW (PROTOCOLS, EMAILS, POLITICS, ETC) can take over the WHY (I decided to do this job in the first place). 

I got so lost in the system and in what some call the "rat race" that I got burnt out. I lost that spark for reporting my thoughts about marketing with the outside world, and decided to let it go; at least for a while.

However, everything wasn't in vein. I truly believed this forced stop gave me the space I needed to grow in other areas of my life and specially evolve as a caring, compassionate and brave human being. All invaluable skills to triumph in all fields of life.

Because of the reason mentioned above I built up some resentment towards my profession.  However, time helped me to heal this pain of and reignite the fire of passion I used to feel about marketing in the past.

And that is how I find myself here talking to you now. Promising to myself and even most importantly to you the reader that this time I will make everything that is in my hands to keep present my reason WHY I started. 

Also, I would like to thank and acknowledge here the people that has played fundamental role in motivating me to work in this project. 

Firstly, I want to thank my dad Enrique for reading all of my blog posts and encouraging me to write again. Please Dad keep reading my articles wherever you are ♡ 

Also, I want to thank my stepdad Manuel for giving me invaluable spoken and unspoken feedback about my blog. 

To my wife Anna for being my fan #1 . I Love you deeply.

To my favourite marketing teachers Ana Rumschisky and Ramón Mendez. Without their inner fire and passion for this profession I don't think I will be writting this blog and enjoying this work that much.

To my readers for taking the time and energy to engage with this content and for giving me the opportunity to teach you something new or shed new light into a topic you might be already aware of.

And lastly, I want to thank ME. For following my heart, for BELIEVING in myself and being brave enough to let go of what doesn't feel right and welcome it back when it felt like the right moment.

Timeless brands - How can I make my brand to stay relevant?

Are you trying to 

ind a consumer insight that can help your brand stay relevant whilst re#,3;  dqb maining true to its b  rand essence? Are you interested in anticipating consumer trends to stay ahead of the curve? The examples in this blog post could inspire you to bring this mindset to your job.

This Christmas I visited the ‘Volez, Voguez, Voyaguez’ exhibition from Louis Vuitton in NYC. The purpose of the exhibition is to bring to life the story of the brand, its founders and as well of those who today are inventing the Louis Vuitton of tomorrow. When you get in the exhibition, you need to download the exhibition app. This app can be used to enhance your experience of the exhibition using photo filters and unlocking virtual experiences throughout the different rooms.

The tour opens with the most symbolic object of the brand, the maison, which was created in 1854 and since then it has been considered a model fashioned with contemporary flair, embodying the travelling & forward-looking spirit of the brand. The design of the trunk taps into a bold ‘diamond insight’ which is

‘Travellers desire to explore every corner of the world without renouncing to their comfort and elegant lifestyle’

Sticking to this powerful insight has allowed the brand to evolve and develop products that meet the needs of travellers of all times.

The thing that stricken me the most is Louis Vuitton's ability to design products which adapted to the changes in transportation methods and people’s lifestyle to stay relevant. Back to 1854, when the first flat trunk has been designed, people used to travel in transatlantic steamships. These cruises were spacious, and it was a pleasure allowed only to the few. Also, back then people’s lifestyle was more laid back than in today’s world. All of this made of the flat trunk an immense success. Beginning of the twentieth century, the automobile and airplanes were invented, drastically decreasing travelling time. These less spacious transport methods combined with a faster pace of life probably inspired the creation of the steamer bag.

Staying true to its brand essence and looking beyond its industry has allowed Louis Vuitton to evolve to stay relevant. Across industries we can find similar examples to this, where multi billion dollar companies have reinvented themselves whilst staying true to their brand essence such as Lego which back in 1939 used to produce wooden toys with the purpose of ‘providing an outlet for a child’s imagination’. Nowadays, Lego makes Hollywood films, video games and bricks whilst remaining true to its brand essence-http://itsasmallworld2012.blogspot.com.es/2017/10/the-entertainment-era-here-to-stay.html

McDonald’s is another brilliant example of this, the brand evolved from been a barbecue restaurant in California with the ambition of being ‘customer’s favourite place to eat & drink’, to a drive-in restaurant with a streamline menu which day by day is including more healthy options to adapt to taste and changing needs of people. The fast-food chain evolved whilst staying true to its DNA.

All these examples mentioned above show that finding and sticking to a powerful insight, keeping your eyes open to how other industries and people's lifestyle change and quickly adapting to this are key success factors that could help your brand to stay on trend.

American Girl - Characters that speak to the heart

Is Christmas time in New York City and streets are packed of people doing their Christmas shopping. After having a hot dog & a coke in front of the Rockefeller Centre tree, Anna and I ventured into the new American Girl store which recently opened its doors to the public.

Initially, Anna was so excited about visiting the shop whilst I was more sceptic with the idea of spending our time there. However, as soon as I got into this brand new shop with two floors full of dolls, my inner child came out and I couldn’t hold myself just to enjoy the experience. The shop was spacious, the iconic star of the brand was placed everywhere and the pink and white interior walls created an involving and vibrating ambience.

In the American Girl store, children can buy existing doll or personalise their own. Each of the existing dolls have a dedicated section to explain the doll’s personality, big ideas, dreams, challenges and how her awesome attitude helped her to sort out difficult situations and build friendships throughout her journey - just like a real girl will do. You can also buy the book which tells the story of each doll in detail. The depth of personality of each doll shows American Girl’s understanding of the people it serves, their believes, problems, values & aspirations. 

Next to each doll display girls can find a range of clothes and accessories to buy for her and her doll. For example, if Maddie - 10 years old girl from New Jersey - desires to be a rockstar, so she will not only be able to dress up her doll as a rockstar but she can also acquire the same outfit as her doll. All this mentioned above, shows how American Girl is making a great job inspiring girls to build confidence and inspire them to make a difference and be whoever they want to be in life. This is a powerful insight that connects all girls from all times. 

In the ground floor, children have access to tablets where they can create from scratch their own doll for $200. Girls can define the dolls’ name, look, hobbies, favourite places and even decide if the doll requires hearing aids! how cool is that?

After spending sometime with Gabriella, Anna, Samantha and many other dolls, we decided to go to the store’s cafe for a cupcake. To my surprise, the cafe was full of children having food next to their dolls. The toys were sitting in specially designed chairs for them and in many cases the girls outfit was matching the one of their dolls!

Completely amazed by this experience, we moved to the American Girl beauty salon. In this section, hairdressers were making beautiful hair style to girls, dolls and even sometimes moms! providing people meaningful experiences as this helps the brand to stand out against other players.

If we look back at my previous post on Barbie’s (http://itsasmallworld2012.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/barbie-breaking-family-stereotypes_9.html) and we draw some comparisons between the way Barbie or American Girl are helping girls to build up girls’ confidence and desire to be whoever they want to be. I must say, American Girl is doing a better job in this, as American Girl is creating ‘real girls’ instead of dolls with fully built up personalities and challenges as real girl do; whilst Barbie dolls are a bit more of a face value product where character stories are flatter what doesn’t allow Barbies’ to further connect emotionally and empathise with children.

Furthermore, American Girl has understood the value of bringing the brand to life with its stores. Creating real life experiences allow girls to construct stronger emotional bonds with their dolls and enjoy unforgettable moment with family as well. Moreover, the in-store services gives another reason more for families to visit the store more frequently. In this aspect, I also consider Barbie has some margin of improvement. Creating powerful in-store experiences could help Barbie to bring to life its dolls and keep families yearning to come back to the store and engage with the brand. 

As a marketer, I feel grateful of visiting the store as it taught me the importance of brands finding and sticking to what I call a ‘diamond’ insight (i.e. a deep human truth that will last forever) and bring this insight to life in such a deep and empathic way people won’t be able to forget!

I definitely encourage you to explore this magical place!

The entertainment era, here to stay

It has been a rainy weekend in London, not a bad excuse to take Anna to the movies to watch 'Ninjago', the latest Lego film. While watching the movie, I couldn't stop asking myself

'How Lego - a brand that makes bricks for kids - became an entertainment house?' 'What are the benefits for brands to become media publishers? 'Is becoming media creators the new way for brands to connect with people?'

These are some of the questions I'll try to untangle with this post.

Every day consumers are exposed to hundreds of thousands of brands, markets are becoming more saturated and product differentiation is becoming harder to achieve. In this complex reality, brands need to fight tooth and nails to become top of mind for consumers. Companies have realised that traditional marketing formula of pushing information to people is becoming less effective. People aren't anymore passive receivers of information but they are actively browsing for the topics they care about.

Little by little brands are realising that to emotionally connect with consumers they should stop talking about themselves, and engage in conversations that help improve people’s life and inspire them to live differently. 

Furthermore, entertainment is a great way for brands to reduce the possibility of people switching off with your content. It provides the opportunity for a brand to subconsciously influence viewers about products.

Another great benefit of creating entertainment from brands is the opportunity to construct imaginary worlds that allow marketers to bring brands to life. The level of rapport you can build with people through content - such as branded films - and console games - such as Lego Batman - is much higher than through a standard TV commercial.

Hereafter, brands like Lego and Red Bull understood that creating entertainment could help them to break the clutter and become top of mind in consumer's minds.

Red Bull is known for being a pioneer here. Back in 2008 Red Bull Media house was created as separate arm of the company to produce premium media for extreme sports' lovers and lifestyle, such as magazines, TV series, apps, music, games and so forth. Red Bull Media House is a profit centre which generates money out of advertising, licensing or co-production deals. Being a content powerhouse opened many new doors for the brand. Through these different channels, it now reaches a much wider audience, including the elusive young demographics, going beyond only selling an energy drink, and it helped them build strong partnerships with brands such as Shutter Stock, O'Neill and extreme sport influencers.

Lego is another brand that has done a magnificent job transforming into an entertainment power house and this way becoming top of mind for both parents & kids. In fact, the brand established a wonderful partnership with Warner Bros Studios to produce the box office film Lego Movie, Lego Batman and Ninjago. Also Lego is not shy of experimenting with different content formats, such as creating Lego console games, immersive Lego stores and apps that brings kids closer to the brand.

The examples mentioned above show that any brand can become a content producer and it doesn't matter what kind of product you sell, what matters is to produce content that stands by your brand ethos, that is inspiring and people cares about.

If you are able to do this for your brand, you will be able to differentiate from competitors and become a brand loved by people.

Cereal Killer Cafe - making cereals sexy!

A few days ago, I was exploring Camden market when I spotted out The Cereal Killer Cafe. This is a cereal cafe where you can pick & mix more than 120 cereals from around the world, from the most basic ones such as Kellogg's Corn Flakes to the most quirky such as Gremlins cereals.


As the next step you can select the type of milk you prefer such as chocolate milk, cookie milk or even bubble gum milk. Hereafter, you can chose a range of the wackiest toppings and finally enjoy your heavenly made creation. Amazed by this store concept, I analysed the elements that made of the Cereal Killer Cafe such a brilliant business idea. One that transformed the concept cereals, making a dull product the new sexy thing.


Develop immersive customer experiences instead of product transactions

Gary and Alan, the founders of the Cereal Killer Cafe, realised that people are no longer looking merely for product transactions. Instead, individuals want immersive customer experiences that take them into a journey. The possibility to personalise your bowl of cereals and even receive advise from experts on how to mix them to get an explosion of flavours are the elements that excite people and make them keen to pay at least 5 pounds for a bowl of cereal.

Bring to life your product DNA to steal people's heart

Another key success factor of the Cereal Killer Cafe is its in depth understanding of the product's DNA. Cereals are fun and loved by people because you can find them in diverse types, shapes,  flavours, colours and textures.  This consumer insight has been brilliantly brought to life through the personalised cereals offering, the ambience of the shop inspired in the US' dinning rooms of the 60's, the cereal prizes exhibit all around the place and the positive vibes the young waitresses generate. All these elements mentioned above helped the brand to win 

 people's heart. 

Breaking industry cliches 

We need to break the industry cliches in order to promote innovative thinking - I'm sure that if 10 years ago I'd asked a brand manager from a cereals manufacturer if breakfast cereal could be sold for  5 pounds the bowl in a shop uniquely designed for this purpose? s/he would have thought that I was crazy. However, the beauty of innovation starts here. Industry norms can't remain unchallenged, as marketers it's our duty to question them all the time.

All the points mentioned above made me think deeply about my role as a marketer and as a driver of innovation within my company. It made me realise that to create great business ideas I need to develop great customers experiences, understand what elements of my product connects with individual's heart and last but not least to be brave and open minded to challenge the norms.