Mumbai: Manforce Condoms, from the house of Mankind Pharma, has unveiled a campaign on the occasion of April Fool’s Day. Creating a buzz around the launch of new ‘Manforce Realgasm Condoms’ to detect orgasms with a change of colour, the brand ingeniously addresses the issue of fake orgasms in women.
In the video campaign, the male partner catches his girlfriend faking orgasm using Manforce Realgasm Condoms that change colour every time that the female has an orgasm. Leaving the audience puzzled, the brand disclosed on their D2C website that it has played an April Fool’s Day prank on the viewers.
The video incorporates the right mixture of excitement, quirkiness, and fun elements to entice the audience. Through this humorous approach, Manforce Condoms aims to break the taboo around fake orgasms and encourages to have open conversations about this common issue in relationships. The campaign has been conceptualized by Grapes, an integrated communication agency.
Speaking on the occasion, Mankind Pharma associate VP, sales and marketing head Joy Chatterjee said, “Manforce Condoms is known for its innovative campaign with unconventional messaging that aims at elevating the intimacy levels of couples while ensuring safety. This April Fool’s Day, we tried to level up the game by igniting curiosity among the audience. The video invokes a range of reactions by the audience in the form of confusion, disbelief, excitement, to realizing that they have been fooled, it draws their attention to the problem of fake orgasm in women.”
Elaborating on the same, Grapes co-founder and CEO Shradha Agarwal said, “Working on the April Fool’s Day video for the brand was a very enjoyable experience for us. Abiding by the ethos of the brand, we were continuously involved in coming up with a fresh idea that strikes the right chord among the audience. By initiating conversation around the otherwise undiscussed topic, the video captures the interest of the consumers that play a pivotal role in driving enhanced engagement with the audience.”
Mumbai: Manforce Condoms, from the house of Mankind Pharma, has launched an innovative campaign #PyaarMeinHigh to celebrate Valentine’s Day week in a unique way.
Manforce Condoms is India’s number condom brand with a whopping 30 per cent* market share (value wise) while it’s an undisputed leader when it comes to the volume market share i.e. 28 per cent*. Manforce has successfully maintained the leader position year on year. *As per IQVIA MAT DEC 2023
To spice up the occasion, through this campaign the brand proposes to celebrate the entire ‘Love Week’ rather than just being limited to Valentine’s Day. The brand conducted a captivating social experiment in collaboration with Gaurav Kapoor, a well-known stand-up comedian and influencer. A vox-pop film that features individuals from diverse age groups and captures the essence of the best gifts people have given or planning to give to their loved ones.
Through this film, the brand highlights the message that this Valentine’s Day, give your partner a bouquet from the Manforce High Condom Range. Resonating with #PyaarMeinHigh theme, Manforce Condoms ingeniously decided to elevate the excitement with the introduction of High Condom Range bouquets offering an option to choose from Kiwi Paan and Double Apple flavours.
The brand has also collaborated with stand-up comedians such as Harsh Gujral, Gaurav Kapoor, Rajat Sood, Satish Ray and Inder Sahani as part of the campaign, all of the five influencers are known for their witty content.
In an exciting twist, the brand has also implemented a user-generated content strategy to enhance engagement and broaden the campaign’s reach. The #PyaarMeinHigh challenge invites participants to share reels, videos, or pictures showcasing the best gifts they have given their partners, tagging the brand with the hashtag #PyaarMeinHigh. The brand will choose four lucky winners, each receiving a different cash prize. However, one lucky winner will cash a prize of up to Rs 1 lakh. The winners will be announced on 23 February.
Adding to the campaign’s momentum, the brand has creatively integrated meme marketing, injecting humour and relatability to ignite excitement and conversation surrounding the initiative.
Speaking on the campaign, Mankind Pharma Ltd AVP of sales & marketing Joy Chatterjee, said, “Our objective has always been about connecting with our target audience in new and meaningful ways. This time with #PyaarMeinHigh, we intend to not just celebrate love but spread joy that strengthens connections more deeply. Our campaign #PyaarMeinHigh is a testament to our commitment to celebrating love in all its forms, and for the same, we have implemented various marketing approaches to ensure the message reaches far and wide and people join us together in celebrating the power of love”.
Mumbai: Integrated marketing and communications agency Team Pumpkin has announced the continuation of its partnership for the fourth year in a row with Prega News, a trusted and renowned name in the field of maternal healthcare and pregnancy testing. Team Pumpkin has been retained to manage Prega News’ ongoing mandates for social media, SEO, website development and management, and performance marketing.
Prega News, India’s number one* pregnancy detection test kit with 80 per cent market share, is a brand of Mankind Pharma, and has been a pioneer in providing innovative and reliable pregnancy testing solutions to women for over a decade. With a commitment to empowering women with timely and accurate information during their pregnancy journey, Prega News has garnered a strong reputation in the healthcare sector.
Team Pumpkin has been known for its strategic approach to brand communication and its proven track record in delivering results. In the past three years, Team Pumpkin has planned and executed campaigns such as “Mark of Strength,” “She Is Imperfectly Perfect,” and “She Can Carry Both.” These campaigns have won several awards.
Commenting on the extension of this partnership, Mankind Pharma AVP – sales & marketing Joy Chatterjee stated, “We are glad to continue our association with Team Pumpkin for our digital mandate. Prega News has consistently strived to provide women with our expert pregnancy care solutions, and Team Pumpkin has proven to be an invaluable partner in helping us achieve our digital marketing goals. They have played a pivotal role in Prega News’ digital growth in the last 3 years by boosting our follower base through innovative and engaging social media campaigns. This partnership goes beyond a mere collaboration; it’s a testament to our shared vision of empowering women with accurate information and support during their pregnancy journey.”
Team Pumpkin co-founder and chief business officer Swati Nathani also commented on the partnership, saying, “This collaboration with Prega News is definitely an exciting milestone for Team Pumpkin. We are privileged to work with a brand that has consistently prioritized the well-being of women. We have proven our commitment to the cause by delivering strategic solutions for the brand’s growth. Our team looks forward to leveraging our experience and expertise to further enhance Prega News’ presence in the market.”
These mandates are being served by the different network agencies of Team Pumpkin. SEO and performance marketing are serviced by ROIsted, while web development is undertaken by Team Pumpkin’s tech vertical – Tech Pepo.
Mumbai: Jigsaw Brand Consultants, a leading player in the world of brand strategy and design, is delighted to announce an exciting collaboration with Prega News, a trusted name in women’s healthcare, to introduce two groundbreaking products: PregaHope and PregaHappy.
With its holistic and integrative approach, Jigsaw Brand Consultants had been mandated to create extension brands for the Prega News Portfolio by Mankind Pharma. This included the strategic direction for the brand architecture, identity packaging and communication design for the new brands.
“While creating extensions for the PregaNews brand, we did a deep consumer research to understand the needs women have around preconception, conception and pregnancy and the possibilities for new products and solutions to make her life easier. We found a lot of exciting possibilities and our product and brand recommendations were based on that” says Rutu Mody-Kamdar, Founder, Jigsaw Brand Consultants. Based on insights, Jigsaw built a brand architecture and extension strategy and built Prega as a masterbrand and created sub-brands such as PregaHope (pre-conception vitamins and lubricant) and PregaHappy (post conception stretch mark cream).
The new range of brand extensions were unveiled by Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor in an illustrious launch ceremony in Mumbai.
About the range developed by Jigsaw Brand Consultants for Prega News:
● PregaHope Preconception Tablet for the Pre-Conception Phase supports the body in conceiving with the help of iron and folic acid tablets.
● PregaHope Fertility Lubricant in the Preconception Phase helps couples to conceive.
● PregaHappy Anti Stretch Mark Cream, has been introduced to reduce stretch marks and itching during the Prenatal and Post-Natal phase.
Mankind Pharma associate vice president – sales & marketing Joy Chatterjee said, “Prega News has been a trusted pregnancy detection partner for countless women for the last 13 years, and with a 99 per cent accuracy rate, Prega News is the leading in the market with 85 per cent share. We are truly excited about the new product expansion and the positive impact it will have on expectant mothers. The products have been crafted finely following years of research to ensure a smooth pregnancy journey at every stage whether it is pre, during or post phase. We are also excited about our collaboration with Team Jigsaw to bring this brainchild to execution and how they bring with them an ocean of experience in this space. They understand the consumer as well as the science of design and communication: especially one that is as intimate as ours. I am delighted to have found partners in them and look forward to the value they bring to the Prega News table.”
Mumbai: Prega News, India’s leading pregnancy detection card with an 85 per cent market share in the category, has unveiled a new range of products designed to support women and enhance their entire journey of motherhood. Versatile and renowned Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor was present at the event to unveil the new range of products.
The event kicked off with an engaging conversation, highlighting the importance of early pregnancy detection for ensuring the well-being of expectant mothers and their babies. It also enlightened the audience about the wide array of unbranded products available in the market that provide inaccurate and unreliable results.
The brand launched six new products in three different pregnancy phases:
Pre-Conception Phase
1. Ova news ovulation detection kit to identify the five most fertile days when women can conceive.
2. PregaHope preconception tablet for the pre-conception phase supports the body in conceiving with the help of iron and folic acid tablets.
3. PregaHope fertility lubricant in the pre-conception phase helps couples to conceive.
During Pregnancy or Pre-Natal Phase
4. Prega News advance for detection phase requires no container or dropper and comes with an easy-to-use thumb grip. It allows for rapid pregnancy tests with a single step.
5. Prega News Value Pack comes with two Prega News kits, two urine containers, and two gloves to make the entire process convenient.
Pre-natal and post-pregnancy
6. PregaHappy anti stretch mark cream, has been introduced to reduce stretch marks and itching during the pre-natal and post-natal phase.
The entire product range has been introduced to offer complete pregnancy care solutions pre, during and post-pregnancy phases.
This marks the transition of Prega News from ‘Pregnancy Detection Card’ to ‘Expert Pregnancy Care Solution Partner.’
The company’s decision to expand the product comes from the novel idea of empowering women to make informed choices and consider health as their main priority. The launch marks the recognition of Prega News as the ‘Expert Pregnancy Care Solution Partner’ to provide complete reproductive care. With this the brand has also altered its logo to mark the transition.
The mega event was attended by more than 60 prominent mom influencers, including well-known TV celebrity moms such as Kishwer Merchant, Anita Hassanandani Reddy, Mahhi Vij, Pooja Banerjee, and others. It also sheds light on the critical importance of early pregnancy detection for ensuring the good health of both mothers and babies.
Speaking on the launch, actress Sonam Kapoor said, “Motherhood is a beautiful journey, and it starts with the joy of knowing you are pregnant. I understand how crucial it is to have a reliable and accurate pregnancy detection tool in the middle of anticipation and excitement of pregnancy. Prega News has been a trusted pregnancy detection partner for countless women for last 13 years and I am elated to be a part of this collaboration. We are not only celebrating motherhood but introducing a range of products that will empower women on their path to becoming mothers. It is an honor to be associated with Prega News, a brand that has been a cornerstone of maternal care in India for over a decade. I extend my heartiest wishes to them to become an expert pregnancy care partner.”
Mankind Pharma associate vice president, sales & marketing Joy Chatterjee said, “Prega News has been consistently trusted by millions of women in the pregnancy detection category. We are truly excited about the new product expansion and the positive impact it will have on expectant mothers. The products have been crafted finely following years of research to ensure a smooth pregnancy journey at every stage whether it is pre, during or post phase. With the expansion of these new products, we aim to enhance the overall experience for to-be mothers. We are quite optimistic that by offering these solutions, we strive to develop a deeper connection with the community of mothers we serve”.
Mumbai: Grapes, an integrated communications agency, won the digital AOR mandate for AcneStar, an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial Gel and face wash from the house of the pharmaceutical giant, Mankind Pharma. The client will be serviced by the agency’s New Delhi office.
As per the mandate, Grapes will be responsible for the overall digital strategy and planning for AcneStar. The scope of work includes services such as content planning, digital marketing strategy, social media management, search engine optimisation (SEO) and online reputation management (ORM), along with the agency offering its paid media services.
AcneStar, a trusted brand in the skincare domain, has been at the forefront of delivering effective and reliable solutions for acne-related concerns. This partnership opens up exciting avenues for the brand’s growth and expansion. Leveraging Grapes’ proven expertise in crafting innovative campaigns and integrated communication strategies, AcneStar aims to strengthen its market presence and reach a broader audience while staying true to its commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.
Commenting on this partnership, Mankind Pharma associate vice president – sales & marketing Joy Chatterjee said, “We are delighted to have Grapes on board as the digital AOR partner for AcneStar. Grapes demonstrated a deep understanding of our brand’s essence and presented compelling ideas that align seamlessly with our brand vision. With their extensive experience and creative skill, we are confident that this partnership will play a pivotal role in further elevating AcneStar’s brand positioning.”
Grapes co-founder & CEO Shradha Agarwal also expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “Grapes is happy and honored to have been given the responsibility of managing AcneStar’s digital mandate. We are dedicated to launching effective and cutting-edge campaigns that connect with the target market and increase brand engagement. We anticipate reaching new success milestones with AcneStar and Mankind Pharma.”
MUMBAI : Mothers everywhere and, perhaps, more so in India are held to unreasonably high standards, wherein they are expected to lean in at work whilst remaining primarily responsible for the domestic front. This perennial balancing act leads to an intense pressure to ‘perfectly’ manage both work and home for most working moms today, or ends with guilt about their inability to live up to socio-cultural ideals of a ‘good mother.’ It is this narrative that Prega News’ latest campaign #SheIsImperfectlyPerfect released ahead of Mother’s Day chooses to highlight and challenge. The pregnancy detection brand from the house of Mankind Pharma unveiled the second leg of the campaign on Thursday with celebrity influencers and mom bloggers that further attempts to normalise a more ‘realistic’ version of motherhood.
IndianTelevision.com caught up with Mankind Pharma general manager- sales & marketing Joy Chatterjee to find out what drives the brand to challenge societal stereotypes on a sensitive subjects like pregnancy and motherhood. The interaction also saw a deep dive into the brand’s journey from 2007 to becoming a leader in the category with an 82 per cent market share through its marketing activities.
According to the brand, it has witnessed a steep spike of over 20 per cent in its demand during the Covid-19 lockdown, and has been growing in healthy double digits annually. Over the years, Prega News has managed to create a unique brand proposition, becoming synonymous with ‘at-home pregnancy detection.’
A marketeer who self-confessedly “works to balance bottom and top line” with more than 20 years of Industry experience, Chatterjee currently heads the OTC division of brands like Manforce, Health ok, Gasofast, Acnestar, Unwanted 72 etc- apart from Preganews- at Mankind Pharma, having joined the company in 2006.
By Anupama Sajeet
Edited excerpts:
What was the thought behind the #SheIsImperfectlyPerfect concept, and why do you think it is essential to get these conversations going?
There is always needless pressure on every mom to be perfect, which puts her in self-doubt about being a good mother. The campaign encourages society to embrace the imperfection of a mother who is always on her toes to work best for her child. The entire ad was curated with the aim to spread the message that it’s completely fine to be not so perfect. The film breaks the age-old narrative of mothers always portrayed as the perfect personalities, highly adept at everything they do. It disintegrates this stereotypical image of a mother who always forces herself to be perfect in everything.
With time the number of working women has increased over the years and the trend of living in a nuclear family has been evolving as a lifestyle option. Considering that this number is only going to escalate in the future, it is important to have conversations around embracing the imperfection of a mother to not pressurise the new generation and make them scared to enter the motherhood phase in their lives. We have all observed that working mothers are always chasing the balance between her job and being a mother. The pressure of being perfect makes her life stressful. We don’t want our mothers to live in any stress or guilt for not being able to meet the expectations of a “perfect mother” imposed by society.
What worked in favour of creating brand recall value for Prega News since its inception?
Since its inception in 2007, throughout the journey, the brand focused on educating women and their families about pregnancy to break the stereotypical mindsets and to address the myths existing in society. We continuously come up with campaigns be it on digital or on TVC to spread awareness and take a firm stand on what we believe in as a brand. These campaigns helped us in creating a special bond with the target audience.
One thing that majorly worked in our favour was that we were determined to develop an emotional connect with the audience by shedding light on the various issues faced by women and also portraying an inclusive conversation aimed at bringing about a social change. The primary purpose at Prega News is not to promote the product but we strive to touch upon the lives of our consumers and create awareness around the sensitive topic of pregnancy. We closely study the problems existing in society and come up with solutions to help people get acquainted with the options they have ahead. At Prega News through our initiatives, we urge the people to be more responsible when it comes to pregnancy.
Given that this method (pregnancy home test kit) was very new for the rural masses, we strived to create awareness around pregnancy care for which we worked towards breaking the stereotype connected to pregnancy detection cards in rural India. Considering the intensity of preconceived notions existing in these parts of the country, we tied up with Asha workers and local NGOs who hold a strong influence on people as key opinion leaders for effective message reception amongst the audience. Also, to create awareness, we organised a caravan activity for 25 days across 125 districts of Uttar Pradesh to establish a better line of engagement with the people there through door-to-door invitations, announcements and distribution of gifts, and many fun activities. We took the opportunity to give detailed information on the do’s and don’ts during the pregnancy. From the proper diet with the right nutrition to what food to avoid was touched upon at large in the activity.
Over the years, the brand has collaborated with some of B-town’s leading actors and of late, influencers. What was the idea behind roping in celebrities?
We aimed at leveraging the various tools to increase our visibility amongst the potential audience throughout the journey of Prega News. When we started in 2007 we wanted to make the brand a household name by making it acquainted with the people at large. For which we collaborated with Neha Marda who was a popular face at that time in every household. Therefore, by roping in Marda we were able to introduce our product in the market. Over the time when we realised that Prega News has made a decent place in the market we wanted to amplify our reach by making it the top brand in the country. For this, we collaborated with leading B-town actors such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Anushka Sharma and Shilpa Shetty to give mileage to our brand reception. Further to penetrate deeper into the market we also ventured into influencer campaigns where we roped in more than 21 regional mommy bloggers in an influencer activity campaign to spread awareness about the important RTBs of Prega News for expectant mothers.
Considering that pregnancy is a very sensitive topic, what is the primary challenge you have faced in the segment?
The lack of awareness amongst the people is the biggest challenge the brand faces till now. From the very initial stage, it has been a persistent roadblock acting as a deterrent that makes people skeptical about the product and inhibits them from coming forward to find solution to their persisting problem. Hence, to overcome the challenge we realised that along with the promotion of the product we needed to elaboratively talk about the sensitive problem of pregnancy at the root level and encourage women to break free from their inhibitions and come forward to try new solutions to improve the quality of their lives. To achieve this, we continuously organise on-ground events and collaborate with local NGOs and Asha workers to throw light on various aspects of pregnancy and make women acquainted with family planning as an important option.
How do you plan to further amplify the brand’s penetration into the market?
To penetrate deeper into the market beyond the metropolitan cities, we take an alternate route, as mentioned earlier. In order to reach out to the masses beyond metropolitan cities, we deliver content in their preferred vernacular language to ensure better reception. Previously, we have launched Shakti Awareness program to spread awareness about the product’s benefits. Through the programme, we stressed upon how the pregnancy detection kits were important for early pregnancy detection that could help in reducing any chances of health hazards for the baby as well as the mother. We tied up with local Asha workers and NGOs to spread our message and establish a more personal interaction with the local people. They became the solution providers for the women in the village, helping them with the healthcare-related needs.
The entire campaign was unique as it was the first time ever a pregnancy detection card brand had initiated rural activation. We organised local events at the field level to better interact with the audience. We invited 50 to 100 Asha workers and gynecologists to spread awareness around pregnancy and contraception. To date, we have organised 20 such events by tapping around 750 Asha workers across India.
Share about your recent inroads into regional markets with local brand ambassadors.
Over the years, we have realised that content is better received and reciprocated in the regional language. Audiences are better able to form connections with the brand and understand the comprehensive message the brand wants to convey when it is communicated in their own mother tongue. Hence, multilingual campaigns help in entering into a more concentrated market that lies beyond the metropolitan cities but can make up for a larger customer base. Hence, understanding that vernacular content enhances the brand penetration into the regional market, recently we collaborated with Kajal Aggarwal for a TVC as she is a well-known face in the South, helping us form better connectivity with the masses there. Prior to this, we had also roped in Priyamani to amplify our presence in the South and reach the remotest parts of the market. Likewise, Prega News is focusing to expand its visibility in other regional areas as well and has roped in Bengali Film actress Srabanti Chatterjee as the brand ambassador of West Bengal to intensify its reach and regional connection in West Bengal.
Tell us about your future plans. Any upcoming announcements in 2022?
Currently portraying a market share of 82 per cent, Prega News has marked consistent growth and come a long way from 67 per cent in 2019. Passionate to further expand our product into the unorganised and unbranded market we strive to form an emotional connection with the expectant mothers not just in metropolitan cities but make our presence felt in the rural market as well. Considering that the segment penetration across the country is very narrow, we are working towards a unified goal of increasing the penetration of kits from 17 per cent to 26 per cent by 2026.
We are intensively reaching out to small towns with the help of our rural outreach strategy to penetrate deeper into the regional market. Last year we launched an awareness drive with Asha workers in Lucknow to create awareness around the use of contraceptives and pregnancy detection cards. It was our first interactive session in Malihabad, Bachhwaran (Lal Ganj), Nawabganj (Unnao), Varanasi, Meerut, Kolhapur, Patna, and Bulandsheher in Lucknow and Bihar aimed at breaking the myths prevalent in society and motivating people to adopt family planning in advance. In the future too, the company is keen on conducting such sessions in a phased manner and amplifying its endeavor to educate people on sexually transmitted infections, different contraceptive methods, and regular use of available contraceptives.
Finally, would you say Prega News’ 2022’s Women’s Day campaign with its #SheCanCarryBoth message is at odds with your latest one for Mother’s day, which acknowledges that a mother can be humanly imperfect and not excel at every role as dictated by society?
Both the campaigns are unique in their own way touching upon the different aspects of women’s life. I would say that the message conveyed through #SheCanCarryBoth and #SheIsImperfectlyPerfect complement each other. When we said that women can don multiple roles, we never implied her to be perfect. We encourage the empowerment of women where we do not believe in putting incessant pressure on them. Rather we want them to explore new possibilities in life at their own will and at their own pace, and to evolve over time by learning from their own experiences.
Mumbai: In a bid to further penetrate into the Hindi-speaking and South markets, Mankind Pharma’s pregnancy detection brand Prega News has launched an influencer campaign. The brand roped in 21 regional mom bloggers and content creators to initiate conversations around the usage and recommendation of Prega News during the pandemic. Prega News claims to have 82 per cent share in the Indian market.
Regional influencers were engaged to break the stigma and lack of awareness around pregnancy which is still prevalent in the smaller cities and rural areas. With the help of content creators and influencers, the brand aims to disseminate customised messages for suiting the dynamics and temperament of the audience, thus helping women to relate to it, said the statement.
Among the influencers roped in are Surbhi Sharma, Nimisha Arora, Rashmi Thakur, and Varsha Balani. In all there 21 micro, macro and celeb influencer reels were put out on Instagram where the campaign clocked a reach of 6.5 lakh and impressions with 7.2 lakh views. The overall engagement was 31,000.
With the fear of the pandemic still looming, the Prega News home testing influencer campaign informed viewers that they don’t need to go out for tests during these precarious times. It recommends mothers to switch to Prega News Pregnancy Detection Kit from the convenience of their home to get rapid and accurate results in just five minutes. The kit will help them in taking the first step towards parenthood, which can be followed by required visits to Gynecologists for further care.
“With the help of Prega News we want to be the first in the womanhood journey to break the news of the pregnancy to the expectant mothers,” said Mankind Pharma GM – sales and marketing Joy Chatterjee. “In this endeavour, we want to take our product deeper into the country for presence across India, for which we resorted to regional influencers to expand our foothold in the Southern and other markets.”
MUMBAI: Prega News has signed on Bengali actor Srabanti Chatterjee as the face of the brand in West Bengal. The Mankind Pharma-owned entity made the announcement on the occasion of International Women’s Day. With this collaboration, the brand also aims to intensify its reach and regional connection in the eastern state.
Besides working in films, Chatterjee has also been a part of many television reality shows as host and judge. The main objective behind the partnership is to drive visibility for Prega News and its efforts to reach the masses in West Bengal.
Ahead of International Women’s day, the brand also launched a new campaign #SheIsCompleteInHerself, emphasising and highlighting the sensitive issue of infertility that exists among women.
Srabanti Chatterjee said, “ Somehow I believe that nothing is a coincidence in life…it is so wonderful to be associated with a brand like PregaNews which has always chosen to challenge issues faced by women and has always been a harbinger of good news to women in particular and everyone in general.”
Mankind Pharma general manager sales & marketing Joy Chatterjee said, “We are delighted to have Srabanti Chatterjee on board for this association as she has a mass fan following in the region. We are quite optimistic that with this partnership, our brand will further grow in the market, and people will become more aware of using Prega news.”
Last year, the brand collaborated with actress Anushka Sharma to bring forth the powerful message of the strength of motherhood.
NEW DELHI: Leading Indian pharmaceutical company Mankind Pharma is expanding its digital footprint to leverage the most out of the new consumer world, general manager – sales & marketing Joy Chatterjee told Indiantelevision.com. This will include a growth in its digital marketing activities and also a robust online sales strategy on its new d2c channel and leading e-commerce platforms.
“Currently, we are spending 20-25 per cent of our overall sales on digital marketing and we are planning to take it up to 30-35 per cent in 2021. The numbers will be re-evaluated after a year,” he shared.
As obvious, the move is a direct result of the new normal established by Covid2019, which has pushed more consumers to make online purchases. While some may doubt if people will buy products like pregnancy test kits and condoms online in India, Chatterjee noted that the trend is on a massive upswing for all the categories.
“After Covid2019, e-commerce buying capacity has increased for all categories. I feel that what would have come to India 10 years later has happened right now. We want to stay abreast of this changing world and have recently launched our d2c website,” he detailed. “Additionally, we are getting our presence registered across all the big e-c0mmerce platforms including Amazon, Flipkart, Big Basket, etc.”
Chatterjee added that they are going big on their marketing and advertising activities on digital platforms as well. “Our digital team is working extremely hard to increase our visibility on these digital sales channels. From static to video to blogs, we are extensively incorporating all the available options in our marketing plans. We have partnered with OTTs like Voot and Disney+ Hotstar too. We are also running big influencer campaigns for all our brands and have in the past partnered with a number of regional influencers.”
Mankind Pharma, in recent times, has worked with influencers like Shrenu Parikh, Ketaki Mategaonkar, Koushani, and Aashika Bhatia for Acne Star; Marathi theatre & film actor Bhau Kadam, and Bhojpuri singer-actor Anand Mohan for Gas-O-Fast, and has a long-standing association with actress Sunny Leone for Manforce condoms.
Not just via digital, the brand is heightening its focus on regional markets via ATL channels too.
“60 per cent of our television spends are directed towards various regional markets and 40 per cent on HSM (Hindi-speaking markets). Bengali, Punjabi, and Marathi have been some of the high-impact markets for us and we want to grow our popularity there further,” Chatterjee stated.
As far as print is concerned, the brand has taken the wait and watch approach – whether the circulation and popularity of the medium will grow back post the pandemic-induced slump. “We have reduced our print presence drastically over the past few years. As far as the magazines are concerned, we feel that most people are now preferring to consume the similar content on digital platforms, so we have moved there. But if in the next three-four months, print shows signs of good revival, we will consider our strategies once again.”
He is positive that all these efforts will definitely help the company in strengthening its market position across brands. Said he: “Manforce is the leading condom brand, yet it holds only 30-32 per cent of the market share. Why can’t it get as big as Prega News that holds 82 per cent share currently in the pregnancy testing kit market! So, this year, we are planning to grow our market share for all our products. We want Prega News to touch 90 per cent market share and Manforce, at least 40 per cent, this year. Gas-o-Fast is currently the second biggest brand in the category and we are working hard to take it to number one. There is a huge growth opportunity for AcneStar as well. While the market is highly unorganised, we are positive of double-digit growth for us this year.”
Chatterjee signed off saying that the year is quite big for them as they will soon be launching a new brand as well. The following months will also see some new brand campaigns coming up for Manforce and Prega News.
