The company decided to go in for a major makeover so that it would appeal internationally
and make for better display on shelves. Bangalore-based design outfit Ray & Keshavan was
roped in for this purpose with a clear brief. The packaging had to be attractive, contemporary,
not overly glamorous and reflect values that Himalaya Herbals stood for efficacious herbal
products created with cutting-edge research and technology.
Sujatha Keshavan Guha, Partner, Ray and Keshavan talked about the challenges of the
redesigning project. "We worked on this (Himalaya Herbals redesign) for one year. It was quite
complex because we had to have one common look for the different products in the range".
The new design tried to redress problems with the old packaging such as volume perception,
leakage, failure to convey the high quality of products and difficulty in distinguishing one
product from the other. "With over 30 products in the range with similar packaging, customers
often mistook hair oil for shampoo," said Guha.
To convey the message that Himalaya's personal care products were "serious herbal products
that worked" the company went in for a white look with cleaner looking fonts and graphics. The
design team also paid attention to the shapes of bottles. For example, the shampoo bottles and
caps were flat compared to lotions, which had a rounder look. For further clarity, colour coding
was introduced.
Every Himalaya product now incorporates a "100 per cent Herbal Actives" logo, which is seal
of assurance from Himalaya. "The seal guarantees that our products are natural, highly effective
and 100 per cent safe, said Soumitro Banerji.
Marketing
"Our brand positioning that Himalaya's products are scientifically tested, efficacious
products remains the same," said Banerji. Targeted at the urban audience, the refurbished range
has new products such as protein shampoos in the three variants- Normal, Dry and Oily hair;
fruit packs, mud packs; dental cream and a nourishing skin cream. The last, the company claims,
is a one-of-its-kind product in the market.
To induce trials of their new protein shampoo variants, the company is renewing its thrust on
sachets. Also, Himalaya brought out a 40 ml bottle with the idea that a consumer would try a
shampoo 2-3 times before deciding whether to go for it.
Himalaya is trying to grow its personal care division from Rs.60 crore to Rs.100 crore by the
end of 2004 fiscal year. "We are trying to get our personal care products to account for 50
percent of the total turnover in 5-6 years," said Banerji. In keeping with its expansion plans
the company has improved on its marketing strategies. Himalaya is retailing its personal care
range in multibrand outlets with shop-in-shops. The company aims to reach 250,000 outlets by
March 2004.
Advertising
Advertising has been focused on the modern, urban woman who needs to feel confident and in
charge of her life. Outdoor campaigns and television ads feature shampoos and lotions, which are
the fast movers in the Himalaya stable. The newly introduced nourishing skin cream is being
featured in glossy magazines.
What stands out in the advertisements in both print and television is the deliberate
underplay of Himalaya's "Herbal" properties. This seems strange at a time when many other
cosmetic companies are trying to cash in on the growing popularity and demand for herbal and
natural products.
Himalaya's logic is that since the company is already known as a herbal products manufacturer,
the need to restate the point does not arise. The question remains whether the younger
generation that is unaware of Himalaya's USP would favour the brand.
Marketing expert Harish Bijoor had this take on the matter. "The cosmetics market is very
sensitive territory and one needs to tread it with care and sensitivity. Himalaya understands
this, and is possibly adopting different stances that complement one another. One stance in the
advertising and another in the packaging. Through ads, one needs to address the large market
audience with a story that seeks to build awareness, adopting the lowest common denominator of
understanding and appeal. Packaging is something that will be viewed by a subset of the audience
that the brand is advertised to."
He added, "Isolating benefits is a strategy that many marketers use. You can isolate the
benefit of beauty in your advertising stance and the benefit of herbal in the packaging. The
fact is that the herbal market is still a niche in India. But beauty is not a niche. It has
been mass for as long as I remember!."
Two months into Himalaya's latest design transformation, it is still premature to guage the
outcome of the brand revamp. But company sources claim that feedback in terms of sales and
design appreciation has been great. We may have to wait for some more times to understand if
consumers will accept cosmetic's changes for real.
