Himalaya Herbal Healthcare rolled out an innovative marketing campaign for its hand sanitizer, PureHands, today.

Inviting young, creative minds to make a video for PureHands that will highlight product benefits in an exciting way, the contest is being run on Facebook (www.facebook.com/himalayapurehandsvideocontest).

The winning team will receive a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh. The first and second runners-up win Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 25,000 respectively.

Says Ramakant Sista, Marketing Manager, Consumer Product Division, Himalaya India, ”The benefit of 99.9% germ protection is now inherent to all sanitizers. All players in the category offer this benefit to customers. Health protection and ‘germ-check' is therefore a given. There is a need for more evolved communication. Brands therefore need to highlight different value propositions that will make their product the preferred choice.”

He added, “As a brand, Himalaya stands for well-researched, safe and efficacious herbal products. We would like students to highlight our USP and bring out the product benefits in a creative way through their videos.”

What is the objective of the contest?

• Generate fresh communication ideas for PureHands
• Enhance brand experience for customers by giving them a platform to tell their story
• Directly involve users of the product in the communication

Ramakant further added, “We want consumers to use hand sanitizers as part of their daily health protection routine. While the swine flu scare created demand for hand sanitizers, we need to continue building awareness for the product. A hand sanitizer is the most convenient way to keep our hands germ-free and this needs to be communicated effectively.”

Why colleges?

Hand sanitizer use is increasing among college students because of their lifestyle. Students spend a lot of their time outside - eating, shopping at malls, engaging in outdoor sports or ‘hanging out' with friends. This increases their exposure to germs. Moreover, health consciousness is on the rise.

Adds Ramakant, “We wanted to involve the user community in developing an advertisement for PureHands. Students, who are big users of the product, are better placed to narrate their experience with the product and how it plays a role in their life. If we want customers to connect with the brand and the category, we need to create communication that they can identify with. The product must seamlessly integrate into their life experiences!”

Why social media?

If we want to reach out to the student community then the best way to do this is via social media.

“Crowd sourcing is a great way to access fresh, exciting ideas. Companies across the globe are looking at the internet to reach out to their consumers. We chose to run our contest on Facebook as the social networking site is most popular among youngsters. They congregate on Facebook, express their opinions, discuss, deliberate. The contest is a first for us. We are hopeful that students will participate and enjoy the experience”, he concluded.

About the contest

Open to college students in Bangalore, the contest is being run on Facebook (www.facebook.com/himalayapurehandsvideocontest).

Students have to make a video for our hand sanitizer, PureHands. The video should highlight the role of PureHands in day-to-day life. It should also bring out the USP of PureHands, ie., herbal.

Videos will be judged by a panel of industry experts and peers. Out of the videos received, 15 will be shortlisted by Meridian Communication on the following criterion: concept, adherence to creative brief, out of the box thinking and tagline.

The chosen 15 teams will present their videos to a panel of industry experts for the ‘Jury Award'. There will also be a ‘Popular Choice Award' for the video with the maximum number of votes on Facebook.