This is one of the most meteoric stories of Indian success ever. The story of Baba Ramdev is literally a rags to riches story that is worthy of study and in-depth research, simply to find out how one person can achieve so much fame, wealth, success and renown in so short a time! We look at the business mantras of the man who built an empire based on the fundamentals of yoga, ayurveda and swadeshi.
To begin with, he is an amalgam of fitness instructor Richard Simmons, surgeon & pseudoscience promoter Dr. Oz and TV show host and media personality Oprah Winfrey as reported by The New York Times. In other words, Baba Ramdev is a fusion of some homespun wisdom, a bit of drama and a whole lot of personal charisma. He is talented and savvy; with a very sound business sense. He is magnetic and approachable – these traits have stood him in good stead.
His second biggest tool: effectively using his personal celebrity status. Before he told us to buy a single product, we knew him as someone who made millions do yoga. His image was already beaming into crores of Indian households, with countless people reaping the benefits of being fitter and healthier, thanks to his yoga shows on TV. He was hugely famous and universally trusted. So when he threw his not inconsiderable influence behind Patanjali, people were already primed to buy anything he sold.
The third major point; he has his ear to the ground. Patanjali is the name of our ancient Indian texts. The products the company makes, claim to be ayurvedic, natural and swadeshi. At a time, when a new wave of nationalistic zeal was spreading across the country, people were happy to be associated with a wholly Indian brand and to buy items that were cleverly juxtaposed as being more Indian than other products made by ‘foreign’ brands. Not only does Baba Ramdev have a sound sense of the public pulse, his timing is always bang-on.
Even his marketing is utterly unique. Patanjali uses no high paid celebrity models; they prefer to go with unknowns, and of course with Baba Ramdev himself along with the modest looking company CEO, Acharya Balkrishna. Their TV and theatre ads have among the lowest production values; their print ads are simple and their radio spots to the point. The packaging is nice; but modest. No one would call it slick or stylish or elegant. The buying public gets the sense of wholesome, good quality, unadulterated products that stick to the basics.
And the fifth, and perhaps the game-changing factor is the highly accessible price point. For the superbly, price-sensitive Indian buyer, this is hugely important. Patanjali products are perceived as good quality and are endorsed by a public figure seen as wise, knowledgeable and in whom great trust is reposed. A wide range of such products are available to the public at an accessible and affordable price point; they practically sell themselves!
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