How Organic India tapped into consumers’ shift towards building holistic immunity

‘Organic’ has become the precedent during the pandemic period, with health, wellness and immunity topping people’s concerns. As consumers’ preferences shifted, so have brands’ focus in keeping with changing lifestyle choices.

Bhavani Lev and Bharat Mitra, a couple who moved to India in search of herbal supplements, have been on a mission to serve the community and to keep our planet vibrant. The duo set up Organic India with a message of interconnectedness and oneness with nature.

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The result of their vision has led to the economic and cultural revitalisation of rural farm communities with 3,000 farm partnerships as well as community health care, education, and inclusive social change for women. Organic India today has become one of the most trusted organic brands in India. The company now works with more than 2,500 farmers with an aim to build beneficial economic, environmental and social ecosystems and to serve healthy lifestyle and conscious living, incorporating bio-regenerative farming practices that improve the environment with every crop cycle.

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Organic India launches #FightRight campaign in women power

The brand recently launched a campaign, #FightRight, which highlighted the need to build holistic immunity in a sustained manner rather than relying on any claims. Actor Soha Ali Khan and cricketer Mithali Raj are part of this campaign to lead the conversation about immunity building and showcasing Organic India’s wide range of organic products. Organic India has also collaborated with SRL Diagnostics & Apollo Hospitals by supporting them in building stronger defences and to keep fighting right with Organic India Immunity Kits.

In an interaction with Adgully, Subrata Dutta, Group Managing Director, Organic India, speaks about the objective behind #FightRight campaign, growing consumer focus on health and wellness, meeting the growing demand for wellness and health products, growth amid the pandemic and more.

What is the objective behind the #FightRight campaign? What are you trying to communicate through this campaign?

Given the current slew of information out there on immunity, the objective behind the #FightRight campaign was to inform people about the right way to build immunity and know that it is not a short term or a one-time action. For immunity to fight, it needs to be built right through the correct herbs in correct dosages in organic form over a sustained period of time.

What is the philosophy of the Whole Herbs product and what made the brand enter into whole herbs during the pandemic?

At Organic India, our products have always been made of whole herbs and have been in existence for over two decades. The concept is of Ayurvedic science, which emphasises the need to preserve the prana of the herb and use it whole (as a leaf, a stem, a root or a bark) rather than just extract the key enzyme from it and use it in medicine form. In this process, we finely cut the herb into powdered pieces with no heat or chemical involved and fill this powdered herb in a vegetarian capsule or a tea bag. It’s the purest form of the herb, just as nature intended for us to consume.

What kind of categories showed more engagement and traction from the consumers amid the pandemic? Did you revisit your marketing strategy to leverage the opportunity during these unprecedented times?

Our green teas have always found favour with the consumers. During the pandemic, our whole herb, organic supplements range also saw an uplift with growing awareness and consciousness of the consumer towards the benefits of our Ayurvedic heritage and the herbs mentioned herewith. The pandemic increased the overall awareness and consciousness amongst the consumers on the need to focus on and prioritise health – a belief that Organic India has been propagating for years with its tagline of ‘Healthy Conscious Living’. The marketing strategy was devised to take into account the shifting buying preferences and platforms, where the consumer went to look for products that helped build their immunity.

As everything shifted to digital and the consumers’ focus was on wellness products, did you see any changing preference in terms of wellness and care, and were any new products launched to meet the requirements of consumers?

There was an unprecedented demand for wellness and health products as the consumers started seeking information rather than us having to fight for mind space for healthy lifestyle shifts. The behaviour which is the hardest to change got a nudge towards healthier alternatives as a result of the pandemic. In accordance with the researches as well as recommendation by renowned practitioners, Organic India launched 4 new products to meet ‘not the requirements of the consumer’, but more to meet the ‘requirements of building the right immunity’ – Ayush Kwath (a kadha formulation approved by the Ministry of Ayush) in a convenient tea bag form to consume anywhere and everywhere, Tulsi Cinnamon Giloy Tea, Giloy Capsules and the king of bitter, which is known to remove toxin and support immunity – Kalmegh supplements were launched during this period.

What has been your communication strategy with consumers and which digital mediums did you approach to communicate your targeted audience?

Our communication strategy was to better inform the consumers so that they could read all the information and make an informed choice. We decided to use Google and search engines as tools to be present where the consumer was going to read about immunity. In addition, we also used our social media handles and conducted an Insta ‘Live’ session with experts in Ayurveda and Nutrition and tied up with celebrities like Soha Ali khan and Mithali Raj, who resonated with the brand and our philosophy, to promote the concept of ‘Fight Right’ on social media. Informative videos on herbs, supplements and the range of new launches were uploaded and promoted across various platforms like news, sports, entertainment, online music and YouTube.