Dabur's new ad reaffirms its 135-year-old legacy, cements it as a leader in post-lockdown India

Created by McCann WorldGroup, it extols Dabur's 'Made in India' pride, and aims to help the country rebuild itself as a leader of the new era.

To say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push for 'Make in India', and the recent 'Vocal for Local' call, was the impetus local businesses needed to take the next big step, is an understatement. The two initiatives have become the go-to mantra for businesses to not just continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with the MNCs, but in some cases, also get ahead of them.

One of the most vocal supporters of these initiatives to make India a self-reliant economy is Dabur, the 135-year-old consumer goods company. Mohit Malhotra, CEO, Dabur India, says, "This campaign reflects our Ayurvedic and Indian heritage, and our strong sense of pride about ‘Made in India, by Indians, for Indians’."

It is also reflected in the brand's new ad film called 'Mitti se jude', or connected to the soil. In the 80-second-long ad, we get to see rare images of Dabur's early years, and its journey from those pre-independent days to becoming one of independent India's biggest companies.

The ad talks of the brand's journey, its roots, and how it's always been there for the country. An interesting aspect of the ad comes towards the end, 'Jab desh ko phirse bananae niklega India, toh saath hoga wahi, joh hai Made in India. Dabur.'

Prasoon Joshi, chairman, McCann WorldGroup, the agency behind the ad film, says, "With the legacy and the trust that brand Dabur enjoys, it is best poised to deliver the attributes 'New India' needs in its journey to become a leader of this new era. This sentiment has been expressed in 'Mitti se judey hum, Barsoon se saath khadey hum' campaign.”

Dabur's brand recall is strong, and during lockdown, it strengthened its name further in people's mind. When sanitisers were in short supply and their demand surged day after day, Dabur was one of the first new entrants in the category, with its 'Dabur Sanitize'.

When the lockdown was enforced and people's mental state was put to the test, it released a light-hearted video for its Dabur Red toothpaste. While speaking with afaqs! earlier, Harkawal Singh, marketing head – oral care, Dabur India, said, “We didn't just want to do another lockdown-based ad, and fall in the ‘me too’ category. Instead, when we thought about it, we had a clear message to give – ‘we’re there with you’. The film is our attempt to bring smiles on the faces of our audience by being relatable and highlighting a slice of our day-to-day lives.”

Meanwhile, as part of its commitment to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Dabur has launched an 'Immunity Kit'. Priced from Rs 245 onwards, it includes Dabur’s Ayurvedic formulations, like Chyawanprash, Giloy Ghanvati, Giloy Churna, Stresscom Ashwagandha, ImuDab Syrup, Honey, Honitus, and Honitus Hot Sip.

Adding to all this, to show its support for ‘Vocal for Local’, Dabur launched a new campaign video, with the anthem 'Ye Bharat Hai Hamara, Ye Dabur Hai Hamara'.

It's like Malhotra said, "As a brand, Dabur evokes feelings of trust, health and well-being in the minds of our consumers... As India now moves forward on the mission to rebuild and emerge from the challenges and uncertainties of COVID-19, Dabur also reaffirms its commitment of being ‘dedicated to the health and well-being of every household’.”