“We want to be the Aamir Khan of Indian healthcare system”: PharmEasy’s Gaurav Verma

The digital healthcare platform's IPL campaign features the actor as a delivery person, who is dancing to the brand’s famous jingle. A chat with its CMO.

One of the major consumer pain points of buying medicines and other healthcare products offline, is the unavailability of all these under one roof. There is also the possibility of the prescribed medicines or essential items being out of stock when one needs them. PharmEasy, the leading healthcare and medicine ordering app, aims to solve these pain points.

PharmEasy wants to make the complicated world of medicines as simple as possible. Taking forward the ‘Take It Easy’ narrative of its Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign, the brand has onboarded its first celebrity endorser. Conceptualised and executed by FCB India, the ad features actor Aamir Khan as a PharmEasy delivery person, who highlights the benefits of ordering medicines from the app.

Speaking about the campaign, Gaurav Verma, CMO, API Holdings, says, “We were specifically on the lookout for a well known and relatable celebrity, who would be the perfect match for our brand identity. Aamir Khan fits the brief to the tee. We want to be to the Indian healthcare system, what Aamir Khan is to Indian cinema - a perfectionist.”

“I was inspired by the depth that the actor brought to our association. From deeply understanding the business, to being actively involved in the creative process - he was a pleasure to work with,” adds Verma.

PharmEasy competes with not only online healthcare apps like netmeds.com, apollopharmacy.in and 1mg.com, but also the unorganised sector that includes local pharmacists. So, how does PharmEasy deal with its competitors?

Verma responds, “Customers' needs and expectations have evolved over the last few years, as they have a plethora of choices. It's important for a brand to fulfill the needs of its customers. If a brand can't do this, the customers will move on to another brand. The three levers that help PharmEasy meet the needs of its customers are affordability, availability and affinity.”

The brand has a 360-degree marketing approach, with a focus on TV and cricket. PharmEasy’s recent ads can be spotted during IPL matches. Verma shares, “The brand wanted to leverage the popularity of IPL to the maximum. Festivals, trends and events come and go, but cricket will always remain big, especially in India.”

“To maximise consumers’ interest, engagement and affinity towards the brand, PharmEasy decided to strengthen its association with cricket via IPL. This collaboration will help the brand to drive awareness that will further lead to conversions,” he adds.

On how the brand plans to stand out from other advertisers, Verma states that PharmEasy has a two-fold strategy. “We have a ‘jester’ brand archetype that reflects in all our campaigns, whether they are for digital platforms or TV. Our communication has been clutter-breaking and quirky in nature that helps us to get better ROI. The brand’s light-hearted jingle has a high recall value amongst the audience.”

Verma informs that the brand’s media strategy is based on extensive research, past learnings and the understanding of its TGs media consumption habits. The brand will figure out the most effective strategy to increase reach and frequency by analysing data from TV, OTT and social media.

Given cricket’s popularity in the country, IPL will get a significantly higher share of PharmEasy’s media budget, this year. The brand also plans to launch another cricket-themed campaign later this year.

Talking about the challenges, Verma says, “Many brands try to replicate discounts and offers, while neglecting customer experience and holistic healthcare needs. This might be good for the customers in the short run, but it can hamper the brand’s ability to invest in technology and services that add value, over the long run.”