Consumer healthcare brands walk the most at Pandharpur Wari; spends range from Rs 3-30 lakh

For the Warkaris pilgrims, the annual march to Pandharpur, a pilgrimage town in Maharashtra, ended yesterday (July 17, 2024) on Ashadha Ekadashi at the temple of Vithoba (a form of Vishnu during his Krishna avatar), the town’s presiding deity. 

And to not many folks’ surprise, it was the consumer healthcare brands which walked the most with them.

“The brand participation is predominantly from healthcare, FMCG, and the financial sector to some extent,” explains Rajesh Radhakrishnan, founder director and CMO at Vritti iMedia, a marketing agency which specialises in rural marketing. He further says traditional sectors like cement and steel were also present for branding and visibility.

More commonly known as the Pandharpur Wari, it is extremely popular in Maharashtra and much of Karnataka. The Wari takes place on foot and only after days do the Warkaris reach Pandharpur to worship Vithoba.

Radhakrishnan says for a brand, the total reach including the Wari and then at Pandharpur is about 30 lakh people.

That is a healthy number for brands looking to reach the rural audience and it is quite affordable as well. Vritti iMedia helps a lot of brands with activations at such yatras and its founder-director says the spends “can go up to Rs 30 lakh.”

“Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh is the entry level for anybody to get some mileage, some branding happening in Pandharpur. But if you want to engage and do an activity, it ranges from about Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh,” he reveals.

Ghadi Detergent, Amrutanjan, Electral, Iodex (GSK), ABP Majha, and Bank of Maharashtra were some of the brands seen this year. But surprisingly, young brands or start-ups were missing from the action despite the affordable opportunity to build awareness amongst the rural audience.

Radhakrishnan is keen to see the young brands participate in the Wari and has hopes, especially from fin-tech brands, after seeing the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) participate last year.

He, however, states that most marketing, whilst having elements of ROI, is more geared towards emotional connect here. “I'm not sure about those segments who are looking at ROI on every expense of marketing.”

For instance, Bank of Maharashtra set up screens where the Warkaris could enjoy the darshan.

There are two types of darshan: Mukh Darshan where you can see the face of Vithoba from a distance. The second is Paya Darshan where you get to go inside the temple and touch his feet, but it can take up to 48 hours standing in a queue.

Such a media setup helps because a healthy number of the Warkaris are the elderly. The public-sector bank also branded itself on police cabins and barricades.

Another brand which was visible throughout the journey was Electral, an oral rehydration solution (ORS) brand from FDC, a pharmaceutical and healthcare company. The brand set up distribution centres throughout the Wari.

And while regaining your lost energy is one thing, what about the tired body after hours of walking and chanting devotional songs? That is where brands like Amrutanjan had people applying the balm or the spray on the weary muscles of the Warkaris providing them with a much-needed massage and pain relief. 

Haleon's Iodex, a pain-relief brand, has been a part of the yatra for some time. “Iodex only did massages last year and based on that demand, people were asking for Iodex this year. So, it started sales and people were willing to spend money,” reveals Radhakrishnan.

A noteworthy aspect of the Wari is that the Warkaris do not stay in hotels but at maths (Hindu monastery) or temporary arrangements. That is where Ghadi Detergent decided to connect with the travellers; it set up a Ghadi Detergent Washing Zone. Also, keeping in mind privacy during wardrobe changes, Mankind Pharma and JK Cement set up changing rooms for women. The latter also set up water drinking booths.

Also, making the Wari is something not everyone can pull off. So ABP Majha, a Marathi TV news channel, went along the villages and towns collecting people’s wishes and ensuring they reached Vithoba.