Chyawanprash in a Capsule?

As Ayurveda continues to gain popularity for its preventive and curative properties, it's time for brands to launch their products in new avatars.

Chyawanprash is India's most preferred rejuvenative and anti-oxidant jam. The product, which is primarily considered as an immunity booster, is not just consumed in India but also in the rest of the world. Usually, it is a brown/black-coloured paste that is a concoction of herbs, spices, and other ingredients, prepared according to Ayurvedic traditions, and is known to give relief from cold and cough, reduce anti-ageing effects, boost memory, improve digestion, and provide strength to overall health. As a result, many people consume Chyawanprash everyday directly or mixed with warm water and milk to prevent any ailments.

With a huge consumer base, the market size of Chyawanprash is growing on a year-on-year basis. While the Chyawanprash market in India is flooded with various brands such as Zandu, Baidyanath, Emami, Himalaya, and the new rockstar Patanjali, Dabur stands tall as the market leader with an estimated over 65 per cent share.

Interestingly, almost every Chyawanprash brand has been running a rat race to hire celebrities - such as Amitabh Bachchan, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kapoor, Sunny Deol, Shah Rukh Khan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Madhuri Dixit - to maximise their sales, and there has been a stiff competition amongst them (brands) at various price points. However, not much heed has been paid towards product diversification until now.

In fact, almost every child - be it in urban, semi-urban or rural India - grows up consuming Chyawanprash. However, by the age of 12-15 years, most of them stop consuming Chyawanprash due to its bitter taste. Therefore, to tap this consumer base, especially the youngsters, Dr. Vaidya's, a 150-year-old ayurvedic brand, has recently launched HERBOfit - Chyawanprash but, in a capsule form - in the market. For past 40 years, the product was made available to consumers only through Dr. Vaidya's clinic.

Speaking about the launch, Arjun Vaidya, CEO, Dr. Vaidya's, says, "The Chyawanprash market is approximately Rs 900 crore while the multi-vitamin market is almost Rs 1,400 crore. This indicates that a large section of the population give up consuming Chyawanprash."

"Given the unique proposition of HERBOfit being, the goodness of Chyawanprash in a capsule (healthier, tasteless and more convenient), we expect the product to start as an urban phenomenon. This is because the product provides aid to people who suffer from acute stress, long-working hours and fast-paced lifestyles with its revitalisation, energy and immunity booster," Vaidya adds.

The brand claims that HERBOfit is a tasteless supplement that comes in a convenient bottle and contains 1/60th the sugar of a spoon of Chyawanprash. It is a daily revitalisation, immunity and energy tonic that restores all human systems into working order.

The product was launched through retail only in Mumbai in the mid of October this year. The new pack of HERBOfit is priced at Rs 180, and contains 30 capsules of 280 mg each. The brand plans to launch it in Pune within the next three months, and then a full-fledged launching will take place in Maharashtra and Gujarat in the following six-nine months.

"The reason behind this approach is that as a brand we are investing to get the market right before expanding. Even as a new brand, we have already invested in our own on the ground sales team because more than products - we are trying to sell a concept or a new way of life. We believe in servicing the market and aiding distributors to grow rather than doing a nationwide launch all at once. For this reason, we are expanding at a pace that we can keep up with and ensuring that we get the market right before moving further," says Vaidya.

The consumers can avail the product through pharmacy stores, retail outlets, and kirana stores. HERBOfit is also available online on the brand's website as well as e-commerce portals such as Amazon, Snapdeal, PayTM, Shopclues, etc.

Ironically, the moment you talk about a capsule, the general impression which comes to one's mind is, the product is a medicine. However, Chyawanprash is not considered as a medicine, rather a daily consumable product which increases our immunity. So, will 'Herbofit' be well accepted by the consumers? We asked!

"The perception of a capsule as 'medicine' is a function of the chemicals present. Our product is completely natural, Ayurvedic and has no side effects. Thus, we believe that it will not be viewed in the same light as most other capsules," says Vaidya, adding, "Education and acceptability are key drivers to capture the modern consumer. In terms of new flavours we are exploring a 'gummy bears' form of HERBOfit for kids. But for now we will focus on building this brand," reveals Vaidya.

Taking benefit of the ancient medicine

Ayurveda as a science has seen a spurt in interest in the past three-four years. From the mid '80s to mid-2000s, Ayurveda had lost its appeal among the modern consumers. They had moved towards allopathic products because Ayurvedic products did not appeal to them in terms of packaging, and ease of use. However, with several initiatives undertaken by the Central Government, under the prime ministership of Narendra Modi, and consumers understanding the harmful effects of chemicals, Ayurveda is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance. Interest towards the category has grown rapidly, and now it is up to brands to speak to the consumer.

Therefore, Dr. Vaidya's has also launched LIVitup - Hangover Shield, and claims that it is the world's first Ayurvedic hangover pill that also acts as a long-term liver protector. It is the brand's traditional liver protector with a refreshed marketing story for the new age consumer. Since, alcohol conversion to acetaldehyde causes hangover in the short-term, and liver cirrhosis in the long-term, the product was originally designed as a long-term liver protector against liver lining cirrhosis. Thus, the brand has remarketed this product to be a hangover shield that doubles up as a long-term liver protector.

"Sampling for LIVitup! has been very effective so far. Over the past three months, this product has been sampled at more than 35 bars across the city and more than 20,000 people have used this product successfully in Mumbai. The interesting observation is that a large portion of these consumers are coming back to buy this product online and/or eagerly awaiting retail availability" says Vaidya.

The brand is yet to launch ad campaigns to promote its products. For the next six months, Dr. Vaidya's will spend Rs 2 crore to promote both brands. "HERBOfit is more traditional with a much larger consumer reach, (people in the age group of 15-60 years). The decision maker in many households for such products, is the mother. Thus, the marketing approach will be a more traditional one. For this product, we will look at print/magazines, cinema ads, radio and digital as options. On the other hand, LIVitup! talks to a smaller demographic (largely people in the age group of 25-50 years that is more tech savvy). Thus its campaign will focus on digital, on the ground activations, outdoor hoardings and radio," informs Vaidya.

Industry Speak

Chyawanprash and capsule are not something we readily put in one bracket. Also, the hangover reducing pill market too has a number of players. So, we asked the experts what's their take on this line of thought?

According to Praful Akali, founder-director of Medulla Communications, Dr. Vaidya's could be perceived as a lesser known brand compared to a Dabur but that's only more reason to come up with a well-differentiated product. "I think chyawanprash in a capsule is a fairly differentiated offering. The offering helps tackle a few key issues with typical chyawanprash such as high sugar content and bad taste / smell, so I think that makes it a good proposition," says Akali.

He, however, thinks that the issue with most ayurvedic/herbal formulations in the country is that they are not clinically tested so herbs are mixed together, but the clinical effect of the final formulation is not scientifically tested.

"I have personally seen PartySmart from Himalaya in the market which was widely available in chemist outlets across the country and also promoted for hangovers. So I don't think the product is unique. Of course, there are not too many players in this market but that could be a function of PartySmart's lack of success too. I think if communicated correctly, there can be great acceptance of this (LIVitup) product. I'd urge the company to look at it as a lifestyle brand rather than a medical or even a healthcare brand," says Akali.

On the other hand, Sharda Agarwal, co-founder, www.sepalika.com - a health website on dietary supplements for chronic health conditions, says, "It's important to create products that meet genuine consumer needs. So, if people find the pasty format of chyawanprash unpalatable, then a capsule can make for an attractive proposition. How does it matter then whether a company is popular or not. Acceptance will not be an issue if the proposition is put across in a credible manner, and the capsule version genuinely delivers the original benefits of a chyawanprash."

She further says, "Brands succeed better when they are able to deliver products or a service in a form that is aligned to current consumer lifestyle and habits. Dabur launched a granule variant of chyawanprash in a chocolate flavour to appeal to kids. Oats, which at one point was an unappealing food, comes to us today in a popular masala upma format."

"Liv52 from Himalaya is one of India's largest OTC brands and is commonly used to treat hangovers. There are pharma players too with an offering in this segment. Unfortunately, the category is not large enough to see spends from manufacturers to create awareness. If LIVitup! can manage marketing support to build the brand, it can surely find traction. Trials are likely to come from men in the age group of 25-40 years bracket in metro cities," adds Agarwal.

Expressing his views about Dr Vaidya's product launches, Shubho Sengupta, brand consultant and CEO, Pinkshastra (a traditional Indian healthcare portal), says, "The wellness market is worth $3.6 billion, and I am not even considering NRI markets. So, there's always room for more. And there's always been intervention in many categories. Just like when people started finding it tough to go to the shops to recharge their mobile phones, the online recharge business came to existence. So, strategically it is a very correct move for someone to put chyawanprash in capsules as it gives consumers the convenience. However, it is too early to say that whether the product will be accepted or not. As far as a hangover reducing pill is concerned, it is a small market. I expect maximum trials from urban males of northern India, especially from places such as Delhi/NCR and Chandigarh, because here people are more experimental with medicine. So, if I were to launch this product, I would go for the top 10 cities of India as it suits urban market more."