Himalaya bets on Personal Care

When Himalaya entered the market, herbal products were relatively new. In a way, they were early entrants in the space and grew the category to a large extent. More often than not, in such cases, larger players can walk in and reap the fruits of the work of smaller early entrants, by virtue of their muscle. My thoughts on what strategy Himalaya should follow to take on the larger players.

You can read the entire write up here at the Business Standard.

Pitch Brand 50 awards

I was recently part of a jury for the Pitch 50 brand awards, that comprised Ramesh Thomas of Equitor and other stalwarts and academic professionals.

Together we have awarded various brands for their innovative practices in fields such as the bottom of the pyramid, digital execution, for remaining timeless and for creating significant campaign-oriented buzz.

For the full list and all the details on Pitch 50 Brand awards, do check out http://issuu.com/pitchonnet/docs/pitch_july_2013/7?e=4762695/4650057

Year of the break-away agency?

Anna Hazare and his campaign against corruption was one of the most widely followed stories on the media last year.

The ad industry's attention was once again drawn to people processes.

I met the head of the Indian operations of a large MNC a few days ago and asked him how the year had been and he made a telling comment. “Well, the only thing I can tell you is that I am glad 2011 is over.” The Indian cricket fan too would endorse the sentiment entirely, as contrary to bookmakers' predictions and my own hopes, India slumped to an embarrassing defeat in the Boxing Day test, which thankfully ended the cricketing action for the year.

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