Alia Bhatt is the ideal choice because she supports our efforts: Asthi Somasree Bose

In India, companies with a strong purpose have always had the ability to penetrate not only existing markets but also the hearts of consumers, building a strong brand positioning in the process. For more than 15 years, Nihar Natural's Shanti Amla Hair Oil has focused on education as part of their CSR program.

Recruiting Vidya Balan, who became indelibly linked to the brand, 13 years ago helped the project develop. Alia Bhatt will take over as the new brand spokesperson for Nihar Shanti Amla Hair Oil today. It will be difficult for Bhatt, whose appeal spans generations from millennials to gen Z, to live up to Balan's lavish legacy.

Somasree Bose Awasthi, Chief Marketing Officer of Marico Limited, asserts that Bhatt would undoubtedly boost the brand to the next level after Nihar Shanti Amla and Balan have elevated it. "Vidya Balan is the reason why the brand has this brand positioning.  She has carried the brand on her shoulders in an exceptional fashion, and her 13 years of dedication to the brand have led to its current position. Our primary target demographic is the young, so we wanted to elevate the brand by working with a youth icon, which is why we chose Alia Bhatt. She will serve as our brand's new ambassador, and we hope she will continue Vidya Balan's legacy by elevating the company's profile.

Although Bhatt has many contemporaries, why is she the best fit? According to Awasthi, they desired a person who shared their commitment to the brand's goals and who followed in its footsteps by carrying out actions that were comparable to those of the brand.

"For us, the most important factor was that the famous person should support the same cause, and recently, Bhatt has been advocating for child education. That is when it dawned on us that choosing the next ambassador should be done by someone who fervently shares Nihar's convictions. It's a brand with a mission; the status the brand has attained today is a result of this mission and the brand ambassador we selected 13 years ago to further this mission. As a result, we are now adding someone who can fill those shoes and advance things.

The brand is particularly well-known in the eastern Indian regions where Balan found success by connecting with audiences from all demographics and drawing in East Indians. According to Awasthi, Hindi material does incredibly well for audiences in the East Indian region, with 40 to 50 percent of reach coming from Hindi GEC channels. According to Awasthi, Bhatt would be able to break through the nation's many cohorts and ride the communication in the eastern parts.



In a recent ad for the company, Bhatt is shown as a teacher who is surrounded by students who are captivated by her hair. The slogan "Bhatt says "Baal Badhenge" and the kids say "Bachche Padhenge" makes it clear that the Nihar Naturals Amla Hair Oil encourages children's education. The company promises to donate 5% of its earnings to fund children's education.

When we conducted consumer testing, one thing we learned for sure was that customers loved the product's quality as well as the notion that they were supporting a business. They are also making a modest contribution to society, so in a manner the brand empowers individuals to act and give back to society, according to Awasthi. Therefore, while it's fantastic to try something new, it's also great to keep doing something that's effective and beneficial for society.

Awasthi shared the impact of the cause by saying, "Last year, we were able to sign up about 2.5L teachers and more than 10L students for the digital courses. With the assistance of our non-profit partners, Leap For Word, we monitor the progress and maintain the dashboard to record the statistics. Awasrthi added that they distribute these lessons with the teachers via WhatsApp.

The campaign's media mix consists of 30% digital, including social media, influencer marketing, OTT ad placement, etc., and 70% TV. "TV is an important medium for us, having said that, our spending has increased on digital as a medium," Awasthi added. She added that although the Bimaru (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh) regions lacked access to reliable media, Covid helped them develop digital literacy. So the brand uses digital channels to reach these demographics. Awasthi further mentioned that general transactions account for over 90% of the company's revenue. E-commerce makes up 10% or less of the total. 

Awasthi responded to a question concerning influencer marketing by saying that because they already have a mega-celebrity with a sizable fan base, they primarily use micro-influencers. "What we believe is that the micro influences, particularly for this community, play a significant role and that we really capitalize on them,"

Speaking about the next marketing pipeline, "Right now we are excited to take advantage of the new ambassador that has joined. Regarding the second TVC, which we'll be releasing soon, we're excited to see what sort of potential we can drive by utilizing the 360-degree marketing techniques that we've put in place.