Q] Maharishi Ayurveda has been around for four decades. What prompted you to launch your first large-scale brand campaign now?
Maharishi Ayurveda has been an introverted brand. It was founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation Technique, and has been more international than Indian. The manufacture and supply of our products catered mostly to the followers of the transcendental movement. We also ventured into the B2B arena, working with health practitioners in the Netherlands and Germany, etc. It was only eight years ago that we started our own website in Germany, and even then, 80% of our users were followers of the movement.
We launched our website in India four years ago and gained traction. Recognising Ayurveda’s deep cultural integration, we decided to pursue a more aggressive expansion of the brand, investing significantly in infrastructure, teams, and outreach efforts. It was high time that we started promoting our products directly to customers, who are now more than ever aware of the benefits of Ayurveda.
Q] Why was Ayurdent chosen as the first product to be launched on a mass scale with a big campaign?
The foundation of Maharishi Ayurveda has always been such that we focus on the root cause of the problem to find the solutions. That is followed in every aspect of our brand’s formulation. We work directly with Vaidyas, who are trained practitioners of Ayurveda and have the vedic knowledge.
Now, Ayurdent toothpaste became a natural choice for us to start our media journey because of a very simple reason: the root cause of most health problems begins with our mouth. Our oral cavity is the gateway to our health.
Q] That reflects in the ad script as well, where the protagonist is talking about the oral cavity and saliva imbalance. Why did you choose stand-up comedy to drive the message?
Yes, absolutely. We wanted to stay true to our roots! We aim to teach the consumers about the cause, impact, and thus the importance of using Ayurveda to treat health concerns. For Ayurdent, the idea was simple— educating the customer about saliva imbalance.
However, talking about saliva would gross out most people. We wanted people to normalise this reality of being human. Hence, we used stand-up comedy as an element to drive our message home without grossing out the viewers. This also helps us in getting through to the younger audience who are just developing an interest in Ayurveda. Also, laughing and happiness are indicators that you are healthy from within, which also fits very well with our overall positioning.
Q] Why did you choose Kalki Koechlin to be the brand ambassador?
Kalki is a natural brand fit because she herself is very conscious about sustainable living. She talks about this all the time on her personal channel as well, which makes her appear very authentic. She believes in wellness and is therefore a great ambassador. Also, she is a fabulous performer, and only she could have pulled this ad off.
Q] Apart from the DVC, what other channels are you using to promote the brand?
We are a direct-to-customer brand. Therefore, we are making the use of our digital presence to reach our target customers. We are investing in data-driven marketing so we can reach the right audience with the right message. We are big on social media, especially YouTube. We have also built a strong affiliate network.
We are using our digital presence to primarily educate the customers about Ayurveda and bring in awareness. We are very consistent with such content on our social media platforms. We also have our own podcast series where we talk to the Vaidya community to educate the customers.
Going ahead, we are going to expand on these aspects to make Ayurveda an integral part of people’s lifestyles. Additionally, we are going to have more brand campaigns around multiple products over the next few quarters.
Ad Created By: Independent Consultant Saumitra Karnik
Social Media: Pulp Strategy
Media Agency: Tenovia
