Mankind Pharma, one of the top 5 leading pharmaceutical companies in India, started its journey in 1995.
Earlier this year, Mankind Pharma rolled out impactful Father’s Day campaigns for two of its key brands—Prega News and flagship brand HealthOK. The HealthOK campaign spotlighted its pure vegetarian multivitamin tablets, a product rapidly approaching the ₹50 crore mark with a growth rate of 25%. The initiative paid tribute to fathers across India who embody tireless commitment and silent strength in fulfilling their everyday responsibilities.
The campaign looked to position fathers as ‘HealthOK Heroes’ – real-life superheroes who provide unconditional support to their families especially children while maintaining their energy and enthusiasm for parenthood. To support these tireless fathers in their daily journey, HealthOK vegetarian multivitamin tablets offer the perfect nutritional companion.
Meanwhile Prega News’ Father’s Day campaign celebrated the often-overlooked contributions of expectant fathers during the pregnancy journey. The campaign highlights how pregnancy transforms both partners’ lives, even when one’s journey remains largely invisible to the world.
The campaign film featured stand-up comedian Aashish Solanki as an expectant father who attempts to experience pregnancy by wearing a belly for a day, undertaking challenges that pregnant women face daily. From picking up objects to sitting comfortably during work calls, the humorous yet enlightening exercise reveals the physical difficulties expectant mothers endure. However, the narrative takes a turn when his pregnant wife Rashi and her friends arrive, shifting the focus to acknowledge the emotional and practical support that fathers provide throughout the pregnancy journey.
Medianews4u.com caught up with Joy Chatterjee, VP, Sales and Marketing Head, Consumer Business Unit, Mankind Pharma
Q. From a marketing perspective, what are the focus areas and priorities for Mankind Pharma in 2025?
In 2025, our marketing priorities are threefold:
· Category Expansion & New Product Launches: We are launching new innovations in personal wellness, reproductive care, and preventive health under our consumer healthcare portfolio.
· Digital-First Thinking: With consumer journeys being increasingly digital, our communication and media plans are heavily tilted towards digital discovery, engagement, and commerce.
· Purpose-Driven Brand Building: We’re investing in storytelling that builds emotional equity while staying rooted in real, everyday consumer truths.
Q. HealthOK is using Archana Puran Singh, a strict vegetarian herself, for a new campaign. Does she bring in authenticity and relatability?
Absolutely. Archana Puran Singh is a trusted personality with a relatable lifestyle that mirrors the product insight as many Indians, especially vegetarians, face gaps in daily nutrition.
Her genuine persona and long-standing credibility help us land this message in a way that’s both believable and impactful. She helps us strike the right balance between awareness and trust.
Q. Could you talk about the brainstorming that took place with the creative agency that led to the awareness campaign?
The process started with a deep-dive into consumer behavior, especially around dietary gaps among vegetarians. We worked closely with the creative agency to translate this insight into a compelling narrative, one that informs without being preachy.
The idea was to simplify the science while keeping the tonality warm and approachable. The team explored multiple storyboards before arriving at the final execution, which we believe is rooted in insight yet creatively distinctive.
Q. This year’s Father’s Day campaign for Prega News represented a strategic pivot. How did the company achieve a balance in the communication? It had to be both funny and authentic.
Traditionally, pregnancy-related conversations have focussed on mothers and rightly so. But modern parenting is increasingly collaborative, and we saw an opportunity to engage fathers in this journey.
The challenge was to strike a tone that doesn’t trivialise the role yet feels light and fresh. Humour helped us humanize the message while still delivering emotional depth.
Casting Ashish Solanki made the narrative even more relatable, he’s a millennial and a new father himself, which added freshness and authenticity to the storytelling. This balance was ultimately achieved through thoughtful scripting, casting, and smart editing ensuring relatability without losing brand sensitivity.
Q. What role did data analytics play in deciding to focus on the role that quiet yet consistent fathers play?
Data insights revealed a growing conversation online around involved fatherhood. Social listening showed that dads are increasingly sharing their parenting experiences, yet they remain underrepresented in pregnancy narratives.
In fact, 95% of fathers felt that parenting is a shared responsibility, this powerful insight encouraged us to break the mold and highlight their quiet, consistent presence.
Analytics helped us not just identify the theme but also understand the right platforms, messaging tone, and emotional triggers to reach them effectively. In fact, this campaign went on to garner one of the highest engagement rates for us – 137 million views, 20 lakh likes, 5.4 lakh shares, and 31,000 saves, a clear validation of both the insight and the creative execution.
Q. The healthcare sector has violated ASCI guidelines several times. What practices does Mankind Pharma follow to avoid this issue as much as possible?
At Mankind, compliance is non-negotiable. Every communication is vetted through a robust internal process involving legal, regulatory, and medical affairs teams.
We also conduct periodic training with marketing and agency teams on ASCI guidelines. Our objective is to be medically accurate, culturally sensitive, and ethically responsible in all our brand communications.
With consumers increasingly relying on digital platforms for information, has Mankind Pharma recalibrated its marketing efforts over the past few years since COVID? Does digital help Mankind Pharma target more effectively as opposed to traditional media?
Yes, post-COVID, we’ve undergone a significant digital transformation. Whether it’s search, influencer engagement, regional content, or vernacular video, our digital mix is far more advanced now. Platforms like Google, YouTube, Meta, OTT and Performance marketing give us sharper targeting, better data insights, and agile campaign execution. Traditional media remains important for reach, but digital is now the beating heart of our media strategy.
Q. What role will SEO and social media play in the media mix this year for Mankind Pharma?
SEO is central to our always-on health information strategy. We’re building strong content ecosystems around our brands and health topics consumers care about. Social media will continue to be our storytelling playground where we bring in topicality, conversations, and influencer partnerships. Together, SEO and social are not just channels but pillars of brand trust and discovery.
Q. With consumers increasingly relying on digital platforms for information, has Mankind Pharma recalibrated its marketing efforts over the past few years since COVID? Does digital help Mankind Pharma target more effectively as opposed to traditional media?
Yes, post-COVID, we’ve undergone a significant digital transformation. Whether it’s search, influencer engagement, regional content, or vernacular video, our digital mix is far more advanced now.
Platforms like Google, YouTube, Meta, OTT and Performance marketing give us sharper targetting, better data insights, and agile campaign execution. Traditional media remains important for reach, but digital is now the beating heart of our media strategy.
