Rasna has recently launched a digital forward strategy. The brand, which is known for its I Love You Rasna” Tagline for years, has chosen to expand its usage and involvement in the kitchen by expanding its campaign to #LoveURasnaRecipes. As part of the campaign, Rasna has collaborated with a set of influencers and several other food influencers to invoke nostalgia and revive childhood memories during lockdown 2.0. The brand has entered into the immunity-boosting category.
In conversation with Medianews4u, Piruz Khambatta, Chairman, Rasna Pvt Ltd, spoke about the campaign, entry into the immunity-boosting category, marketing strategies, and more.
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Speaking about the #LoveURasna Recipe campaign, Khambatta said, “This year we thought to expand the usage of Rasna, and aspired to create something, which involves them with consumers more than before. Last year, cooking new recipes had seen great traction among individuals. Hence, the excitement to become a cook has opened doors for companies to innovate lots of products that can be used as cookery ingredients.”
“We wanted to leverage the same as we have a wide range of flavors with an excellent taste which can be used in making multiple recipes. For the first time, we have executed a digital forward strategy and collaborated with major food influencers for our campaign #LoveURasnaRecipes which showcases that the product can now be used in many other ways,” Khambatta added.
“Rasna has always focused on multiple mediums to build brand awareness of our products through television commercials, press campaigns, outdoor campaigns,” said Khambatta while speaking about Rasna’s marketing strategies.
However, this year the brand tapped into influencer marketing to increase its reach and credibility in the market.
“Going ahead, we will be focusing more on the digital medium,” Khambatta said.
Rasna has entered the immunity-boosting category.
According to Khambatta, Building immunity is the need of the hour and indeed not a fad.
He continued, “There is nothing better when we can offer than a full glass of nutrition and immunity. At Rasna, we have been offering products with 21vitamins, minerals, and glucose much before the demand was raised. Rasna is a rare combination of Health combined with the best taste. We understand the importance of an immunity health drink and are offering the same for only Rs. 2/- per glass, so even a child in the remotest corner of India is not deprived of this basic necessity.”
Khambatta further spoke about the Rasna campaigns. For him, all Rasna campaigns are memorable, may it be the “Life mein Rasna Milaofy” or “Pyaarelal ke bachpan ka Pyaar”.
“All of these Rasna campaigns carry a unique story and have helped us grow through the years. This year, we are running two campaigns #ILoveURasnarecipes campaign on social media and the Rasna Energy campaign featuring our brand ambassador on TV. We believe both the campaigns combined would reach us to newer audiences and also solidify our position in the existing consumer base,” he said.
Khambatta spoke about the strategies followed by the brand during the pandemic.
“Soft drinks make up the largest chunk of the beverages market in the country. Rasna makes a major play in the summer season, reaching far-flung areas of India. Brand recall is high among consumers. Everyone is familiar with Rasna and has a story to narrate, which makes us different. We are an affordable and premium brand that is easily available in the Kirana stores. Our objective has always been to reach out to everyone, and that’s why we have different product sizes to cater to all. Due to the lockdown, the supply chain was hit for a few months, but we tried our best to reach our consumer.”
He further continued, “As per the need, we shifted our focus towards more omnichannel retail and garnered a great response from the e-commerce channel. As Rasna is one of the most preferred drinks for the summer season, online channels played an effective role because sales in physical stores were impacted by lower traffic. Looking at the same situation this year also, e-commerce will be a key area for us. Rasna’s core plan is to reach out to the masses, who seek good quality at a good price.”
The beverages category that sees strong sales during peak summer was disrupted as India moved into a prolonged lockdown last year. The pandemic presented challenges around employee safety, logistics, and general operations.
According to Khambatta, as the country is grappling through the second wave of the pandemic, we are facing the same challenges as posed last year. Sadly, the second wave is so brutal, and I do not think we can ever forget that we owe a lot of debt to our health professionals working at the forefront and saving the nation. In these pandemic times, I think we all should support our health fraternity. In such times more than our marketing plans, my focus is on how we can help people in our small capacity and through our trust and our foundation.
Commenting about the brand’s imminent plans, he said, “We have just launched the Immunity Range and are hoping to extend it going forward. Since 2021 has just begun, we have a few plans which we will be sharing going ahead in the year.”
