BRAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGY OF DABUR VATIKA

The caselet provides an overview of brand management strategy adopted by Dabur for its personal care brand Dabur Vatika. The caselet follows the meticulous brand building initiatives taken by the company, from the launch of Dabur Vatika in 1995 to it becoming a Rs 1 bn brand by 2003. The caselet also examines the objectives and elements that were involved in Vatika’s brand building exercise.
Issues:
» Brand management strategies

» Product differentiation
» Packaging as a marketing communication tool
» Importance of choosing the right celebrity and its influence on the brand equity
» Brand extensions and communication strategy
Introduction

Until the early 1990s, Dabur, the 100-year old ayurvedic products manufacturer, was looked upon as a rather staid company that marketed herbal and ayurvedic products.

But the launch of Dabur Vatika in 1995 brought about a sea change in that perception. Within six years of its launch, Vatika had become the market leader in the value-added hair oils segment. Its success pushed Dabur into the league of top FMCG product companies in India. Dabur Vatika’s success can be attributed to the company’s differentiated product offering and meticulous brand building initiatives. The company concentrated on differentiating the brand in all aspects, right from positioning to packaging. At the time of its launch, Dabur positioned Vatika as value-added hair oil that contained pure coconut oil enriched with natural ingredients such as henna, amla (gooseberry), and lemon. Till then, the hair oil market had been dominated by plain coconut oil brands with Marico’s flagship brand, Parachute, being the market leader.

Questions for Discussion:

Dabur Vatika, one of the youngest brands in the country (launched in 1995), has become a leading brand in the natural personal care product segment. What were the factors that enabled Vatika to become a flagship brand of Dabur in such a short span of time?

Marketing communications play an important role in building brands. Discuss the role played by marketing communications in making Dabur Vatika a successful brand.