Religion is powerful. Brands are powerful. They both rely on strong believers and followers. In India, a deeply religious country, it is not uncommon to see the two coming together resulting in successful business ventures. T-Series made a fortune at one time selling music cassette tapes and CDs with religious songs. It then branched into number of other products including bottling Ganga jal. The Ganges water is considered holy by the Hindus and is used in various religious ceremonies. The Ganges is extremely polluted now but nevertheless this does not stop the believers from bathing and buying Ganges water for religious purposes.
Recently, I was introduced to the Patanjali brand, which makes a range of Ayurvedic and organic products. Yoga Swami Ramdev who has a big following in India and abroad is now marketing this brand of products. If managed well, with consistency of message and quality of products, it has the potential to be very popular among Indians who strongly believe in natural remedies and organic products. It was fascinating to hear people talk about the Patanjali products and the deep belief they have in Swami Ramdev. The company aims to do more than sell products, which it notes in its mission statement:
“We are confident that the campaign for upliftment of the nation and the conservation and protection of the ageless science ayurveda, been launched with the support of the common man would ultimately reach its goal. The campaign is not commercial but all in the public interest. Scores of the volunteers are giving relentless service free of cost for the success of the massive ‘yagna’.”