Mktg - India;Dabur adopts 150 highway dhabas

Tanvi Shukla

Branding exercise to involve doing up the interiors with branded props

MUMBAI: The next time you get on any of the five highways originating from Delhi, watch out for the dhabas along the way. Some of them might be sporting a new, more colourful look courtesy Dabur.

In a move aimed at taking the brand connection with their consumers to the next level, the makers of Hajmola digestive products have tied up with 150 dhabas on the highways from Delhi to Jaipur, Agra, Chandigarh, Dehradun and Haridwar.

The initiative involves adoption of the roadside restaurants and doing up the interiors with branded chairs, tables, umbrellas and wall paintings.

Rajiv John, senior marketing manager, Dabur India Ltd said, “The idea is to promote Hajmola as post-meal consumption and achieve a greater connect with the consumers. This puts it in the category of mints and saunf (fennel seeds), giving us a broader playing field than just the digestives market.”

And so, post your meal, instead of the conventional fennel seeds and sugar, you will be served Hajmola at these dhabas.

“We wanted to go beyond the communication touch point. This initiative helps us introduce more people to the product,” said John.

According to AC Nielsen, the digestives market is worth Rs 220 crore. Hajmola, a 30-year-old brand, is the market leader with 65% market share.

The fast moving consumer goods company will also use this touch point for sampling new variants for Hajmola.

The plan is to adopt 1,500 dhabas pan-India in the next 6-9 months.

Dabur has also tied up with Nirulas for their 34 family style restaurants in the National Capital Region. Similar negotiations are on with other leading restaurant chains, both at the national and regional levels.

Mumbai’s famous dabbawallahs have also been roped in for a similar activity. They will simply put in Hajmola sachets in the hundreds of dabbas they serve everyday.

Call it Dabur’s way of promoting healthy living, or a bid to broaden the horizons for what would otherwise be just a digestive tablet.