Akshay Kumar-HUL ask users to choose #SahiAyurved in new ad

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who has the best Ayurvedic recipe of all? 

 

Hindustan Unilever Limited in its latest string of ads starring brand ambassador Akshay Kumar has one message for viewers: choose ‘sahi’ (correct) Ayurved. This series of ads take an educational route and inform consumers that not all that’s green and full of turmeric an ayurvedic product. 

 

The messaging that HUL has adopted is not surprising given that the Ayurveda category is heavily abused. Misleading ads and spurious products are now abounding in this highly popular category. This was precisely why the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the ministry of Ayurveda, yoga, and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) early in 2017 to tackle the problem of misleading ads. 

 

 



In the ad, Akshay Kumar informs viewers that not every soap that has green leaves on the box has ayurvedic origins just like not everyone with a stethoscope around their neck is a doctor. The ad goes on to say that Lever Ayush uses a recipe that is found in a 5,000-year-old manuscript on Ayurveda, making it a genuine product. 

 

But the ads for Lever Ayush seem to be contradicting themselves. In one of the ads, Kumar uses Sanskrit to speak about the products and in another, he reads out Sanskrit names of ingredients in the soap. Just like wearing a cop’s cap does not make one a cop, an extension of that logic would apply to HUL too. Does speaking in Sanskrit make the products truly ayurvedic? 

 

 



The ad’s messaging does not work on two counts, said Prathap Suthan, ‎Managing Partner/Chief Creative Officer at BangInTheMiddle. “Lever has always been about artificial living and products. Chemical and other ingredients that go into their products give them almost no footing to push Ayurveda. It will take a lot of baggage to be removed before they can assume anything substantial in their ayurvedic credibility,” he said. 

 

It is also worth mentioning that the pricing of Lever Ayush is much steeper than Patanjali Ayurved. While a 100gm Lever Ayush soap costs around Rs 31, a 75gm bar soap from Patanjali Ayurved costs Rs 13. This would mean that the product is positioned for the urban demographic. Therefore, the logic of the ad may fail to impress the target audience, Suthan said. “The target audience for Ayush definitely will have to be the educated metro class. And I have a feeling that this is going to be laughed at. (It) Almost insults the intelligence of the people.”

 

Jagdeep Kapoor, Chairman and Managing Director, Samsika Marketing Consultants, felt that the ad does deliver other key messages. This kind of approach will help the ayurvedic product category expand and aid the adoption of genuine products, he said. “This is the first serious competitor to Patanjali. That said, I don’t think the objective of the ad is to compete alone but to create and enhance the category of Ayurveda,” said Kapoor.

 

Calling the ad simple and straightforward, Kapoor said that the ad does deliver credibility because of the choice of celebrity. “This ad tells consumers: be careful of what you choose. It is possible that nothing will happen to Patanjali Ayurved because of the entry of Lever Ayush and this ad, but a lot of Johnny-come-lately brands may be impacted.” He added, “The size of the cake will grow and the genuine two-three players will benefit.”

 

 



Despite its flaws, the one message the ad is an acknowledgement of is that "Patanjali is not a force to be taken lightly," Suthan added.