Rise of the entrepreneur Baba Ramdev, who is taking a bite off the market

Every story has something to tell and something we can learn from.Keeping this in mind, dear readers, please allow me to talk about the mercurial rise of the ayurvedic enterprise by Baba Ramdev. Do throw in your suggestions and views.“Customer is cost-sensitive” is more like a stone carving than a euphoric realization. This is exactly what Baba Ramdev’s Divya Yoga Trust came up with for the devotees (and for the non-devotees) by launching daily consumer products ranging from toothpaste to hair oil to tea leaves to medicines. These products have taken over households by storm and especially the joint families where the older generation still has an influential say. And why wouldn’t people use these products when they get good quality products at a much lower price (based on a few consumer feedback that we got while writing this article)

But the question is, “Where does the confidence in quality come from?” Well, this is not very hard to answer as the target market for these products would be the 35+ age segment.  This age group is more likely to follow Baba Ramdev’s antics on television and would be in awe of the man because of his Yogic prowess (his unimaginable positions on TV do leave a lasting impression). This guy endorses the product and hence they should be at least worth a shot. That simple.

The second point is “Bharat Swabhiman” factor. This Gandhian ideology also plays on people’s mind. “We are Indians and we should use Indian products”, which is not at all a bad principle when you’re getting products of equivalent if not better quality at lesser prices.

The other thing working for these products is the word of mouth publicity they’ve been receiving. These very big households using them are the biggest endorsers of Baba Ramdev products. On being asked about the products, a regular user confessed that, “I’m not marketing or endorsing the Patanjali products for personal gains but I found them useful and I’d like my fellow men to reap the benefits of these natural products. It’s not that I’m against the use of foreign products as I had been using them up till now but when something indigenous is available at more affordable prices, why not use it.”

The younger generation would be hard to attract as this age group brought up on rock music and regular doses of Harry Potter would be a bit uninterested in Baba Ramdev products. They may have to use the products by compulsion from their parents but that is just a fleeting trend. Be that as it may, the Ramdev Products are giving the multinationals a run for their money by creating a dent in their market shares. These DivyaYoga products have carved their own niche and are here to stay as long as Baba Ramdev remains what he is. The image of babas has been blotched by a few recent examples of babas going wayward but here’s hoping that this baba does not further tarnish this image and continue with the good work he has been doing. And we cannot but applaud the entrepreneur in him.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Jubin Mehta for YourStory

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