NEW DELHI: There’s always been money in the baby business. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Hollywood stars have often monetised their pregnancies – from brand endorsements to magazine photoshoots, featuring baby bumps and later, the baby itself. It’s a well-documented fact that one-time golden couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had signed a seven-million-pound deal with the UK’s Hello! magazine for publishing the first photos of their new-born twins. Since then, celebrity pregnancies have become more lucrative and gained further impetus with the rise of social media and the influencer phenomenon.

In India, one of the most recognisable brands associated with pregnancies is Prega News from Mankind Pharma. And there is a good reason for its visibility – Prega News has time and again onboarded well-known faces like Neha Marda, famous for her prominent role in the hit TV serial Balika Vadhu; as well as Bollywood biggies like Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Kareena Kapoor Khan. It has recently signed on expecting mother and A-lister Anushka Sharma as its brand ambassador. 

At present, Prega News holds 80 per cent of the market share in the pregnancy test kits segment in India, and these high-profile celebrity endorsements have been a major contributing factor.

In a recent conversation with Indiantelevision.com, Mankind Pharma Ltd general manager - sales and marketing Joy Chatterjee offered insights into the brand’s strategy to rope in Anushka Sharma, its marketing plans that will support the current campaign, and how he expects 2021 to be. 

The brand has always focused on picking the right ambassadors to build trust and extend its reach into diverse markets, revealed Chatterjee. “Collaborating with A-list actresses has improved our brand imagery and equity tremendously. Since we always go with mothers or expecting mothers, our advertisements are very real and resonate with mothers across the nation. In turn, this type of marketing has made our brand synonymous with the category of pregnancy detection kits and secured the position of India’s No.1 brand for us.” 

On being asked what prompted the brand to get Anushka Sharma as its new face, while their existing ambassador Kareena Kapoor Khan is also pregnant, Chatterjee explained that they wanted to specifically target a younger demographic of moms-to-be.

“This year we specifically wanted to target young mothers and when we learned about Anushka’s pregnancy, we quickly seized the opportunity. She perfectly fits the role of a young mom and has a fan base that’s young, modern, and fun-loving, just like her. Also, the entire nation is curious about listening to her experiences and thoughts on being a mother,” he noted.

That is certainly true. Sharma, who is expecting her first child with husband and Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli, has been making waves on social media ever since the couple announced the big news. Everything from her due date, to performing complicated yoga asanas in the third trimester becomes a viral sensation – which only serves as added publicity for the brand.

Chatterjee is relying heavily on digital media to promote the current campaign, as it has evolved into the best and most economical way to communicate with people. However, the biggest chunk of the marketing budget is still reserved for television. 

“The campaign will be aired on television and all our digital platforms. The largest chunk is reserved for TV spots followed by digital platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube which occupy 25 per cent of our marketing spend. Along with these, you’ll also see the campaign on various OTT platforms, out-of-home hoardings, and airport brandings,” he detailed. 

The brand has bought a total of 18 ad slots a day on television across genres like general entertainment channels, news, music, and movies. The ads will mostly be visible during the prime time slots to garner maximum visibility. 

Chatterjee is expecting 2021 to be a great year for the brand and has hinted that they will be going ahead with some exciting new product launches. “The strategy again is to promote them heavily on digital platforms and change the way the product category has been operating,” he said before signing off.