Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Thirty Plus : Needing Energy

Brand : Thirty Plus
Company: Ajanta Pharma

Brand Count: 236

Thirty Plus is an interesting brand because of the brand name and marketing. The brand comes under the energizer category but perceived as an Aphrodisiac. This herbal capsule was launched in 1990 by a small time pharma manufacturer Ajanta Pharmaceuticals. This single product catapulted the company into the big league.

Indian Aphrodisiac market is huge valued around Rs 5 - 8 billion. The market is fragmented with majority of market dominated by local brands and unbranded remedies. The major branded players being Thirty Plus and Revital from Ranbaxy.

Although the website says that Thirty Plus is an energizer + Aphrodisiac, when the brand was launched , it was positioned as an energising capsule for Thirty Plus Males. The brand used Jitendra as its brand ambassador during the nineties. The ads were an instant hit and so was the product. The brand is now sold through the Over The Counter ( OTC) route.
But after the initial launch hype , the brand did not invest in itself. I don't remember any ads of this brand in the past 10 years or so. But because the product is an Aphrodisiac, the users may search and find it out.
The brands in categories of OTC or herbal drugs face serious regulatory issues regarding the brand promotion. The marketing of such products are regulated by Magic Remedies Act and any serious violation can take the brand to the court. So most of the manufacturers of such drugs are careful of not over exposing themselves.

There is another interesting issue that this brand faced.It is regarding the brand name. As the name indicates, the brand is meant for those who are Thirty Plus. When it was launched, the age Thirty was considered to be middle age where you become psychologically conscious about your decreasing vitality. Hence the brand name correctly conveyed the brand 's TG and its use.

But the brand now faces the issue where thirty is not now considered as a middle age ( not because I am past thirty). Most of the professionals start their family life in their late twenties and early thirties. The average age of Indians also has increased and now may be even Forty is considered to be a middle age. Hence a brand with a name Thirty Plus appeal to the new TG of 40 + ? It is just a theoretical observation because if the brand does what it promises, then any brand name will do.

3 comments:

  1. god work harish saab i liked this post typically high , some days before evenm i was thinking abt this ad when isaw a movie of jithu. hats off

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  2. m student master of marketing management geting more knowledge through your comments on variouse type of brands thanks alote sir my no is 09967885489

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  3. Dear Harish,
    I read your blog on 30Plus with great interest since I had the opportunity to discuss on this product sometime back with Mr. Subash Chandran who conceptualized and launched 30plus during 1990 for Ajanta Pharma. Most of your views reflect his thinking on the brand. However, I defer on the age factor of the target audience. The objective behind naming the product as 30plus instead of 40plus was a positive approach to motivate the 40plus buyers to ask for a 30plus product. As such the whole advertisement had a positive approach for the people to believe the best has just begun in their life. The product and its marketing campagin was a epoch making incident that revived otherwise sagging OTC market in India at that time. What I understand from Mr. Chandran is he was creating an up market brand similar to that of Gucci, Christian Dior etc. Since he left to the United Kingdom in 1991 to take up consultancy assignment it seems the original concept and approach got lost somewhere.

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