Brands
Himalaya rolls out unique ‘My Lakshya’ campaign to fulfil dreams
MUMBAI: A quick walk down a mall or supermarket is enough to know that the grooming industry for men has grown and how.
Over the past couple of months, the booming sector has seen a number of established brands joining the segment along with some new entrants. In April last year, The Himalaya Drug Company, entered the men’s grooming segment with an aim to be the market leader, as it is in the women’s face wash segment.
As a brand, it has shied away from celebrity associations. The campaigns, especially the TVCs, are rooted in the lives of everyday people. Hence, to promote Himalaya For Him face washes, the company took a step further to explore a campaign that ties into the essence of brand Himalaya – a problem-solver and an enabler. This gave birth to ‘My Lakshya’, a unique campaign that redefines the value of living your dream.
Launched with a video that captures the value of fulfilling one’s dream and aims to bridge the gap between passion and career, the response has been fairly impressive. In less-than-a month since its launch, it has received about 300 entries. The official Facebook page for ‘My Lakshya’ has got over 15000 likes and the video has received more than 25,500 views on YouTube.
Talking about why the company chose to take a different route from mainstream category communication, The Himalaya Drug Company consumer product division marketing GM Vineet Jain said, “We wanted to help young men get ahead in their life and felt that choosing the right career and doing something you truly enjoy is so important to living a fulfilling life.”
The film, created by Web Chutney and directed by Sharad Kalawar took about six months from conception to execution and the core insight came from research interviews. “We did a qualitative study across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, to understand the choices people made when it came to their careers and if these were aligned with their dreams and passions. We spoke to college goers and first jobbers and found that quite a few were dissatisfied with their present jobs. Most of them had different dreams but were unable to pursue them for various reasons – from financial constraints, or societal, family and peer pressure to lack of proper guidance or mentors,” elaborates Jain.
In India particularly, children still seek parental approval and support in making career choices. Given that one spends nearly half his/her live in the workplace, it’s important to love what one does.
‘My Lakshya’ gives young adults an opportunity to pursue a career of their choice. In this first phase, it has selected areas like fashion designing, graphic design, photography, music etc and as the campaign matures a lot more career options will be added.
The winners receive a cash price of Rs 1 lakh and mentorship with an expert in their respective field.
“We believe that this campaign is aligned with the philosophy of the brand and our products. Consumers see us as a problem-solution brand – even with our men’s face washes – Oil Control and Power Glow, we address specific skin problems. In ‘My Lakshya’, we’ve built on this equity to become an enabler – offering young adults a platform to showcase their talent and realise their dreams. We expect this campaign to help consumers connect emotionally with brand Himalaya thereby increasing brand love,” highlights Jain.
As part of the marketing plan, a 360 degree campaign was created on various digital platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and an official website where the participants could submit their entries. The herbal health and personal care company also took the campaign on-ground to IIT-B’s annual fest Mood Indigo, where it connected directly with consumers.
From 10 per cent share in its turnover in 2002, the personal care segment had grown to seize a 38 per cent share in revenue, which is at par with the company’s pharma segment, by 2014. Keeping this in mind, the company’s men’s portfolio will remain its key focus areas in the coming months. “The initial consumer feedback for our Men’s face washes has been very encouraging but we still have a long way to go to reach a sizeable market share. The thrust will be on increasing coverage and depth of distribution and rolling out exciting new campaigns. We are also exploring new products for men’s face care with higher order benefits,” concludes Jain.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
