MAM
Mamaearth debuts on national TV with first ad film
New Delhi: It was nearly four years ago when the husband-wife duo Varun and Ghazal Alagh decided to launch their own personal care and beauty brand – Mamaearth, foraying into the toxin-free products category within the overall personal care and beauty sector that is estimated at $24 billion in India and is rapidly expanding at 8.3 per cent CAGR. This category includes traditional as well as new age brands, which posed a major challenge to Mamaearth.
Initially, it started with baby care products, but today it is a Rs 100 crore plus brand with a portfolio of over 120 plus products including skincare and hair care items that are Made Safe certified, available across retail channels in 500+ cities as well as online.
Interestingly, the founders have always stated that the intention behind starting the company stemmed from a personal need, because a few years back there were hardly any natural products in the market. However, with awareness, there is an increasing demand for such products in different demographics. Today, the brand has competitors in the same category.
The larger purpose of the company is to reduce parental stress, and it is continually improving and innovating to make the world a safer place for both babies and their parents.
First step
Unlike most personal care brands that go for full scale ATL campaigns to create buzz about their products, Mamaearth decided to take the digital route for promotions and user acquisition. It targeted premium metro consumers and tied up with influencer moms to spread the word about toxin-free products on social media.
The strategy worked well, and sales went up through positive word-of-mouth on popular social networking sites. The brand, since then, followed a two pronged marketing strategy – one is to leverage influencer marketing to reach the target audience, and secondly, promoting product offerings via campaigns only through the digital platforms and mediums.
As per reports, Facebook works very well from an acquisition standpoint, Google for remarketing, YouTube for awareness and stories for the brand.
Over the years, the brand has created a sizeable fan base on social media. It has nearly half a million followers on Instagram, along with a growing community on Facebook and Twitter.
During this time, the brand got investments from Bollywood actor Shilpa Kundra and several other investors. Earlier this year, it also raised Rs 130 crore from Sequoia.
The brand is now targeting a run rate of Rs 300 crore by end of this financial year.
Next big step
After four years of digital promotions, the brand has decided to go big and scale. It announced a partnership with the current season of Bigg Boss and as an extension of that association, it debuted with an ad campaign on national television.
The television commercial on onion hair oil highlights the benefits of onion oil in reducing hair fall, and pitches Mamaearth’s innovative product as a modern alternative to DIY hacks of making onion pulp for hair at home.
Designed and conceptualised by Korra Worldwide, and featuring actors Aahana Kumra and Pavail Gulati, the film positions Mamaearth onion hair oil as an easier and modern way to give one’s hair the goodness of sulphur, enriched with 10 essential oils and herbs that helps in reducing hair fall. The TVC is a simple yet powerful representation of the brand’s philosophy and product proposition of goodness inside.
Mamaearth co-Founder and CIO Ghazal Alagh said, “Millennials are increasingly choosing products that are free of chemicals and safe. Mamaearth, with the goodness of nature in their products, is becoming the brand of choice by millennials for the product and value proposition. While the age-old remedies are effective, it is extremely tedious and time consuming to make them. Mamaearth is bringing these traditional recipes, coupling it with science and presenting convenient yet effective solutions for skincare and haircare needs. The film reflects this exact proposition.”
Alagh stated that the product differentiation of Mamaearth has always helped it in achieving this fast-paced growth. There is a lot of awareness and demand around toxin-free products. Traditional brands are also foraying into this category to ensure that they are able to retain their loyal audiences.
The campaign is further supported on social media and digital platforms.
Deepak Kumar, head of creative, Korra said: “Women are very aware of the benefits of onion oil, especially with the rising searches on YouTube and DIY hacks. But these hacks and remedies are cumbersome and very laborious. The Mamaearth TVC had to clearly remind people about the ease of using onion oil now in a bottle. The right cast, right music helped us create this beautiful piece.”
Initially, when the brand started its journey, the objective was to spread awareness about toxin-free products, but now it is also focused on communicating the USP of its products. It is clear that the brand now wishes to scale up as it is now focusing on achieving growth and targeting a revenue of Rs 1,000 crores in the next three years. A television campaign with support on impact properties like Bigg Boss definitely helps the brand to cut across a large audience base across geographies and socio-economic categories. Alagh mentioned that the company is aiming to establish itself among the top 25 FMCG brands in the country.
During the Covid2019 lockdown, the brand launched a few campaigns i.e. 'Spread awareness, not fear' and ‘Let your smile show.’ It also looped in ‘Goodness Ambassadors’ to distribute hand sanitisers for free to people in need.
Mamaearth is also seeing an upward trend on Google searches, which clearly sets the time right for going for the next big move.
The brand has claimed to be consistently upping its marketing budgets to have a strong plan in place for short, mid, as well as long term. It has always been extremely RoI fixated.
It has focused on its products, innovations, and communication with the millennial generation. Over a period of time, the brand is breaking the traditional mould of big distribution required to enter the FMCG segment. The D2C business has helped it in reaching consumers faster and with more efficiency.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
