Brands
Mankind Pharma to go big on modern retail outlets in 2021
NEW DELHI: Leading Indian pharmaceutical company Mankind Pharma is expanding its digital footprint to leverage the most out of the new consumer world, general manager – sales & marketing Joy Chatterjee told Indiantelevision.com. This will include a growth in its digital marketing activities and also a robust online sales strategy on its new d2c channel and leading e-commerce platforms.
“Currently, we are spending 20-25 per cent of our overall sales on digital marketing and we are planning to take it up to 30-35 per cent in 2021. The numbers will be re-evaluated after a year,” he shared.
As obvious, the move is a direct result of the new normal established by Covid2019, which has pushed more consumers to make online purchases. While some may doubt if people will buy products like pregnancy test kits and condoms online in India, Chatterjee noted that the trend is on a massive upswing for all the categories.
“After Covid2019, e-commerce buying capacity has increased for all categories. I feel that what would have come to India 10 years later has happened right now. We want to stay abreast of this changing world and have recently launched our d2c website,” he detailed. “Additionally, we are getting our presence registered across all the big e-c0mmerce platforms including Amazon, Flipkart, Big Basket, etc.”
Chatterjee added that they are going big on their marketing and advertising activities on digital platforms as well. “Our digital team is working extremely hard to increase our visibility on these digital sales channels. From static to video to blogs, we are extensively incorporating all the available options in our marketing plans. We have partnered with OTTs like Voot and Disney+ Hotstar too. We are also running big influencer campaigns for all our brands and have in the past partnered with a number of regional influencers.”
Mankind Pharma, in recent times, has worked with influencers like Shrenu Parikh, Ketaki Mategaonkar, Koushani, and Aashika Bhatia for Acne Star; Marathi theatre & film actor Bhau Kadam, and Bhojpuri singer-actor Anand Mohan for Gas-O-Fast, and has a long-standing association with actress Sunny Leone for Manforce condoms.
Not just via digital, the brand is heightening its focus on regional markets via ATL channels too.
“60 per cent of our television spends are directed towards various regional markets and 40 per cent on HSM (Hindi-speaking markets). Bengali, Punjabi, and Marathi have been some of the high-impact markets for us and we want to grow our popularity there further,” Chatterjee stated.
As far as print is concerned, the brand has taken the wait and watch approach – whether the circulation and popularity of the medium will grow back post the pandemic-induced slump. “We have reduced our print presence drastically over the past few years. As far as the magazines are concerned, we feel that most people are now preferring to consume the similar content on digital platforms, so we have moved there. But if in the next three-four months, print shows signs of good revival, we will consider our strategies once again.”
He is positive that all these efforts will definitely help the company in strengthening its market position across brands. Said he: “Manforce is the leading condom brand, yet it holds only 30-32 per cent of the market share. Why can’t it get as big as Prega News that holds 82 per cent share currently in the pregnancy testing kit market! So, this year, we are planning to grow our market share for all our products. We want Prega News to touch 90 per cent market share and Manforce, at least 40 per cent, this year. Gas-o-Fast is currently the second biggest brand in the category and we are working hard to take it to number one. There is a huge growth opportunity for AcneStar as well. While the market is highly unorganised, we are positive of double-digit growth for us this year.”
Chatterjee signed off saying that the year is quite big for them as they will soon be launching a new brand as well. The following months will also see some new brand campaigns coming up for Manforce and Prega News.
Brands
FSS names Anand Krishnamurthi head of global digital delivery
Tech veteran to drive AI-first, cloud-led transformation in payments globally
CHENNAI: Financial Software and Systems (FSS), an AI-first payment infrastructure company, has appointed Anand Krishnamurthi as head of global digital delivery.
In his new role, Anand Krishnamurthi will lead FSS’s global digital delivery capabilities, focusing on AI-first and cloud-led transformation while ensuring predictable, high-quality outcomes for customers worldwide. He will be based in Chennai and report to V. Balasubramanian, CEO of FSS.
Bringing 28 years of experience in technology and digital transformation across banking, capital markets, financial services, and insurance, Anand has held senior leadership positions at Cognizant and NuSummit. He is recognised for scaling multi-geography delivery teams, leading mission-critical platforms, and embedding AI-driven automation in complex, regulated environments.
“What drew me to FSS is its deep payments expertise, strong product DNA, and the scale at which its platforms power real-world financial ecosystems,” said Anand Krishnamurthi. “I aim to strengthen delivery predictability, execution rigor, and engineering quality, building empowered teams that deliver measurable customer outcomes. FSS has a unique opportunity to create real-time, AI-infused payments infrastructure that is resilient, secure, and globally scalable.”
V. Balasubramanian added, “Anand’s track record in leading multi-geography delivery programs and AI-first operating models makes him the ideal leader for FSS as we accelerate our AI-driven digital payments business. His leadership will help us raise the bar for outcomes globally.”
This appointment is part of FSS’s broader push to build an AI-powered, cloud-native delivery organisation capable of meeting the evolving needs of banks, fintechs, and financial institutions worldwide.
