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MARKETING OF YOGA: A STUDY OF ‘PATANJALI YOG ASHRAM’ IN BRINGING ABOUT THE PRANAYAM REVOLUTION ABSTRACT: The research paper is based on studying various marketing strategies put in place by ‘Pitanjali Yog Ashram’ led by ‘Swami Ramdev’ in bringing about the ‘Pranayam Revolution’. ‘Pitanjali Yog Ashram’ removed the veil of darkness; and the mystery of Pranayam is unfolding itself to the common masses not just in India but across the globe.
No one can help admiring the simplicity of the techniques for practicing the different ‘Pranayam’ which were there in text books for long time but, not everyone did have access to it for the techniques of practicing them as they were very complex. There were also some words of caution attached to such instructions, as ‘any deviation from the practicing techniques would cause immense harm to a person’.
But the ‘Pitanjali Yog Ashram’ has done a tremendous job in breaking this concept of fear in masses by presenting it by adopting various marketing strategies for the welfare of the mankind and at the same time fulfilling his dream project of setting up ‘Pitanjali Yog Ashram’. The paper studies the application of those strategies by ‘Pitanjali’ in selling the concept of ‘Yoga’ to the masses. The paper also brings forth the innovative marketing techniques being deployed by the Swami to develop ‘Yoga’ as a product.
Keywords: Yoga, Swami Ramdev, Pranayam Revolution, Pitanjali Yog Ashram As the Bhagavad-Gita says, “A person is said to have achieved yoga, the union with the Self, when the perfectly disciplined mind gets freedom from all desires, and becomes absorbed in the Self alone. ” Yoga is a 5000 year old science whose teachings were first imparted not in a classroom or Gurukul, but on the battle field. In the epic Mahabharata, the sage, Lord Krishna is first said to have imparted the teachings of Yoga to his despondent student Arjuna.
Around 1500 years later, another sage, Patanjali, went on to enunciate, for the benefit of humankind and eternity. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. derived from the Sanskrit root “Yujir Yogey” which means to unite, to yoke, to join, to put together, Yoga is not about mind over body. On the other hand, Yoga is about developing harmony between them. It involves the practice of physical postures and poses, which is sometimes referred to as ‘Asana’ in Sanskrit. , Yoga makes use of different movements, breathing exercises, relaxation technique and meditation.
Yoga is associated with a healthy and lively lifestyle with a balanced approach to life. Another specialty about Yoga is its wide choice of asanas. Depending upon the stamina and overall health, you can choose from the mild pranayams, asanas to high intensity asanas. According to Yogdarshan, “It has been said that when you sit in one of the convenient posture (Asan) and regulate the act of respiration, it is Pranayam. ” It is a medication without the actual use of medicines. Moreover, no visible side effects are associated with the practice of Pranayam on a regular basis.
HOW PRANAYAM WORKS? Pran is the creation of Brahma (God), the supreme being. The inherent quality of Pran is “Motion”. This quality of Pran is felt. and experienced in Vayu (Air), which is always in motion. The Human body is composed of five elements 1. Akasha (space of vacuity) 2. Vayu (air) 3. Agni (fire) 4. Jala (water) and 5. Prithvi (earth). From amongst these five elements, Vayu or Air is said to be the essential element, which keeps the body alive and maintains it. This air, when inspired in the body by the process of breathing is called Pran.
SWAMI RAMDEV’S: PRANAYAM REVOLUTION Pranayam were there in Text Books for long time but, no one from the common mass in India did have access to it for the techniques for practicing them were very complex. There were also some words of caution attached to such instructions, as “any deviation from the practicing techniques would cause immense harm to a person”. This gave birth to an idea that Pranayam should never be attempted to be practiced individually and should only be practiced in the guidance and vigil of a trained Yog teacher Guru.
It was the holiness of Swami Ramdev Ji that has done a tremendous job in breaking this concept of fear in common mass about the harm caused by Pranayam. He has devised very simple techniques for practicing the Pranayam and also assured the common mass that Pranayam can never cause harm to any person attempting to practice individually. Swami has exhumed the Indian ancestral science of Pranayam from the grave of darkness, fear and monopoly of a few and presented it in its simplest form for the welfare of the mankind. He has removed the veil of darkness and the mystery of Pranayam is unfolding itself to the common mass in India.
Swami Ramdev, a celibate since childhood, is well versed in Sanskrit Grammar, Ayurved and Vedic Philosophy. A strong Proponent of Indian cultural values, his services in the field of cow-breeding, research in the field of Ayurved and his practical approach of Yog has won him several thousands of admirers throughout India and made him a living symbol of Indian culture. Swami Ramdev was born as Ramkishan Yadav in a very humble family of a farmer in Narnaul village at Alipur, in Mahendragarh district of Haryana, India. He studied in his Narnaul village school till 5th.
He studied up to Class 8 in nearby village Shahjadpur and then joined a gurukul in Khanpur village to learn Sanskrit. Thereafter, he joined a yogic monastery (gurukul) in Khanpur village to study Sanskrit and Yoga. He has taught several aspects of traditional Indian scriptures such as Ashtadhyayee, Mahabhashya and Upanishads along with six systems of Indian Philosophy in various Gurukuls (traditional Indian education system). Eventually, he renounced worldly life and entered into Sanyas (monastic living) – taking the name Swami Ramdev.
From there he went to Jind district and joined the Kalva gurukul under Acharya Baldev ji Maharaj and later imparted free Yoga training to villagers across Haryana. Swamiji believed that “Yog se yeh Aaryavrat desh punah Vishva guru ke garimamay pad par pratishthit hoga” ( India will again become world leader through Yoga ). He dreamed of a “Rog Mukt Bharat Varsh aur Vishva” ( Disease free India and World ). It is said that he travelled the Himalayas for several years before he settled in Haridwar. He spent a considerable amount of time in the caves of Gangotri.
He discovered several medicinal plants in the Himalayas which he uses in treating his patients. After that he made persistant efforts to start Divya Yoga Mandir Trust, along with the Acharya Karamveer and Acharya Balkrishna. While Karamveer is although well-versed in Yoga and the Vedas, Balkrishna is in fact a physician with a degree in Ayurveda. Baba Ramdev became the president of the trust, Karamveer the deputy president and Balkrishna the general secretary. The objective of the trust was to reach Yoga in the every part of the country and cure as many patients as it can be possible.
With this he began activities in health and spiritual pursuits and has cured much more many incurable diseases since then. The Pranayam taught by Swami Ramdev consists of the following seven breathing exercises in sequence. These are : Bhastrika pranayam, Kapal Bhati Pranayam, Bahaya pranayam, Anulom Vilom Pranayam, Bhramri Pranayam, Udgeeth Pranayam, Concentration on Breathing (Meditation). These excercises help in curing various diseases like diabetes, asthma, bronchitis, leucoderma, depression, parkinson, insomnia, migraine, thyroid, arthritis, cervical spodalities etc.
Swami Ramdev medicines are manufactured in branches well equipped with modern equipments, certified by the international standards GMP, GLP & ISO 9001. KITT University, a well-respected teaching and research institute for Science and Technology, awarded him with an Honorary Doctorate degree in recognition of his efforts at popularising the Vedic science of Yoga. The degree was presented to him in January 2007 during a ceremony presided over by the respected scientist and Nobel laureate Richard Ernst. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Uma, Vaidehi et. al. 1988), conducted the study on “The integrated approach of yoga: a therapeutic tool for mentally retarded children: a one-year controlled study” revealed that Ninety children with mental retardation of mild, moderate and severe degree were selected from four special schools in Bangalore, India. Forty-five children underwent yogic training for one academic year (5h in every week) with an integrated set of yogic practices, including breathing exercises and pranayama, sithilikarana vyayama (loosening exercises), suryanamaskar, yogasanas and meditation.
They were compared before and after yogic training with a control group of 45 mentally retarded children matched for chronological age, sex, IQ, socio-economic status and socio environmental background who were not exposed to yoga training but continued their usual school routine during that period. There was highly significant improvement in the IQ and social adaptation parameters in the yoga group as compared to the control group.
This study shows the efficacy of yoga as an effective therapeutic tool in the management of mentally retarded children. Telles, Catherine, et. al. (1992), in their study on “Alterations of auditory middle latency evoked potentials during yogic consciously regulated breathing and attentive state of mind” studied that Middle latency auditory-evoked potentials (AEP-MLRs) of 10 healthy male subjects in the age range of 21-33 years, were assessed to determine whether yogic pranayamic practice would cause changes in them.
The results revealed that the Na-wave amplitude increased and latency decreased during the period of pranayamic practice, whereas the Pa-wave was not significantly altered. The change is interpreted as an indication of a generalized alteration caused in information processing at the primary thalamo-cortical level during the concentrated mental exercise of inducing modifications in neural mechanisms regulating a different functional system (respiratory) Nagarathna, Nagendra et. al. 1996), under the study “Improvement in visual perception following yoga training” revealed that visual discrimination was tested in two groups of 18 College students each, with ages ranging from 17 to 22 years. One group (the ‘yoga’ group) had 10 days training in yoga. Including asanas (physical postures), pranayama (voluntary regulation of breathing), tratakas (visual focusing exercises), meditation, and lectures on the theory of yoga. The control group carried on with their routine activities.
The ability to detect intermittent light of fixed luminance, at varying frequencies was tested in both groups at the beginning and end of 10 days. While Initial values were similar for both groups. at the end of 10 days the frequency at which the yoga group was able to detect the flickering of the stimulus, was significantly more than the initial values (Wilcoxon’s paired signed ranks test), whereas the control group showed no significant change. The final value of the yoga group was also significantly more than that of the control group (t test for unpaired data). Patil, Madanmohan et. l. (1997), in their research “Modulation of stress induced by isometric handgrip test in hypertensive patients following yogic relaxation training” studied that 13 essential hypertensive patients aged 41 to 60 years were given yoga training for 60 min daily, Monday through Saturday, for a total duration of 4 weeks. Results of the study show a significant reduction in resting HR and rate-pressure-product (RPP) after 2 weeks of yoga training. Systolic pressure (SP), diastolic pressure (DP) and mean pressure (MP) showed a significant reduction at 3 weeks of training period.
After yoga training, there was a significant rise in all these parameters. The results show that yoga training optimizes the sympathetic response to stressful stimuli like isometric handgrip test and restores the autonomic regulatory reflex mechanisms in hypertensive patients. Raghuraj, Ramakrishnan, et. al. (1998), studied the “Effect of two selected yogic breathing techniques on heart rate variability” found that the heart rate variability (HRV) is an indicator of the cardiac autonomic control. Two spectral components are usually recorded, viz. igh frequency , which is due to vagal efferent activity and a low frequency component due to sympathetic activity. The present study was conducted to study the HRV in two yoga practices which have been previously reported to have opposite effects, viz, sympathetic stimulation (kapalabhati, breathing at high frequency) and reduced sympathetic activity (nadisuddhi, alternate nostril breathing). Twelve male volunteers (age range, 21 to 33 years) were assessed before and after each practice on separate days. The electrocardiogram (lead 1) was digitized on-line and off- line. nalysis was done. The results showed a significant increase in low frequency (LF) power and LF/HF ratio while high frequency (HF) power was significantly lower following kapalabhati. The results suggest that kapalabhati modifies the autonomic status by increasing sympathetic activity with reduced vagal activity. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Objectives of the study ??? To study the marketing strategies adopted by Swami Ramdev in promoting yoga as a product. ??? To study the efforts of Baba Ramdev in setting up Patanjali yog ashram in bringing about the Pranayam revolution.
Data Collection Data has been collected from the various secondary sources. Some magazines and journals were referred such as Asana – Yoga and Naturopathy International Monthly Magazine (India), International Journal of Yoga (IJoY) (India – Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana), Yoga & Health Magazine (UK), Yoga Life Magazine (International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers), Yoga Rahasya (India – Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute). Some websites were also explored for the same such as yogamovement. com, myyogaonline. com, siddhayoga. org etc.
PATANJALI YOG ASHRAM: SWAMI RAMDEV’s DREAM VENTURE Patanajali Yog Peeth in Haridwar is a center of Yoga and Ayurveda activities in India built on the name of Maharishi Patanjali who invented Yoga 5000 years ago. The ashram is run under the guidance of Swami Ramdev who has revived Yoga and spreading it all over the world. Patanjali Yog peeth provides various facilities such as Yoga Classes, Accommodation, Natural health therapies, Ayurvedic treatments, Accommodation, canteen, OPD and admitting patients for long term disease treatment. VISION AND OBJECTIVES OF PATANJALI YOG ASHRAM To make a “disease free world” through a scientific approach to Yog and Ayurved. ??? To establish with a scientific approach, Pran as medicine for the treatment of all curable and incurable diseases by research on Pranayam / Yog. ??? To propagate Pranayam as a “free” medicine for the treatment of diseases round the globe so that the rich and poor may avail its benefits in order to attain sound health. ??? To study and research subjects associated with Yajna, Organic Agriculture, Cow-Urine, Nature and Environment in addition to the study and research in Yog and Ayurved at the research centre of Institution . To form a new integrated system of treatment, consisting mainly of the techniques of Yog and Ayurved, for Surgery and Emergency cases, Allopathy, Homeopathy, Unani and Acupressure to soothe patients suffering from unbearable pains and rid them of disease. ??? To begin degree and diploma courses for students in disciplines of Yog and Ayurved. ??? Besides imparting Yog and health education, to set up an equalitarian society based on values of spiritualism, nationalism and justice beyond the boundaries of cast, creed, class and religion for the country’s development.
SWAMI RAMDEV’S MARKETING STRATEGIES: SELLING OF YOGA AS A PRODUCT Aspiring entrepreneurs will do well to study yoga guru Swami Ramdev’s meteoric rise and success over the past four years. The swami’s mission statement, if he had one in his organisational plan, would probably read ”to create warriors of yoga and transform India and Indians back to the healthy and spiritual land of old. ” Right from his easy to follow pranayam and yoga exercises to his rants against cola and junk food companies, the swami’s actions demonstrate a carefully planned strategy for success.
The strategies implemented by Swami Ramdev were based on Professor C. K. Prahalad’s ideas on business and entrepreneurship. Many of Professor Prahalad’s key suggestions have been implemented by Swami Ramdev in his phenomenal rise to become a household name in India Following are some insightful excerpts from Professor Prahalad’s book The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits (Pearson Publications 2004) which became the bottomline on which the relevant aspects of Ramdev’s entrepreneurial strategy was based.
Point 1: Professor C. K. Prahalad writes, “If we stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden and start recognising them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up. ” Much of Swami Ramdev’s rise has to do with his long-term vision. Right from day one, he did not get influenced by the instant success and fame of other contemporary gurus and preachers who targeted the affluent section of the Indian society.
Instead of focusing on the easy pickings???high profile followers such as actors, politicians and businessmen???he entered a significantly larger market by focusing on the economically poorer and resource-constrained masses. Small wonder that a newer and bigger world of opportunity opened up for him rather quickly. Point 2: Professor Prahalad writes, “What is needed is a better approach to help the poor, an approach that involves partnering with them to innovate and achieve sustainable win???win scenarios where the poor are actively engaged and, at the same time, the companies providing products and services to them are profitable. s Swami Ramdev has constantly utilised his target segment as partners in innovation, marketing and growth of his organisation. How does he do it? First, he conducts effectiveness studies during his yoga camps where his staff collects on-the-ground data from participants before, during and after the camp. Given the vast attendance in each of his nearly weekly camps, one can only imagine the volume of data that is collected and analysed. He periodically revises his instructions, based on the results of ongoing research.
The way his yoga camps have evolved, it is clear that he has succeeded in simplifying the efforts required to gain maximum benefits from his exercises, with enough room for flexibility and ease of involvement for the average follower. Second, Swami Ramdev has built some powerful partnerships with various prominent TV channels to broadcast his yoga camps worldwide. During the camps, he routinely asks participants to get up and share their ‘ pranayam success stories’. Inspirational accounts from regular folks???ranging from control of diabetes, normalisation of blood pressure to healthier holesterol readings and disappearance of joint pains and skin aliments???have proved to be invaluable marketing assets for him. And best of all, they come at no cost! Point 3: Professor Prahalad writes, “The strength of these innovative approaches, as you will come to appreciate, is that they tend to create opportunities for the poor by offering them choices and encouraging self-esteem. ” This is where Swami Ramdev scores heavily. He has created a great deal of self-esteem among his followers.
The common attendee in his programme feels special, interacts and relates to co-followers who are undergoing similar life struggles and aspirations, and gains immense confidence through perceptible and immediate self-development. Ramdev’s lessons in nation building range from fighting corruption to improving our living conditions and are interjected at strategic points during his yoga instructions. In addition to humour, the swami masterfully conveys a sense of pride and possibility among his listeners.
Seeing positive health results makes one feel strong and well- endowed to instill bigger changes in the community and the country. More than the actual realism in these sentiments, it is the message of hope and confidence that creates higher self-esteem and a new found sense of empowerment among the common follower. Point 4: Professor Prahalad writes, “The traditional approach to creating the capacity to consume among the poor has been to provide the product or service free of charge. This has the feel of philanthropy.
As mentioned previously, charity might feel good, but it rarely solves the problem in a scalable and sustainable fashion. ” Swami Ramdev has done no charity. Instead, he has cleverly camouflaged what could have been straightforward ‘pay-per-service’ such as the Art of Living programmes. He charges for attending his camps but only through price discrimination. Those that can pay more are able to get better seats the front. Point 5: Professor Prahalad writes, “By focusing on the BOP consumers’ capacity to consume, private-sector businesses can create a new market.
The critical requirement is the ability to invent ways that take into account the variability in the cash flows of BOP consumers that makes it difficult for them to access the traditional market for goods and services oriented toward the top of the pyramid. ” Swami Ramdev has indeed created a new market. Or maybe he has simply uncovered a latent one. And yes, he has certainly accounted for the variability in cash flows of his consumers. His masterstroke has been to utilise the masses at the bottom of the income pyramid and unlocking immense value for his own projects and aspirations.
By tapping into his follower’s resources based on their comfort level, he is able to secure large collective donations for his gigantic yoga learning retreat in Haridwar. Not only has he effectively factored the variability in cash flows among his followers, he is also tapping into the more affluent foreign NRI segment at the moment. It is interesting to note that he delayed his global strategy till the time his stronghold in the Indian market became unshakable (as evidenced recently when millions of supporters backed him up amid allegations of the use of human remains in his ayurvedic medicine).
MASS CUSTOMIZATION: A NEW IDEOLOGY OF SWAMI RAMDEV Mass Customization is the new paradigm that replaces old ideology of market segmentation; an idea which is no longer found suitable for today’s turbulent markets, changing customer needs and growing product variety. Baba Ramdev has used the strategy of Mass Customization to sell “Yoga” as a product to cater the needs of the masses in an era of high individual customization. Companies choose from mainly three value disciplines to frame their value propositions: product leadership, operational excellence, and customer intimacy.
The product leadership discipline leads to the `best product’ value proposition-an assertion that the company’s products have the greatest performance impact or experiential impact for its customers. The operational excellence discipline leads to the `best total cost’ bid- an assertion that the combination of the company’s prices, product reliability, and hassle-free service is matchless. The customer familiarity discipline leads to the `best total solution’ scheme ??? an assertion that the company helps its customers identify their exact problem and the best solution, and then takes charge of implementing it.
Baba Ramdev addresses all the three value disciplines and he has developed a unique blend of Ayurveda and Vedic philosophy to cater to create value for his customers. MARKETING MIX RUDIMENTS: FIVE P’s OF BABA RAMDEV In order to know exactly the reason for success of Baba Ramdev, it is imperative to throw some light on the marketing mix rudiments. To be a successful marketer it is important that all the marketing mix elements have to be fine tuned to support and strengthen brand personality. Product: Introducing the Value Discipline The society in which we live today is a brand- obsessed society.
Thus, creating, developing, implementing and maintaining successful brands are frequently at the heart of marketing strategy. (McEnally,M . and Chernatony,L. de 1999) Successful branding requires a strategic perspective (de Chernatony 1998) whereby strong brand concepts are presented and communicated to target segments resulting in favorable brand images which reflect the brand’s identity (Gardner and Levy 1955, Reynolds and Gutman 1984, Kapferer 1997). This brand of Baba Ramdev has a universal appeal, is sharing and collaborative, and the customers range hail from all age groups and regions.
The service that Baba Ramdev is selling is the product. To deliver quality service, it is essential to understand customers’ expectations. Customer expectations of service can be of two types; desired service and adequate service. Desired service is the service that a customer desires and expects to get. Whereas an adequate service is one which is the minimal level of service which a customer is willing to accept based on his perception of service acceptability. The service that is being provided by Baba Ramdev is well orchestrating with the desired service expectations.
Patanjali Yogpeeth, a multi-million rupee venture, Ramdev’s dream project, set as a rival to World Health Organization only on the basis of sound service that it boasts of providing. Divya Yoga Mandir Trust in Haridwar, Uttaranchal is armed with all the latest and most sophisticated gadgets sees a regular stream of devotees who wait to be called by a doctor in the Out Patient Department (OPD). There are 40 doctors in the OPD who deal with 2,000 people every day. Some days the dispensary sells medicines worth Rs. 3,000 a minute. And again this can only be possible if the waiting tie is reduced by quality service.
According to Swami Ramdev, looking good is everyman’s dream. With this ideology in mind, the ambiance of Patanjali Yogpeeth is made world class. Package For various Diseases Swami Ramdev’s Divya Medicines are claimed to be 100% natural, made from potent herbs available in the Himalayas and no or very little side effects. Swami Ramdev has proved and declared on Indian & International TV Channels, “Pranayama Yoga is the complete natural cure for all Physical??and Mental Ailments”. But if medicines are required they are also available and these packages of medicines are available at a very low cost.
In a bid to promote Ayurveda, Ramdev’s Trust has tied up with 600 qualified Ayurvedic practitioners who are offering treatment to masses for a variety of diseases, some of them termed incurable by the modern system. Customer Management: USP Swami Ramdev’s Dream was to create a “Disease Free Society – Medicines Free World”, He has been daily declaring on Indian TV Channels, since the year 2002 that Patients of so called incurable diseases like Diabetes, AIDS, and Cancer should immediately start practicing rhythmic control of breath for complete cure without medicines.
It is claimed that after extensive research of the valuable effects of Pranayama Yoga during last numerous years, on millions of people in India, it has been proved now that proper Breathing Technique’s practice can cure all diseases completely without medicines or surgery. And this is the unique selling proposition of Baba Ramdev. Another USP of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev is to fulfil the requirement of the customers without any delay. For this purpose, he claims to have trained 35,000 persons that are well equipped to hold yoga classes in different parts of the country.
In the first phase of next five years, his target is to train one lakh instructors, who could impart yoga training to one crore people so that they could stay away from diseases and avoidable medication through practice of yoga. To train the yoga instructors, Pitanjali Yog Ashram has set up 535 branches and 15 more centers are in the process of being established. Pricing Strategy Developing an effective pricing strategy remains the most important and difficult part of the marketing process.
The price-positioning and the value-delivery mechanisms should be done with one rule in mind: the performance of the product, or the value associated with it should always be higher than the price. Well in tune with this, Baba Ramdev’s potion of Pranayam is cheap. He urges people not to lose hope or suffer and depend on expensive treatments. Indian Pranayam Yoga is there to help treat all the ailments like Diabetes, Cancer, HIV & AIDS and many others completely without costly medicines, operations or surgery. Promotional Strategy
Baba Ramdev started promoting yoga in the year 2002 when Sanskar television channel started airing his yogic classes; overnight, he became a sensation as he had hundreds of followers who morphed into thousands. Then Sanskar channel’s rival Astha channel signed him. In two years time he was a hit and with him also the channel benefited. His TV shows??have the largest TRP. Today, he is one of the biggest draws on Indian television. He can be seen not only on religious channels like Aastha, but also news and features channels like India TV and Sahara One.
His yoga sessions were beamed live into 170 countries (Bijay Simha, 2007). Millions around the country follow his programmes religiously and use ayurvedic medicines prescribed by him. Baba Ramdev pack one DVD, two Video CDs written three books on Yoga, ??Pranayama Herbal Remedies and Magazines?? are available. This set of four promotional material with a Research Oriented Monthly Magazine of Yog, Spiritualism, Ayurveda, Culture And Tradition-Yog Sandesh available in 5 languages can do much to lure customers.
Another promotional strategy adopted by Swami Ramdev is that he has been visiting different countries in order to popularize yoga as recently he has finished a yoga cruise from India to China. Last year he visited Westminster to give British politicians a chance to sample his yogic wisdom. Last but not the least, he is selling his products by adopting the technique of e-marketing as he is coming up with online shopping facilities for his customers all over the globe to make his products highly accessible.
It is a well established fact that; “Brands set the product and the producer of that product apart from the competition”. There are special though very obvious facts that this Brand has also mass customized itself to satiate all and thus have made a distinct place for itself. In an era when the marketers are faced with the challenge of getting their message heard by consumers who are hard to find and even harder to influence, this Brand has worked wonders and all because of its all inclusive image.
PATANJALI FOOD AND HERBAL PARK: RAMDEV’S MEGA FOOD PROJECT Swami Ramdev has entered the food processing market in India by promoting Patanjali Food and Herbal Park worth Rs 1,000 crore at Haridwar, which is one of the 10 mega food parks in the country under the Union Food Processing Ministry. The park has 32 processing units for fruit and vegetable products like juice, pulp, puree, candies, herbal products and pickles. The promoters claim that this would be the world’s biggest food park. According to Swami Ramdev, the food processing sector in India has a growth potential ranging from Rs 5000 crore to Rs 100,000 crore in a few years time.
This mega food park can also said to be one of the major promotional strategy of Swami Ramdev. SWAMI RAMDEV’S: FUTURE STRATEGIC PLANS India’s most famous yoga guru is now working towards becoming a Media- Crazer. After taking over Aastha channel, Swami Ramdev is now all set to launch two 24-hrs One will explore Indian traditional and devotional music like bhajans and the other will propagate Indian culture through the learning of the Vedas. CONCLUSION Although India has a long tradition of mystical gurus, Swami Ramdev represents a new phenomenon: the television yoga evangelist.
As every coin has two sides, Swami Ramdev’s strategies can be studied in two aspects. On one hand, his Pranayam techniques proved to be highly effective in curing a bewildering array of diseases and on the other hand he is competing with other Multi National companies in promoting yoga as a product as he calls Coke and Pepsi good only for “Toilet- Cleaning” on various television channels. This research reveals the power that Swami Ramdev has been able to exert over the mindsets of the people and the rapidity with which he gained approval and acceptance at all levels of the society.
The adoration he inspires was seen in 2006 when Indian Communists accused him of using human bones and animal parts in ayurvedic drugs produced by his pharmacy but the Communist backed down because of the public sympathy laid in the mind of his followers. This close case study of his power has proved to be a signpost for further developments in capturing the psychology of the consumers. So from the above study we can conclude that the marketing strategies adopted by the famous yog guru have reached the new height of success in influencing people in all aspects.
His efforts had set back many Multi- National companies as his cures are based on naturopathy which soothe patients from unbearable pains at reasonable cost. By using Pran as a medicine he has been able to treat various incurable diseases such as Cancer, Aids, Swine Flu etc by his extensive research in Pranayam/ Yog. So these relentless efforts of Swami Ramdev captured the masses by reviving the interest of the consumers in the age-old yogic traditions which led to the Pranayam Revolution across the globe and made this “Saffron-Clad Sanyasi” a great business tycoon.
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