We are sure that you must have not missed the latest Rooh Afza Zindagi Mubarak campaign by Hamdard Pakistan, as it capitalized on the power of unconditional love of a father towards his daughter and how he sends her Rooh Afza as a precious gift to make her not to miss the fragrance and flavour of home. This direction devised by RG Blue Communications took the audience by storm. The Mubarak platform, hence, was further extended to Ramzan Mubarak, Dosti Mubarak, Sardi Mubarak engaging the daily relationships of life.
It all started in 1906, when a red syrup was introduced by a small matab in India. Post partition this refreshing syrup was launched in Pakistan by Hamdard. The advert campaigns of the first two decades were based on functionality, its taste, color and it being the drink of the East because of its preference in this region.
The brand was promoted with the captions like 'Splendour of East', and 'Knowledge and Wisdom' (due to its rich history). In early 80's, Rooh Afza positioned itself as the pioneer by saying 'Every New Syrup Is Red but Every Red Syrup Is Not Rooh Afza.' An entire generation appreciated and fell in love with it. Later advertisement was focused on consumption to portray it as the best Mix Drink. This way Rooh Afza became the pioneer of the Red Syrup category in Pakistan and developed it. Its enormous liking and fame paved way for many other "Me Too" products.
Considering the major changes in consumer behavior and beverage industry trends, Hamdard management made a successful transition from glass bottle to PET Bottle. Then, inspired by the huge success, media was bombarded with functionality based adverts of competitors and the young generation started slowly moving away from the pioneer. When Mr. Usama Qureshi took charge as the Managing Director and CEO of Hamdard Pakistan, he felt the instant need for a stronger brand connect with the youth. He took an immediate decision of revamping the brand, steps were taken to ensure that a 360 degree revamp happens.
The challenge for Brand was to empower itself as a family-oriented brand that has been consumed round the year. Therefore, Rooh Afza transformed itself and emotions based positioning was introduced in the highly popular campaign "Zindagi Mubarak." The launch TVC was focused on the strong relations of a father and his daughter depicting the two generations - one brand loyalists and the other one the perceived audience. Rooh Afza was seen as an integral part in every phase of life. The phrase "The King Rules" was now easily relatable to the image of the brand as it enhanced its significance in the lives of the consumers.
This new approach resonated well with the audience, one reason being the honest yet heartfelt Story telling approach. Because of This campaign the myth of Rooh Afza, as only a Ramzan and summer drink was broken. Rooh Afza was successfully highlighted as a family-oriented brand and a drink for all seasons and occasions.