Rasna’s Piruz Khambatta on weaving the values of past with the plans for the future

As Rasna changes its brand image and positions itself as a drink for people of all age groups, Social Samosa speaks to Piruz Khambatta Chairman & Managing Director - Rasna Pvt. Ltd about staying relevant.

Rasna’s story dates back to 1976. A home-grown drink that stood out in the world of carbonated beverages, Rasna is a family-owned business launched by Pirozsha Khambatta, Grandfather of the present Chairman and Managing Director of Rasna – Piruz Khambatta. The brand became popular on the back of its ‘Rasna Girl,’ which was the brainchild of Mudra Communications.

Over the years, the brand has managed to stand out in the clutter, evolve with changing times and stay relevant. In its most recent revamping exercise, Rasna gave a small twist to its iconic tagline ‘I love you Rasna’ and changed it to ‘We love you Rasna.’

Social Samosa speaks to Piruz Khambatta to find out the evolution of Rasna’s marketing strategy, its target audience, changing consumer preferences, and more. 

Also read: Brand Saga: Love for Rasna that refuses to fade…

Rasna has given a small twist to its iconic tagline from 'I love you Rasna' to 'We love you Rasna.' What is the idea behind the new campaign? 

The idea behind the campaign is to show Rasna as a more inclusive brand across demographics and age groups. As seen in the TVC, we have moved from the young Ransa girl saying “I love you Rasna”, to a wide category of guests at an affluent party saying “We love you Rasna”. In a recent market research study conducted by us, we found that 60% of the consumption of our products was coming from age groups other than that of children. The aim is to build a connect with this 60%. 

Who is the brand's target audience? 

Rasna products are enjoyed by everyone. We have a strong customer base that extends from urban cities to rural areas, with our products enjoyed by the young and old. 

Rasna had onboarded Chhota Bheem as its brand ambassador last year. How did that partnership help the brand? 

At Rasna, we are forever evolving our communication strategies and engaging with ambassadors that resonate with Rasna’s brand values. Chota Bheem has witnessed massive success having been viewed by over millions of households, its connect with children is exceptional. The partnership has been fruitful in all aspects. 

Many legacy brands have recently rebranded themselves to stay connected with today's audience. As a brand that has managed to stay relevant and fresh after all these years, how do you think brands can connect the past with the future? 

While it is important to stay true to the values of the past, brands need to redefine themselves to cater to the future. We do this by viewing ourselves and behaving like a new start-up. We do a lot of research into our ever evolving customer base and launch new products every year catering to these new customer trends. 

Recognizing the change in consumer preferences, Rasna has moved into healthier categories like jal jeera and honey. How has Rasna and its marketing changed over the years and how has it stayed relevant?

The brand itself has evolved with times keeping pace with the evolution in marketing. While keeping true to our routes in physical display marketing, print media and TVC’s that have been enjoyed by millions over the years, we have made larger efforts with a big focus on digital. We now own a digital gaming platform that is enjoyed by many and to keep with the D2C trends, we have launched a website where all Rasna products can be ordered directly by consumers. Furthermore, innovation on our products keep them highly relevant with new age customers. 

Rasna also faces competition from carbonated drinks, fresh pressed fruit juices, smoothies, milkshakes, caffeinated beverages, energy drinks, and more. How do you stand out and connect with consumers? 

There has been a major market shift towards healthier products and our products are neither caffeinated nor carbonated. Furthermore, we have catered to this demand with our latest “Rasna Healthy Day” product range. Under the portfolio we launched “Rasna Healthy Day Honey” 100% pure and natural, no preservative or synthetics; “Rasna Healthy Day Quickie Soup”, which is full of vegetables, made with no Maida, and rather uses a healthy combination of multi grain consisting of Jowar, Ragi and Oats in the year of the millet; “Rasna Healthy Day Choco Spread” with calcium for healthier bones and high energy with no preservatives or synthetics; and finally the “Healthy Day Protein Vita”, which is a malt-based chocolate drink with double the amount of protein as compared to competing products.

Additionally, Rasna instant drink, syrups and beverage products offer the highest count for vitamins and minerals than any competing product on the market. These products are available at INR 2/- a glass, with the closest competitor coming in at INR 10/- a glass.  

How important is the summer season for Rasna? Does it contribute a significant amount to your sales?

Our products are designed to help consumers beat the heat with a cold, refreshing, nutritious and healthy drink option. This season is very important for us as we witness a very significant impact on sales in this season. 

How would you stand out in the clutter of summer marketing blitz?

We stand out through innovation in our product range. Our product speaks for itself as the most healthy and price-competitive category leader. Not to forget the various flavours on offer catering to all kinds of tastes. 

Rasna started as a TV-heavy brand. What does Rasna's media mix look like today? 

Our marketing mix is spread across TVC, physical display ads and print channels of communication, with a growing focus on digital.

Many B2C industries have had to resort to cutting their marketing spends due to inflationary pressures. Has there been any effect on Rasna?

We are the world leader in our segment, enjoying a presence across 60 countries. With continued innovation towards launching new products we haven’t slowed down our marketing efforts.   

What can we expect to see from the brand on the marketing front in 2023? Would be your focus areas on the marketing front? 

Rasna enjoys an omnichannel marketing presence. You can find Rasna products at the most affluent urban homes as well as the smallest of villages. We aim to use all marketing channels to engage audiences from the length and breadth of India to our international markets. With a focus on developing the reach of our recently launched D2C platform, we have some more exciting plans for the year.