The Evolution of Parachute Hair Oil: The Past, Present, and Future

Anubhav
5 min readSep 20, 2022

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“Mere Baal, Meri Jaan”.
Source-TVC Campaign

What made me search for Parachute Hair Oil?

When I was browsing the internet, I learned that parachute was an edible oil rather than hair oil. As a result of my internet research, I also learned that by not labeling their products as hair oil, companies can avoid paying taxes and make significant financial savings. How their marketing team convinced the audience that parachute oil was a hair oil fascinated me greatly.

How a simple product, hair oil, became a massive business

Image Source: https://bit.ly/2nLJHwe

Harsh (Mariwala), the founder of Marico, of which Parachute oil is a flagship, joined Bombay Oil (in 1971, and he became aware that the company’s core business — oil — was a commodity with low margins. Saffola and Parachute had already been introduced, but from the perspective of brand recognition, they were not receiving enough attention. Saffola was a niche product sold in posh areas of New Delhi and south Bombay (now Mumbai), where Parachute was sold in bulk to wholesalers in 15-liter tins.

• Retail

With a higher profit margin than Bombay Oil, a company in Calcutta (Kolkata) that sold coconut oil in smaller packages under the brand name Shalimar, had been mentioned by Harsh’s uncles. Additionally, he had heard that distributors in the Vidarbha and Nagpur regions were selling Parachute coconut oil in smaller containers. Harsh himself was interested in the success of the more miniature packs.

  • Market Mapping
    He started at the Nagpur market since it was closer than Calcutta. “It opened my eyes, for sure.” It was also a revelation for the family because I was the first member to go on a market visit, “says Harsh. Following the visit to Nagpur, Harsh traveled to Calcutta, where he was equally intrigued by the retail opportunity that existed in the market for parachutes. The traders and customers thought that parachutist oil was a superior product. It stood out from other products on the market at the time thanks to its robust coconut aroma.

• How is Parachute oil different from others?

It was superior to other oils that were being sold in terms of clarity and purity as well. Bombay Oil, however, had concentrated all of its efforts on promoting the 15-liter tins. On the other hand, the cunning the wholesalers of Vidarbha and Nagpur were aware of the strength of the Parachute brand. They promoted and sold the coconut oil in smaller packs to their clients.

• How does Parachute oil skyrocket?

Harsh became passionate about going into retail with Parachute oil after seeing the success of the Shalimar brand and the offtake in smaller packs in Vidarbha. In the interior markets of western India, he appointed distributors and began making more extensive tours. These distributors received retail packs of Parachute oil to sell as their goods. The model was introduced to other regions of India following its success in western India. The young man found it thrilling to witness the implementation of his strategy in action, but the Indian market’s diversity presented him with unanticipated difficulties.

• Packaging Technique

These values were chosen for their broad appeal. Because plastic bottles are less expensive than tins and more aesthetically pleasing, Parachute wanted its packaging to reflect its goal of being a premium brand. The plastic packaging was disliked by traders. Rats were discovered to be the cause. Prior bottles had a square shape. They wouldn’t as superior, leak-proof plastic round bottles. The rats wouldn’t be able to hold onto the bottles, making it impossible for them to bite into the plastic.

Parachute Hair Oil What’s New

Image Source: https://bit.ly/3qOF6a3

Seeing success for a long period, they introduced several new products to the market, such as onion oil and ayurvedic oil, to capture more of the market.

● New TVC Campaign

Image Source: https://bit.ly/3f7hjiI

The new advertising campaign for Parachute Advanced Ayurvedic Coconut Hair Oil has been there for a while. The company wants to highlight the early signs of hair loss through the campaign and the brand’s new packaging. That shows how keen they are to capture the hair oil market. Being there in the market for a very long time has helped them to retain a prominent position in the market.

● Brand Ambassador

Image Source: https://bit.ly/3SeGjTJ

From Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma, and Kirara Advani the Bollywood beauties have done a TVC campaign for Parachute hair oil.

They are the most renowned actresses in Bollywood, and for a campaign, they charge a huge amount of money, which also shows how much money they are willing to spend on their TVC campaign for their new and old products to stay the same in the market.

● Family Driven

It has always been a family-centered organization that prioritises the family. It has always emphasised how it benefits teenagers for healthy hair growth and babies because it nourishes the skin. As a brand, Parachute has never sparked a debate that might have offended someone’s feelings or a religious figure. They always serve as the impartial party.

● Parachute Campaign

Image Source: https://bit.ly/3LtLGMr

Print, television, outdoor, and digital are all used for advertising. Haats and van campaigns are also used in rural areas to advertise the brand. Every year, the product is heavily advertised around Holi and in the winter. The taglines for the Parachute Advanced campaign’s television ads are “1 hour champi kiya!” and “Gorgeous Hamesha.”

Conclusion: What We Can Learn From the Successful Story of Parachute

From the time they first introduced it in 1990 until they became the market leader in this category, they did so with style and without offending anyone. They have always been honest and have always given their customers a high-quality product that satisfies all of their needs. In order to ensure that we can learn to always remain optimistic and work consistently, as Parachute says, “see to it that we can learn that we can always stay positive and do work with consistency and stay
“Gorgeous Hamesha.”

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