Evolving with the times

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: became more demanding and new brands came to the market, the brand pitch was modified to include the nutrition aspect (extra nutrition, extra taste). The milk shortage of the 50s and 60s ensured that Bournvita becomes the enduring symbol of mental and physical well being.

Over the next two decades the segment cruised at a growth rate of 10% and many other brands threw their hats into the ring sniffing the opportunity. Stiff competition from brands such as Maltova, Boost (from GlaxoSmithKline), Complan (Heinz) and Nutramul (Amul) urged Bournvita to shift gears and give some serious thought to on-ground activities besides stepping up mainstream advertising. So was born the Bournvita Quiz Contest (1972), an offline event that migrated first to radio and in the nineties, to television. “Long before 360-degree communication and activation became buzzwords, Bourvita had been at it,” points out Desai.

The brand then spoke directly to mothers harping on good upbringing (Goodness that Grows with You). During the 1980s the brand proposition included the aspect of “intelligence” and the tagline was revised to Brought Up Right, Bournvita Bright. Later, to widen it’s appeal, the focus moved to include the “wholesome goodness” property (“Bournvita has proteins, minerals and carbohydrates”). Indeed, the 1990s saw many memorable campaigns for Bournvita based on the Tan ki Shakti, Mann ki Shakti platform.

But things took a turn for the worse in the late nineties. Faced with intense competition from Nestle’s Milo, Bournvita decided to embrace the health platform with gusto. The brand used a clever analogy to communicate the health benefits: two cups of Bournvita everyday for balanced nutrition. The communication deftly used an acronym, RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance), to reinforce the new positioning.

The brand also made clever use of star cricketer of the time, Ajay Jadeja, to appeal to kids. The communication harped also on the taste aspect in its tagline, which went “No Bournvita, no milk.” There was a reason for putting the spotlight on kids.