The Mariwala Family’s Transformation of Saffola Into a Household Name in India

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Nitin Konde, Apoorva Bajj

Mar 19, 2024 — 4 min read

Saffola's Journey to Becoming an Indian Household Name

Among Indian household names, Saffola is universal. When Indians began to prefer buying oil from a branded seller rather than a street vendor, this particular brand began to make waves in Indian kitchens. The company's decision to promote the brand through television commercials sped up its rise to fame. The iconic Saffola commercials have been a part of almost every Indian child's television viewing experience. The company released an ad campaign centering on the heart to break into the Indian market. The Saffola commercial featured frantic individuals, heart rate monitors, and ambulances flashing their lights and sirens. Branded as "Life Insurance," the oil was marketed as a safeguard against cardiovascular disease.

Today, many consider Harsh Mariwala to be one of India's foremost business gurus. Marico is an FMCG firm that Mariwala founded and chairs. Marico is responsible for creating well-known brands like Parachute, Saffola, Revive, and Mediker. Mariwala few years back posted on his Instagram, "For some reason, as we grow older, we start giving failures a negative connotation. How often do children stumble before they stand? How often do they fall before they walk? I can't even count how many times I've failed at different things in my life. In fact, most of the successes have been built through these failures! As an entrepreneur, if something hasn't worked out, don't worry. Just keep at it!" Saffola surpassed its two formidable competitors, Hindustan Unilever and ITC, thanks to Mariwala's tireless efforts and innovative marketing techniques.

Anecdotes of the Past
Tasting Failure
Dusting Off Failure With Success

Anecdotes of the Past

In the 1960s, medical research identified safflower oil as a beneficial ingredient for heart health due to its higher concentration of something called polyunsaturated fatty acid. However, at that time, only crude safflower oil was commercially available, and it had an extremely bitter taste. As a result, the Mariwala Family received monthly postcards from heart patients requesting a few liters of this oil. Statistical estimates from public health indicate that India continues to bear approximately 60% of the global burden of heart disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of mortality among Indians and a silent epidemic.

This is when Saffola, a product of the Bombay Oil Company, was first introduced to the public in 1965 by the Mariwala family. Developing a marketing plan to get the product into the hands of consumers became the next pressing issue. The Saffola team proceeded methodically to launch heart health campaigns in collaboration with prestigious medical institutions such as the Escorts Health Institute and Bombay Hospital, among others. They also organized multiple conferences within the cardiology community to increase product awareness. From the consumer's point of view, Saffola organized free cholesterol screenings and an awareness campaign to let people know that the brand stands for heart health. By the 1990s, these initiatives had grown to the point where they were reaching 85 lakh people across 9 cities. The business went so far as to launch a "dial a dietician" program, wherein customers could ask nutritionists for guidance on their diets and ways of living from anywhere in the nation. By going above and above to improve patients' lives without directly marketing their product, Saffola was able to corner the market on patients' needs without ever having to lift a finger.

Tasting Failure

Saffola had hit the mark for Mariwala, and he was now enjoying a wave of success. He realized that appealing to people's sense of taste and wellness was the best approach to getting into their homes. With this in mind, the company re-entered the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector with a rebranded line of backed snacks. The main objective was to attract customers in this area since the majority of options were unhealthy and fried.

We have Saffola, which is good for the heart, Mariwala said in a media encounter four years ago. Because of this, we considered introducing a baked snack under the Saffola name.

Prototypes depend on good consumer feedback as they are not typically supported by advertising efforts. The new product failed miserably in the marketplace, even though the brand had a reputation among "health-food" consumers. After failing to meet consumers' expectations, the product was subsequently pulled from sale.

Dusting Off Failure With Success

Following the snack product's failure, the Marico team got down to the business of figuring out what went wrong and how to fix it. Following much deliberation, the group settled on introducing a new product to the market, but this time around, they would put more effort into studying and testing. This is the story of how Saffola Oats came to be.

Saffola Masala Oats | Mazedaar Khaao Jee Bhar Ke

As a novel product, saffola oats were delicious for consumers. After extensive research into regional preferences, Marico developed a variety of masala oats. In this product category, Marico is now at the top. Marico has introduced a plethora of products—honey, peanut butter, soy chunks, instant noodles, etc.—with the same zeal over the years. Even though it failed miserably in its snack food inception, the Saffola Oats brand went on to become an enormous hit.