Bengaluru:  Two first year PGP students of IIM Kozhikode have won the Lever-Ayush case study in the BLoC (BusinessLine on Campus) Case Challenge. In the top five are three IIM Indore teams and one from IIMB. The two runners-up are from IIM Indore, the third runner-up is from IIMB and the fourth runner-up is from IIM Indore.

Vivekanandan B, a second year student of the Post Graduate Programme in Management (PGP) at IIM Bangalore, has been adjudged third runner-up in the Lever-Ayush case study in the BLoC (BusinessLine on Campus) Case Challenge. His paper is titled, ‘Tap into fortune at the bottom of pyramid’.

The BLoC case study contest offers the opportunity to students to solve cases based on real, strategic problems faced by firms across sectors, and win prizes as well.

Brand revitalization is crucial for Lever Ayush. The proposed solution puts forward the plan of having Lever Ayush promote itself as a holistic healthcare solution to counter Patanjali. Lever Ayush should tie itself to Indian origins and use elements of Indian myth in its communication to compete better against the Patanjali brand that has a strong brand equity amongst the growing Indian middle class. To capture market share, the solution proposed for Lever Ayush involves tapping into the Tier 2, 3 and 4 cities that will constitute a large part of the consumer group in the future (Fortune at Bottom of the Pyramid). Looking at needs instead of demographics, the right consumer group from within the bottom of the pyramid can be targeted for increasing market share.

Lever Ayush can leverage its distribution clout to increase availability to the identified segments. Accessibility to the segment can be made possible through micro-entrepreneur based models such as Shakthi workforce. Technology-aided promotion via AI-based toll-free call centres that can offer customers solutions to basic skin and haircare problems will reinforce Lever Ayush’s value proposition in the minds of customers.