Sehat ki Chuski / Tata Salt

Client

Tata Salt

Category

Experiential Marketing

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01 Brief

Tata Salt enjoyed market leadership in urban areas with a 36.8% share but struggled in rural regions, where its share was only 14.8%. In Odisha, rural areas contributed 75.6% of the salt sales, dominated by local brands. Tata Salt sought to penetrate this market by building brand love, establishing its superior image, and increasing household penetration.

02 Approach

With 1.5 million devotees participating in the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha, Tata Salt aimed to make a meaningful impact. On-ground research indicated that promoting a brand during religious events often came across as opportunistic. The team also identified dehydration as a significant but overlooked issue due to extreme heat, causing people to faint from sodium loss.

03 Solution

Tata Salt created “Sehat Ki Chuski,” the world’s first ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution) energy popsicles, blending salt, sugar, water, and lemon syrup into a delicious, effective remedy. These popsicles helped prevent dehydration during the Yatra. Branded ice cream carts and promoters with ice boxes distributed the popsicles, avoiding traditional media clutter and fostering word-of-mouth promotion. The innovative, fun format became an instant hit, with people naturally gravitating toward it, ensuring Tata Salt’s brand was perceived as caring and essential during the event.

Sehat Ki Chuski: How Tata Salt Turned Devotion into a Moment of Care

When it comes to experiential marketing in India, brands must walk a fine line between visibility and authenticity—especially during culturally sensitive events. Tata Salt faced this very challenge while trying to increase its rural market share in Odisha, where local salt brands dominated and urban-centric campaigns often failed to connect.

In response, The Brand Brewery devised a ground-breaking campaign that not only respected the spirit of the occasion but also offered genuine value to millions of devotees. The result? Sehat Ki Chuski—a refreshing innovation that placed Tata Salt at the heart of a powerful cultural moment.

The Challenge: A Market Waiting to Be Won

While Tata Salt commanded a strong urban presence with a 36.8% market share, its rural penetration was limited to just 14.8%. In Odisha, where 75.6% of salt consumption occurred in rural areas, local brands ruled the shelves. The task was clear: Tata Salt needed to build emotional connection, credibility, and household presence, particularly in these underserved regions.

The Cultural Insight: Turning Heat into Opportunity

The Puri Rath Yatra, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, draws over 1.5 million people annually. However, this intense pilgrimage often takes place in punishing heat, and dehydration due to sodium loss is a common issue, yet largely ignored.

Our insight? Instead of typical brand visibility efforts that risked feeling intrusive or opportunistic, Tata Salt could become part of the solution—and truly care for its audience.

The Big Idea: Sehat Ki Chuski

Enter Sehat Ki Chuski, the world’s first ORS-based energy popsicle. Combining salt, sugar, lemon syrup, and water into a tasty frozen treat, this innovation was more than a product—it was a gesture of care.

Distributed through branded ice cream carts and mobile promoters carrying ice boxes, Tata Salt Sehat Ki Chuski offered a refreshing and medically beneficial experience. No hoardings, no loud branding—just genuine, health-focused support at a time when people needed it the most.

Results: A Cultural and Marketing Win

The response was overwhelming. Sehat Ki Chuski quickly became the talk of the Yatra, driving organic word-of-mouth and fostering brand love among millions. What made this campaign succeed was its simplicity, sincerity, and strategic alignment with both cultural context and consumer need.

More importantly, Tata Salt’s image transformed from a distant urban brand to a trusted ally in rural Odisha.

Why This Matters for Brands

This campaign exemplifies the power of experiential marketing in India—done right. By tapping into real consumer needs and integrating seamlessly into cultural events, brands can create long-lasting impressions that go beyond the moment.

The Tata Salt campaign is not just a case study in rural marketing—it’s a lesson in empathy-driven innovation.

In Conclusion

At The Brand Brewery, we believe that meaningful engagement always starts with listening—really listening—to your audience. The Tata Salt Sehat Ki Chuski campaign proves that when purpose meets creativity, magic happens.