Abstract

This case tracks the efforts taken by Kedar Rajadnye, President and Chief Operating Officer of Consumer Products, Piramal Enterprises Limited, in an endeavor to revolutionize the contraceptives market in India through the acquisition and promotion of the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) brand, i-pill, and the challenges he faced in the process. Kedar envisioned a substantial boost to Piramal’s growth prospects through the incorporation of i-pill in its portfolio. Through the ‘I’ range, Kedar eyed the benefits of targeting a niche market, i.e. the personal and healthcare needs of women. When Kedar acquired the brand in 2010, it already enjoyed good brand recognition and recall. The major challenges that Kedar faced included lack of consumer awareness about health concerns and usage situations the product, moral and ethical dilemmas regarding ECPs, consumers’ embarrassment with regard to the product, compliance issues with regulatory bodies, and the threat from competitors. In 2014-15, i-pill contributed less than 1% to Piramal’s consumer product sales. Yet, owing to the promising rate at which market was growing, Kedar touted it as a marquee brand which would play a pivotal role in making company realize its dream of attaining third spot in the Indian pharmaceutical market by 2016.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Social stigma attached to the product usage
• Compliance issues with regulatory bodies while developing advertisement campaigns and promotions
• Threat from competitors
• Educating consumers about the product

Keywords

Contraceptive market,Embarrassing brands,Advertising,Consumer behavior,Healthcare,Over the Counter medicines