How Vi-John, India's no 1 shaving cream leveraged one of the largest religious gatherings in the world to solve devotees shaving concerns

Magh Mela, an annual festival with a fair held in the month of Magha (January/February) at Sangam, Praygraj.  It is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world and attracts millions of devotees every year. This mela attracted a footfall of around 2-3 Cr devotees over the duration of 45 days. Certain dates such as the Amavasya and the Makar Sankranti are considered particularly sacred, attracting a larger gathering. The festival is marked by a ritual dip in the water, but it is also a celebration of community commerce with fairs, education, religious discourses by saints, daan and community meals for the monks and the poor, and entertainment spectacle.

Scores of devotees tend to stay for almost 45 days beside the banks of Sangam as they follow rituals and take baths in the river as per Hindu religious beliefs. While governments and multiple organizations tend to take care of multiple needs of devotees, nobody was taking care of the grooming needs of the population staying there. It is to fill this gap, Vi John brand, which sells  India’s largest-selling shaving cream, started a unique campaign called "Shaving Se Snan Tak". The initiative encouraged devotees to get a shave along with the holy dip.

The brand offered absolutely free shaving opportunities to devotees by establishing Shaving Zones near the ghats where they tend to take holy dips in the water. The stall attracted people from all age groups and multiple devotees who wanted to enhance their grooming through a shave done professionally by barbers. Devotees also had the option of self shave with VI John provided razors, its shaving foam and after-shave lotions.

Commenting on the initiative Ashutosh Chaudharie, GM Marketing, VI John stated “ We saw a specific need gap with respect to grooming for such a large congregation of devotees and as a brand with the national appeal made ourselves available at the right spots in the mela. The brand received a lot of love and we could give more than 10,000 consumers VI John Shaving experience”.

The brand was also prominently visible through hoardings and inflatables on mela grounds. It also was running a sales stall in the activation zone offering interesting deals to consumers which saw heavy engagement.

Overall this was one of its kind initiative from VI John as Shaving Zones is a unique concept and have not been attempted earlier in religious gatherings. “Shaving Se Snaan Tak” activation in that sense was a true testimony to the brand’s tagline which is “Grooming India”.