1. July 5, 2016
Global Consumer Healthcare, India Business, Story of the Week, Team Initiatives
Unveiled: Dia’s beauty secret
On a busy Wednesday morning, the ballroom of Mumbai’s ITC Grand Central is buzzing
with activity. Outside the three contest winners of ‘Rendezvous with an Ex-Miss India’ are
bursting with excitement. In a short while, they will meet their star, “I knew from the hints
that it was Diya,”exclaims Femy Sayoj, Executive, Learning & OD. By winning the contest,
the three have become overnight stars, “From lunch invitations to gifts, people have come
with various offers to bribe me,” laughingly admits Leia Sequeira, Manager, Planning &
Monitoring; affirms Kalpesh Shah, Controller – India, Emerging Market & CHC, “I was
swamped by requests from my friends to let them accompany me for this event.”
While the mood is celebratory outside, inside the tension is palpable as a team of sound
and light technicians, photographer and videographer, public relation personnel and other
wizards of event management are doing a final round of check-up, making sure the grand
event pulls off without a glitch. Keeping an eagle eye on the proceedings is the dynamic duo
from Consumer Healthcare-Akanksha Sharma, Senior Brand Manager and Sharat Nair,
Manager, Experiential Marketing. After several rehearsals and testing the crew gives a
thumbs-up and are ready to get the ball rolling. At the appointed hour, journalists, bloggers
and camera crews find their way to the ballroom—all set to witness history in the making.
This will be the first time when two divisions of Sun Pharma— the India Business and
Global Consumer Healthcare (GCH), which markets over-the-counter (OTC) products, will
co-promote a product— the sunscreen Suncros.
A veteran product (over a decade in the market) Suncros holds the distinction of being the
number one recommended sunscreen by dermatologists. Considering that the sunscreen
market within the beauty segment is increasing at a rapid pace of 25-30% each year, the

2. top management team of India Business and the GCH evaluated the product and a mutual
decision was taken to make Suncros the first brand to be co-promoted in Sun Pharma’s
history. V Madhan, Senior Brand Manager, Croslands, states, “Last year, we were
evaluating on how to maximise the potential of our product. We conducted an internal mass
market research and found that while the prescription market share of sunscreen is
growing, the existing market share of OTC sunscreens is more than double of prescription.
We already had a scientific product with different variants for different skin types and we
thought this is a good opportunity to go OTC.” With the decision locked-in, both the teams
had their work cut-out. In the initial days the GCH team was completely absorbed in
knowing about the product and the targeted segment. This involved extensive market
research and touching base with various stakeholders to get their views and expert
opinions. Armed with market knowledge, the GCH team began their education to know the
brand. “For us this was not just a new brand but also a completely new category that we
were planning to enter—a category ruled by some giant brands. Hence, the Crosslands
team was the one point of contact for all information and education that we needed to know
more about Suncros and its category. We had multiple sessions, where Madhan very
patiently explained to us everything –right from scratch,” states Akanksha.
The second step in the evolution involved the image make -over of the product. While
appearance of a product does not affect the dermatologists, packaging is the first thing that
attracts a consumer to a product. Shedding light on the importance of a glitzy and
convenient packaging, Madhan informs, “The earlier packaging was designed keeping in
mind the needs and requirements of the dermatologists. Also, in Pharma there are certain
specifications we need to follow when it comes to packaging. The new packaging is created
keeping in mind the dermatologists as well as the consumers.” The GCH team shortlisted
two packaging designs for extensive consumer research and several tests were conducted
to gauge the preference and reaction of the consumers as well the dermatologists. Based
on the results, the current packaging was selected.
With the preliminaries in place, the next task involved getting the sales force of India
Business and GCH aligned to the idea of co-promotion. “A joint meeting was conducted with
the combined sales team. Right at the start, we asked everyone to share their numbers with
one another. Even today, an India Business Suncros sales team member will know who
his/her sales counterpart is in the GCH team and also have his/her contact details and vice-
versa,” enthuses Madhan. He also credits the top management of both the divisions for their
clarity of thought and transparent communication. Madhan elaborates, “This was the first
time for a product to be co-promoted. There were many questions and doubts. The top
management had a clear vision and laid-out the sales target clearly, commission and other
issues were addressed to the satisfaction of the sales team. This got them motivated.”
The next step involved drawing-up a detailed media plan to launch the product with a bang.
What followed were a series of meetings and video conferences to mutually decide on
advertisement strategies, communication plan and signing a brand ambassador to endorse
the product. Roping in Dia Mirza was the perfect fit for the brand as she is a great example
of beauty with flawless skin. With the brand ambassador on-board the two teams began to
prepare for the BIG launch keeping in mind the two key external stakeholders-
dermatologists and consumers. Sharat points out, “On this project multiple cross-functional
teams were involved. Therefore, at least a month ago before the launch the wheels were
set in motion. We wanted a 360-degree impact. We used to connect every day for

3. brainstorming sessions to make the launch a successful one and generate enough media
coverage. In various meetings with the teams we embarked on the idea of holding a panel
discussion of eminent dermatologists from around the country to discuss the advantages of
using a sunscreen. We also wanted to create excitement among the internal stakeholders
as well. So we decided to hold contest for the sales team as well as for our colleagues in
Mumbai. The grand prize was a chance to meet our lovely brand ambassador. The sales
team were also awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by her.”
To pull-off such an event required a lot of exhausting planning and commitment from the
team, which meant keeping late hours and working round the clock. At last, on 8th
June, the
hard work put in by both teams was paid-off. Amidst camera crews jostling for space and to
a packed house the new Suncros was unveiled by the effervescence Dia Mirza, Subodh
Marwah, VP and Head, Global Consumer Healthcare and Abhay Gandhi, CEO, India
Business. The launch was a great success and received extensive media coverage in both
the mediums-print as well as television. It was a dream come true for the three contest
winners and they cannot help gushing about Dia. “She is so beautiful, her poise and the
way she carried herself was admirable,” informs Leia. While Femy is bowled over by her
presence of mind, “The way she handled the Q&A from the press and the way she spoke
about our product was commendable.”
Speaking about the experience post-launch, Akanksha states satisfactorily, “It is such an
exhilarating feeling. This shows what good team work across functions and commitment
can do to a brand.” She further reveals the formula behind this success, “Both the teams
respect and value the core competencies of one another.”
Even post-launch the two teams are working together and are constantly in touch every day
to share information, clear queries, chart out new plans of growth, etc. With such a
beautiful start, the journey of collaboration has just begun and it will definitely bear fruit in
the near future.