Ujala, literally meaning brightness, is a leading fabric whitener that has registered tremendous growth over the last three decades. Ujala owes its success to smart marketing and pricing, coupled with prudent understanding of the market.
A product of Jyothy Laboratories, Ujala’s growth has helped a relatively small organisation to effectively create a niche market for liquid fabric whitener. It swiftly pulled customers away from the bigger and international competitors. Over the years, Ujala has even stood up to multinational market leaders like Robin Blue.
Ujala is the biggest brand in the company portfolio and contributes up to 46 per cent of the company’s revenues. The company is the largest player in the fabric whitener space in India with a market share of 72 per cent.
The origin of Jyothy Laboratories can be traced back to 1983. The company was set up in Kandanassery, near Guruvayur in Thrissur district of Kerala by M. P. Ramachandran.
Ramachandran had an added interest in chemistry and he was dissatisfied with the fabric whiteners available in the market. Hence, he came up with his own formula for fabric whitener and redefined the brand.
The company now owns 21 manufacturing facilities located in 14 locations – Trichur, Wynad, Roorkee, Pondicherry, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar, Bankura, Guwahati, Baddi, Silvassa, Salem, Jammu and Pithampur. The company’s manufacturing plants are certified for its quality manufacturing and the company has an employee strength of 3,500 people.
As of now, Jyothy Laboratories Limited is a multi-product public limited company which is well on its way to becoming a diversified global FMCG organisation.
As a brand, Ujala was positioned as the ‘Value for Money’ liquid fabric whitener with insta-whitening system technology. For an average Indian consumer, it made everyday wear clothes spotlessly bright and the family happy and proud.
The company has always been very clear of its target consumer – the average homemaker. Therefore, Ujala has been priced at a very economical rate and it is available as a conveniently packed product in different sizes ranging from 30 ml to 250 ml.
Before Ujala was introduced in the market, the common perception that surrounded whiteners was that they had to be blue in colour and powder in form. The challenge before Jyothy Laboratories was to break this mindset since Ujala was a purple liquid. However, the challenge was successfully countered through the tagline ‘Safedi ka naya rang’ and as they say, the rest is history.
It was re-launched in 2013 and contrary to its year-old tagline ‘Aaya naya ujala..chaar boondon wala’, it is now been aided by a new tag-line ‘Safedi ke aage Ujala’. Through its new punch line, the advertisement campaign has managed to differentiate the product by emphasising on radiance as opposed to normal whiteness.
