Can brands be thought leaders? Traya’s education-led marketing could be the answer

Traya fills this void of belief with education, knowledge, and information—not just direct marketing 

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Lalit Kumar
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Saloni Anand, Co-Founder, Traya. (1) (3)
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New Delhi: The hair care industry can be best described as a space of "high interest, low belief." It is an industry that faces a substantial amount of hurdles when it comes to consumer trust. Traditional marketing techniques mimic a one-legged chair for the hair care industry.

Traya fills this void of belief with education, through knowledge, through information—not just direct marketing. “For the first three years as a marketeer, I didn't even talk about why Traya works. My first job was to solve this disbelief,” said Saloni Anand, co-founder, Traya.

“The industry had thrown so many different non-functional products at people that they started believing this is what it is. Hair loss is part of ageing. Once gone, it can never come back. Hence, the first fight that we had as a brand was to fight this disbelief,” she elaborated. Traya’s marketing strategy has since evolved to focus on educational content.

The subtle art of knowledge

In a crowded hair-care market saturated with sweeping promises, Traya is positioning itself as an education-backed and science-based brand that focuses on enlightening consumers. “People are very smart. If you give them the science, the education, and the right solution, they get it,” stated Anand. 

Living in a highly digital and immediately gratifying environment, consumers today are bombarded with selling-based messages. At a time when the consumer is tired of hearing worn-out sales pitches on the internet, education-based marketing comes as a fresh whiff of air. Sharing important facts and information builds a foundation of trust and credibility among consumers. 

“People were used to coming on a website, adding a product to a cart, checking out, and leaving. And here was a company that said, Fill a 15-minute head test, and then you will get a kit. You will have to buy five products; you can't buy one or two; you will have to buy all five, and then you get started,” Anand recalled. 

Anand highlighted how Traya’s unconventional process—a 15-minute diagnostic head test followed by a mandatory purchase of a complete five-product kit—required significant consumer education. 

Traya’s marketing centres around the brand using a “combination of ayurveda, allopathy, and dermatology” and providing personalised treatments. Anand shared how during their initial days, they realised that actual results come when people use Traya products for five months. In addition, the products do not work individually but as a kit. This is where educational-based marketing came in handy for Traya.

“We moved to a very education-led marketing approach. We went out with honesty to the consumer, and we started explaining why you need five products. We started explaining why you need five months, why you need a head test, why you need customisation for your hair to grow, and why one shampoo for all or one oil for all is not going to work,” said Anand. 

Educate, then engage

Taking a U-turn from traditional marketing techniques, Traya, as of today, spends more than 90% of its marketing budget across digital platforms. While paid media holds a small part of Traya’s marketing spending, the brand primarily focuses on its organic channels. 

Traya has its own YouTube channel named ‘Traya Health’ where they run a podcast called ‘What The Health.’ The channel has a subscriber strength of nearly 6 lakh. Talking about the podcast, Anand said, “The podcast really helps us build that reach and medium for us to not just share information but also position Traya as an expert in the hair care space.” 

Traya’s podcast has a general theme of busting the myths that linger in the hair care industry. In addition to their own podcast, the brand also collaborates with other organic channels such as The Ranveer Show and Nitish Rajput’s podcast.

According to Anand, advertising is limited when it comes to shaping the narrative and building trust with consumers. Such organic, education-led approaches are what are really working for Traya to position itself as a thought leader rather than just a brand. 

Traya’s marketing funnel

Anand gave a glimpse into the marketing funnel that Traya works with. She explains the three stages in which Traya onboards a loyal customer base. 

Stage one pertains to the visibility of the brand. “At the top of the funnel are those who do not even know Traya exists. The goal in this stage is to create awareness about the brand and be visible. For that we use a celebrity and create high-quality, engaging content with the celebrity,” Anand told BestMediaInfo.com. Traya collaborated with Rajkummar Rao for its ad campaigns. 

Stage two comes after the consumers are aware that Traya, as a brand, exists. “Once the consumer enters the funnel (expressed interest in the brand), then we tell them a lot about the science behind our brand and educate them about hair care,” she said. At stage two, Traya brings in their podcasts, through which they emerge as experts in the field of hair care. 

Then comes stage three in the funnel. Anand explained, “Once we have imparted education and scientific knowledge through our podcast, and the consumer moves further into the tunnel, then all we need to do is convince them that Traya works.” At stage three comes one of the sharpest marketing tools in Traya’s toolbox: user-generated content (UGC).

Traya’s ABC of UGC

The convincing part happens through our user-generated content, Anand expressed. “When we show consumers people like them getting results with Traya, that makes them realise that it is an honest brand and not just a celebrity saying things. Real people, real results,” she elaborated. 

Anand stated that with UGC, the old formats have stopped working. Sharing an anecdote, Anand said, “I got one of my customers to Mumbai. I got them plane tickets, brought them to studios in Mumbai, and made a high-production quality. It didn’t work as expected.” 

Anand told BestMediaInfo.com that people want to see authenticity and genuineness in such content. “Consumers want to see people capturing their results at home, with things like clothes and furniture visible in the video. From there comes genuineness,” she said.

Anand also mentioned that they have a different approach when it comes to using influencers. Rather than basing their approach on metrics, Traya collaborated with consumers who were experiencing actual hair loss. 

Fleeting influence of influencers

Unlike traditional influencer marketing that works on surface-level endorsements, coupon codes, and “links,” Traya approached influencers who were genuinely experiencing hair loss. “I think the traditional influencer marketing techniques are losing grip, especially in the skincare, wellness, and health category,” Anand pointed out. 

Anand shared how Traya would rather work with a thought leader or an infotainer than a fashion or grooming-based influencer. “In our industry, it is very important to choose who our influencer is. I will not work with a grooming influencer because I am just going to be another hair brand that he promoted. That will bring more negative results than positive,” Anand said. 

The next step

Traya is expanding into international markets, including the UAE, while also piloting offline experience centres in Pune. These centres aim to bridge the gap between online and offline interactions, providing customers with face-to-face consultations and building further trust.

engagement customer brand influencers Hair care Traya User-generated content
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