Big Market, Smart Scale, High Trust: The Haleon Way in India

You may not know Haleon, but you’ve definitely met its brands—Crocin for headaches, Eno for acidity, Sensodyne for sensitive teeth. Quiet essentials in Indian homes, powering a consumer health giant that prefers staying behind the scenes.

Since its spin-off from GSK in 2022, Haleon has taken a deliberate approach: let the brands do the talking, while it rewires what self-care means for Indian consumers. Less prescription, more prevention. Less visibility, more value.

In a Rs 6,000 crore market crowded with claims and competitors, Haleon is choosing depth over noise—built on scientific credibility, daily utility, and long-term trust.

So how does a company grow when it’s already everywhere, yet not always seen?

We spoke to Anurita Chopra, Chief Marketing Officer – India Subcontinent, Haleon, to decode how the company is building relevance without loud branding, upgrading brand conversations from cure to care, and what it takes to lead in a Rs 6,000 crore health and wellness market. (Edited Excerpts)

When Sensodyne entered the Indian market, oral care was still Colgate's turf. What specific strategic bets did you make on positioning, pricing, or professional endorsement that helped build a premium niche, without depending on deep-discount volume play?

Our approach was never to compete on scale or deep discounting. Instead, we set out to meaningfully expand the category by addressing an unmet yet highly prevalent consumer need– relief from tooth sensitivity, or what many Indians colloquially refer to as jhanjhanaahat. We identified a whitespace that was both clinically relevant and emotionally resonant. Anchored by robust research and deep consumer insight, Sensodyne was positioned not just as another toothpaste, but as a specialist oral health solution offering clinically proven relief from sensitivity.

Education became, and still is, our most powerful lever in shifting the oral care narrative to a more holistic, preventive health practice. Early partnerships with dental professionals and the Indian Dental Association were instrumental in building credibility and advancing the oral health agenda nationwide. Over the years, we’ve continued to drive awareness, encourage proactive dentist visits, and empower people to take small but meaningful steps towards better oral health.

Rather than relying solely on price-driven strategies, we focused on demonstrable efficacy with initiatives such as the in-store chill tests, over 2 million conducted just last year, offered consumers immediate, first-hand validation. Digital innovation played a pivotal role too. Our free digital dental screening tool, launched as part of our World Oral Health Day campaign at the Maha Kumbh, democratised access to dental checks. This initiative helped us set a Guinness World Record, with over 27,000 screenings completed in under 24 hours.

We continue to lead the oral health conversation in India through impactful campaigns like Take the First Step, which reached over 400,000 people this year alone. On-ground interventions such as mobile dental vans have enabled us to extend access to underserved communities ensuring oral healthcare reaches where it’s needed most.

With Centrum, you entered a fragmented vitamins category — crowded by D2C-first brands, pharma veterans, and influencer wellness fads. What was your consumer segmentation strategy, and how did you land the credibility message without sounding like a pharma rep or a lifestyle coach?

Centrum entered the Indian VMS space to bring clarity, credibility, and scale to a category riddled with fragmentation. Our strategy was anchored in a clear consumer problem – micronutrient deficiencies affect 8 in 10 Indians, yet daily supplementation is either misunderstood or ignored.

We focused on insight-led segmentation going beyond age and gender to identify life-stage and lifestyle cohorts: proactive health seekers, the health-aware but under-informed, busy professionals, and family caregivers. This shaped our product portfolio backed by science, aligned with Indian dietary patterns, and available in relevant formats like tablets, gummies, and now even a Rs 10 effervescent powder (Centrum Recharge).

To build trust, we struck a balance between expert-led credibility and culturally resonant storytelling. Collaborations with leading health professionals lent us authority, while partners like Anushka Sharma and Kajal Aggarwal helped deepen consumer connect. We have always focused on education, empowerment, and everyday relevance supported by a strong digital strategy, expert advocacy, and on-ground activations at corporates and fitness communities.

Centrum’s mission is simple to bridge India’s micronutrient gaps with science-backed, accessible solutions, making better health a daily, sustainable habit for millions.

Legacy brands like Sensodyne, ENO, Iodex, and Crocin enjoy deep recall, but recall is not relevance. What’s your framework for identifying which of these brands deserve aggressive reinvention, and which need restrained storytelling to preserve credibility?

At Haleon, we focus on creating meaningful and distinct brands through sustained and impactful investments across cohorts, geographies, and multimedia consumer connections. Creativity is essential to translate consumer insights into a compelling narrative that captures attention and emotion, while execution is critical, ensuring the message is delivered through the right channels at the right time, backed by data-driven optimisation. 

Our legacy brands have earned leading positions by consistently connecting with consumers and delivering on their promises. We carefully position these brands to highlight the unique value proposition they offer, whether it's superior quality, advanced formulations, specific health benefits, immediate relief, or affordability. To maintain relevance, we embrace continuous reinvention, ensuring our brands evolve to meet the changing needs and preferences of new consumer segments. We proactively identify and fill emerging market gaps with innovative offerings that cater to the increasingly digitally-savvy and demanding younger generations. We also prioritize accessibility and convenience, recognizing that these are critical components of a brand's ability to stay top-of-mind in today's fast-paced world.

We employ an integrated marketing approach, strategically leveraging the strengths of both traditional and new-age media channels. For campaigns targeting urban, education-driven audiences, we prioritise a digital-first strategy. Similarly, for new product launches or category entries, we often combine traditional and digital channels. We continuously monitor the performance of each channel and adjust our allocation to maximise reach, engagement, and ultimately, ROI.

As CMO, you’re managing brands across general trade, chemists, modern retail, and D2C — all of which behave like different ecosystems. How do you ensure message integrity and pricing discipline when platforms push volume and margins over brand equity?

It all begins with strong consumer insight. Understanding what drives your audience - emotionally, psychologically, and behaviorally is critical. In a country as diverse as India, this means going beyond demographics to grasp regional, cultural, and socio-economic nuances. When one truly understands their consumers, it is easier to craft a brand promise that resonates deeply and stands the test of time. This promise becomes the anchor of the brand, guiding every decision and consumer interaction.

Staying relevant is key- brands must continually re-invent themselves to cater to evolving consumer needs. However, while doing so, brands should not lose the essence of their core and what they stand for. Driving penetration is another critical aspect of sustainable growth. Established brands must continuously evolve themselves and seek new consumers while retaining existing ones.

On pricing, our approach is simple i.e., strategic accessibility. We have had success developing innovative pack formats that maintain product value while broadening reach in price-sensitive markets like India. At the same time, we have had loyalists, who come back and buy. Examples of these include the Centrum 10-tablet format and the Sensodyne Rs 20 pack allowing trials undermining the brand’s premium positioning. Across platforms, price ladders are designed to keep value perception, while our robust analytics and channel-specific guidelines ensure guardrails are maintained.

How are you leveraging digital, not just in performance marketing, but in building differentiated consumer journeys? Are there category-specific insights you’ve found in consumer healthcare that change how you plan upper vs. lower funnel communication?

In consumer healthcare, trust precedes transaction. Our digital strategy is built around education, credibility, and relevance especially in the upper and mid-funnel stages. We see digital not just as a performance engine, but as a critical enabler of end-to-end consumer journeys. Our approach is two-fold: First, at the top of the funnel, we focus on education-led awareness. Healthcare demands a different kind of storytelling that simplifies complex science, builds confidence, and earns trust. Our content is rooted in expert voices, real-world relevance, and bite-sized, platform-native education to engage consumers meaningfully. Second, at the mid-funnel, we use data and audience segmentation to deliver personalized experiences tailored by life stage, health needs (like sensitivity, immunity, or acidity), or wellness goals. This ensures our messaging feels not only informative but directly useful to the individual.

Ultimately, our goal is to nurture informed, confident consumers guiding them through a digital journey that educates, builds credibility, and forges emotional connection, well before any purchase is made. That’s what drives long-term brand equity in this segment.

If we fast forward to 2028, where do you think Haleon’s next growth delta lies: new consumer cohorts (Gen Z), new use cases (like sleep, immunity, gut), or new formats and tech-led delivery?

At Haleon, we are anchored by our commitment to creating a healthier India. Our motto is to make a difference in the life of every Indian, ensuring they don’t have to struggle with everyday health issues. Our portfolio of power brands has earned trust not just through legacy, but by consistently evolving with the consumer. Whether it’s through more accessible pack sizes, digital health tools, or need-based innovation, we’re focused on solving real problems that impact daily lives.

For example, with Sensodyne, we’ve only just scratched the surface. The launch of the new Rs 20 pack has opened access to a wider consumer base, and we’re now strengthening the oral care regimen with other innovations. Likewise, with Parodontax, we are addressing the massive unmet need in gum health and will be working towards closing this gap through education, clinical proof, and sustained engagement.

We’re also reimagining heritage brands like Iodex which have undergone a strategic transformation from being perceived as a traditional remedy to a modern, expert-led solution for pain management. With innovations like Iodex Active Muscle Care, offering a superior sensorial experience, and strategic collaborations like the one with Rishabh Pant, we’re attracting a younger, more active audience into the category.

On Centrum, the opportunity is immense as we’re in the early stages of building this category in India. Following the success of Centrum’s core range, Centrum Recharge marks the brand’s next leap designed to democratise multivitamin (MVM) supplementation with a Rs 10 effervescent sachet. Made for both kids and adults, an on-the-go alternative to anyone looking for an affordable and healthy solution to daily energy dips. The potential is also strong in need states like Calcium deficiency and bone & joint health. 

So whether it’s through new cohorts, new need states, or new formats, our next delta of growth will come from staying ahead of the curve, leading with science, listening deeply to consumers, and scaling innovation that truly makes a difference.