New Delhi [India]: Beauty diva Shahnaz Husain’s business acumen on how to establish an international brand without publicity has been included in teaching curriculum for budding manager of Harvard Business School, Boston.
Earlier, Shahnaz was a Harvard case study and now a subject for Harvard’s creating Emerging Marketing Project.
A video interview titled “Creating Emerging Markets” on brand creation, conducted by the Harvard Business School, has been included in a ‘Question-Answer Format’ as part of The Premium Business School Teaching Curriculum.
The interview of Shahnaz Husain, the quintessential entrepreneur, highlights how to build global brand on the basis of power of products without relying on formal marketing, advertising or paid publicity techniques.
In the comprehensive video interview, India’s Herbal Beauty Queen has discussed the various facets of her life, initial struggles in Tehran, personal milestones, future aspirations, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, and more significantly, how she broke the shackles as a young teenage bride and mother to become the ‘Pioneer of Natural Beauty Products Market and Ayurveda’.
Through the interview, one comes to know how Shahnaz had to make herculean efforts to make it to the top rung beauty training institutes of London, Paris, New York, Germany and Denmark.
Even at a time when there is cut-throat fierce competition, Shahnaz’s products have sustained without commercial advertisement. She runs a chain of over 400 global franchises and 600-odd distributors.
The unique franchise system started by Shahnaz Husain Group in 1979 to expand salon business has achieved tremendous success, both in domestic and international market, including Europe and USA.
Shahnaz was given a big break in festival of Indian London in 1980 by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. When the world was looking for an alternative for chemical products, she then launched a domestic range of pure ayurveda and herbal products and sold ancient Indian civilization in a jar.
Her entire consignment was sold in three days in face of fierce competition in perfumery section in Selfridges and till today, Shahnaz is the only Indian Ayurvedic beauty brand selling at Selfridges.
She also received the World’s Greatest Woman Entrepreneur Award by U.S. based business magazine in recognition of her international achievements and global standing.
She received the Padma Shri Award in 2006 and was invited by Harvard Business School to speak on how she established an international brand without commercial advertising.
Her lecture has been favourite with management students of prestigious International Business schools in India and Abroad. She has delivered guest lectures in Oxford University, London School of Economic, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cambridge on various occasions.
Commenting on the Harvard achievement, Shahnaz said, “The transition from being a Case Study to becoming a regular Subject at the premier Harvard Business School is a wonderful feeling. The Harvard case study is about how to build a global brand without using formal marketing or advertising techniques. They said I violate every norm they teach about advertising and publicity. I will focus on India’s 3000 BC Ayurvedic civilization in a jar, and showcase this in my presentation of the ‘Great India Growth Story’.”
“I have incessantly followed a clinical system, diagnosing skin and hair problems and writing prescriptions. I always advise people to never give up because if you never give up, you cannot fail. Evaluating my success story in hindsight, I feel fortunate that I was in the right place at the right time. At a time when the world needed an alternative to chemical products, I chipped in with the Ayurveda and herbal solutions.”
“Sky is the limit for India’s unlimited potential, and I have no qualms stating that India will lead the billion dollar cosmetic Industry into the next century with its Ancient Herbal Heritage. By incorporating some systemic changes, and getting all stakeholders on board, India stands strategically poised to win a lion’s share of the ‘Beauty and Wellness’ business on a global level, and the day is not far, when India would get recognized as the ‘Beauty Capital’ of the world. The creation of a dedicated Ministry of AYUSH in the year 2014 by the Government of India has done a world of good for ensuring the optimal development and propagation of AYUSH systems of healthcare,” she added. (ANI)