Hello,
Horlicks came to India with the British Army;
the end of World War I saw Indian soldiers of
British Indian Army bringing it back with them
as a dietary supplement. Punjab, Bengal and
Madras Presidencies became early adopters
of Horlicks and many well-to-do Indians took
to drinking Horlicks as a family drink in early
1940s and 1950s. It became a sort of status
symbol in upper middle class Indians and rich
classes. The first flavour available in India, as
in Britain, was malt.
India, where it has traditionally been marketed
as The Great Family Nourisher, is the largest
market for Horlicks.[5] The Indian formulation
for Horlicks is slightly different than in most
other countries, as there it is manufactured
from buffalo milk rather than cows milk due to
cultural concerns.[6][unreliable source] In 2003, the
brand underwent a revamp which led to the
introduction of new flavours such as vanilla,
toffee, chocolate, honey,
and elaichi (cardamom).[7] The current line-up
of flavours include original (malt), chocolate
and elaichi.[8] with the latest offering Horlicks
Kesar Badaam added recently to the portfolio,
providing a more specialized taste offering to
the consumers.[9]
In recent years, there has been an increase in
the scope of the brand in India. By pushing it
to newer segments of the market, Horlicks
has become an umbrella brand for a wide
variety of products ranging from the flagship
malt drink to instant noodles, confectionery
and breakfast cereal.[10] Special formulations
of the malted drink for young children (Junior
Horlicks), breast-feeding mothers (Mother's
Horlicks), women (Women's Horlicks) and
adults (Lite Horlicks) exist.[11] Horlicks biscuits
were first launched in 1993,[12] and an energy
bar was launched in 2009, named Horlicks
NutriBar. Also in late 2009, Foodles, a brand
of instant noodles, was launched under the
Horlicks umbrella. This was followed in 2011
by launches of Horlicks Gold, a premium
variant of the malt drink (dubbed The Best
Horlicks Ever), and Horlicks Oats, the first
breakfast cereal product under the Horlicks
brand.[13]
In 2010, Horlicks accounted for 85% of
the 23.06 billion (US$340 million) revenue of
GlaxoSmithKline in India.[10] It is currently the
most widely consumed packaged beverage in
India, after bottled water.[14]
The biggest branding event is Horlicks
Wizkids.[15] This event started its way in 2003
and till now has reached approximately 25
million children in all India as well as in Sri
Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
Ahaar Abhiyan[16] is a Horlicks initiative to
increase malnutrition-related awareness
amongst mothers, families and communities.
With the sale of every bottle of Horlicks, the
company contributes Re 1 towards the
initiative. The campaign attempts to raise
awareness about proper nutrition amongst
mothers of children aged between 36 years.
Horlicks Wizkids is an interschool cultural and
literary competition for children from class 1 to
12. The competition attracts students from
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and
Bangladesh. With more than 30 events in the
field of arts, literature, painting and extra-
curricular activities, Horlicks Wizkids is South
Asia's largest interschool fiesta giving children
an opportunity to showcase their talent on a
global platform.[17]
The 2013 Edition of Horlicks Wizkids South
Asia was held in Bangalore. It consisted of
five days of rigorous training sessions, talent
rounds, project presentations and other fun,
learning and recreational activities. More than
100,000 students from over 1200 schools
participated. Five students from Vizag, Jaipur,
Delhi, Hyderabad and Bhubaneshwar earned
the title of the Horlicks WizTeam 2013. The
winners got an opportunity to go for a learning
program to Germany and a cash award of Rs.
100,000 each.[18]
