Zed Black’s 3-in-1 Popularly Known as“Dhoni Agarbatti” inAurangabad: Amit Kothari
The lasting impact of advertising on consumers’ hearts and minds is clearly evident in the case of Zed Black’s 3-in-1 incense stick. In Maharashtra’s Aurangabad, people commonly refer to it as “Dhoni Wali Agarbatti” (Dhoni incense stick) and ask for it by that name in shops. This is because cricketer M.S. Dhoni is the brand ambassador for Zed Black’s 3-in-1 incense stick. While film star Hrithik Roshan is the brand ambassador for Zed Black’s “Manthan” dhoop, consumers typically recognize and purchase it simply as “Manthan.”
In a conversation withSugandh India, AmitKothari, head ofRajasthan Provision Store,said that Zed Black’s 3-in-1incense stick is widelyknown among localconsumers as “Dhoni WaliAgarbatti,” and that’s howcustomers usually ask forit. Although RajasthanProvision Store is primarily a grocerystore in Aurangabad, it also handles ZedBlack’s incense distribution throughoutthe city. The firm distributes only ZedBlack products in the incense category.
Amit Kothari shared with SugandhIndia that he has been working with theZed Black brand for the past 15 years.His primary business is groceries, buthe got the Zed Black agency throughHasti Sugandhi, the super stockist inJalgaon. He stated that Zed Black is atop-quality, best-in-class product with aloyal customer base, which has mademarketing it very smooth. The companyalso has a strong supply network.Rajasthan Provision exclusively handlesthe distribution of Zed Black products,and their supply comes from the Jalgaondepot.
Mr. Kothari mentioned that they supplyZed Black products to around 2,000counters within a 25-kilometer radius ofthe urban area. All product rangesunder the Zed Black brand are ofexcellent quality, and the sales arefurther boosted by the company’sattractive promotional schemes. The ₹10and ₹60 zipper incense pouches, alongwith Manthan dhoop, are the bestsellingproducts. Zed Black’s incensesticks and dhoop have almost equalmarket share.
“Mr. Kothari mentioned thatthey supply Zed Black productsto around 2,000 counterswithin a 25-kilometer radius ofthe urban area. All productranges under the Zed Blackbrand are of excellent quality,and the sales are furtherboosted by the company’sattractive promotionalschemes.”
He added that Zed Black primarilycompetes with Cycle, Big Safari,Bharatvasi, and Rocket in the localmarket. In incense, the 3-in-1 pack is thetop performer, while Manthan leads inthe dhoop category. Their dry dhoop alsosells well. The company offerspromotional schemes like 12+4 in dhoopand 24+6 in incense sticks. BheemseniKapoor (camphor) is also in highdemand.
Speaking about the Aurangabad market,Mr. Kothari observed that brandedproducts sell more compared to looseitems. There is also demand for brandslike Mangalam and 333. Both loose andbranded products are popular. Insandalwood tilak, Manohar and Safal areleading brands. In attar (perfume), Shashiand D. Shankar sell well.
In response to a question, he shared thatan average customer typically spendsbetween ₹100 to ₹500 per month at theirstore.
