Open your eyes to Nepal

Ujaya Shakya founder of Outreach Nepal and the first vice president of the Advertising Association of Nepal, presented the Outreach Nepal masterclass on ‘Unlocking Market Potential: Open your eyes and heart to Nepal’.

Shakya began with asking the audience, “What does Nepal mean to you?” Through this, he highlighted the difference between the prevalent ideas of Nepal, and today’s Nepal. Today’s Nepal is a vibrant, heterogenous country, with famous personalities such as fashion designer Prabal Gurung, Masterchef UK winner Santosh Shah, actress Surakshya Pant who recently walked the Cannes red carpet. Today’s Nepal shows promising signs of growth, with immense market potential. Out of a population of 30 million, 72% are of working age, indicating a rise in the middle-income bracket, focused on the welfare of their families. Major companies Hyundai, Samsung, and all major FMCGs in India are all investing in Nepal. Many Non-Resident-Nepalis (NRNs) are returning to their native country upon seeing this opportunity.

Shakya added that from the marketing and brand perspective, the Nepali youth is a major target, with around three-fourths of Nepal’s population being under the age of 35. The reason for the success of several Nepali brands today, he said, was right positioning, and marketing towards the youth. He cited several examples such as Nepali beer brand Arna, who, he said, “completely disrupted the market dominated by foreign brands such as Carlsberg by targeting the youth, with the penetration into TikTok and into cricket, which is rising in popularity amongst the youth today.” Another example he cited was an old shoe brand called Goldstar, which went from being seen as unfashionable to a highly trendy brand, due to their effective revamping, and targeting of the youth.

Learning from these success stories, several brands, global and domestic, have been taking notes for their own campaigns. Some of the most successful strategies which have been used include: achieving Nepalisation, using Nepali actors, creating relatable stories, and using cultural connections. Brands such as Mountain Dew, Centerfruit, Coca-cola, Ncell, and Pepsi have all benefitted from these strategies.

Shakya concluded by asking the audience, “What does Nepal mean to all of you after this session?” leaving them in deep thought. This masterclass was thus highly effective in enlightening the attendees on Nepal’s burgeoning market potential.

Author Profile

Netra: Netra is a Dual Masters graduate in International Business and Marketing. She is a content-writing enthusiast and a social media addict. In her downtime, you will find her headbanging to Pop songs from around the world. She is also a sports fanatic and especially loves F1, Volleyball, and Cricket. Her hobbies are baking and watching Anime.