The novelty of the name and the claim that the natural and cruelty-free ingredients with the myths attached to the products make the brand attractive to the customers. The effective marketing strategy helps the products domesticated in many households which is another factor of its success.

The drunk elephant is a line of skincare products which are based on biocompatible, organic and cruelty-free elements and such elements which are skin friendly having no irritating, itching, disruptive or inflammatory effects. It is to do away with the culprits which are called Suspicious-6 — essential oil, drying alcohols, silicones, chemical sunscreens, fragrance and dyes and SLS — sodium lauryl sulfate used as emulsifier or surfactant. It stabilises and thickens solutions having ingredients with varying solubility. The philosophy behind the drunk elephant products is based on the approach to be with the customers and not for the customers.

The skincare line appeared in Houston, Texas in 2012 when a mother of four Tiffany Masterson was grappling with the skincare issues as she found most of the skincare products irritating, disruptive and inflammatory. The ingredients of the skincare products did not go well with her skin and she visualised that many like her would have same issues. Taking cognizance of the belief, she created a brand with the USP – unique selling point or unique selling proposition. USP is a term with the basic idea as to what makes products or services better than others in the market. She found out that the direct interaction with the customers through social media would help in making her products popular and ensuring sustainability with regard to keeping the customers engaged.

Tiffany Mastersons’ endeavour was aimed at creating cruelty-free skincare products and adopting and avoiding particular ingredients. First of all, she thought of avoiding Suspicious-6 which are the area of concern for her with regard to her skin. Drunk elephant products are projected as being suitable to all types of skins and to all ages. The brand is not based on 100 percent natural substances and it does not claim to be so because the natural substances can also prove to be detrimental to the skin for varying reasons. The main attraction of the products lies in the fact that the brand uses clean and non-toxic formulae with marginally a few ingredients which may not cause irritation.

• INSPIRED NOMENCLATURE

The nomenclature, drunk elephant, is inspired by a myth that the elephants get drunk by consuming the fermented fruit of the marula tree. The nomenclature is derived from this myth because in most products of this line are based on the secretion of the marula tree. The myth of drunken elephant is travelers’ tale from about 1839 depicting Zulu account (Zulus are Nguni ethnic people based in S Africa) that the elephants get drunk by consuming fermented fruit. On the contrary, this story cannot be supported by reality as neither do the elephants get intoxicated through the fruit nor do the marula fruits have any intoxication even if they continue to remain on the ground. This factor also is augmented by the fact that the elephants do no graze from the ground rather they prefer to browse at the trees directly to eat the fruits and leaves. The marula tree belongs to mango tree family and grows in Africa. Its sweet and yellow pulp is used to make jams, beer and a liquor called Amarula.

• ANOTHER MYTH

It is believed that the brand donates to elephants but it is not known how much donation goes to this end and it is also unknown who is recipient of the donation and if the recipient does something for the wellbeing of the elephants.

• MARKETING STRATEGY

The term drunk elephant has a fantasy and attraction in itself and this factor had been used by the brand manufacturer as the marketing tactics. The people feel interest in the name given to the brand line because it inspires them and they fantasize it to the extent that they are using something extraordinary coming from the far-off land. This fantasy and imagination proved the best practice with regard to making the brand popular among the customers.

The natural ingredients used by the brand in its products is another attraction for the customers as they are getting more and more conscious about their health and many have experienced some bad effects of the some of the commonly used cosmetics. This aspect gives rise to a popular trend to the biocompatible products of the drunk elephant.

The third tier of the marketing strategy is the direct contact of the brand with the customers through social media. This façade helps in making the products domesticated in most of the households and many people begin to think about the products as being the things of their home. This interactive strategy develops sustainability and deep-rooted relationship with the customers because the brand came with a philosophy to make products not for the customers but with the customers.

In short, the brand introduced something different or claimed it to be so with a unique and inspiring name and different marketing strategy which made it a success and appealing. Although the brand line has some beneficial ingredients, this factor is not as robust as many think about it. However, it is the marketing strategy and care about the wellness of the customer that has cruised it through the market lanes to the sky.