Author(s): Ashutosh Singh
Purpose – Recently, we have witnessed a proliferation of researches on spiritual marketing. The fast-moving consumer market (FMCG) has given opportunities to new entrants like Swami Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravishankar, and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to offer products and shape their follower’s base into the customer base. Design/methodology/approach –The current study investigates the role of spiritual leaders and how they impact the FMCG marketplace in India. Data were collected with the help of a structured questionnaire and further analysis was done using EFA and CFA in SPSS software and SPSS AMOS respectively. Findings –The study gives an understanding of changes undergone in the marketing academia with the growth of spiritual leaders. Results show that out of all the factors studied, spiritual leaders have greatly impacted the competitiveness and brand positioning in the FMCG market of India. It is expected that the findings of the research will contribute to marketing practices in FMCG and future research avenues. Research limitations/implications – It will help FMCG companies to formulate better strategies in making a large network of people for the growth of business. Just like, spiritual leaders can label the products as unhealthy or immoral, they can even influence people by projecting a product as natural, pure, or divine as they can correlate consumption with an ideology. Originality/value – Study Bridging gap in the literature by including various factors and interpretating their relationship as well. This study is useful for FMCG industry and spiritual brands as it is focusing how young consumers are ready for spiritual products.