The brand has indeed come a long way from its founder being turned away by chemists on stocking visits in 1999 to now being available 1 lakh chemists and 2 lakh general stores across the country.
Friends is celebrating its silver jubilee anniversary with a mega MRP slash offer on its highest selling products. The campaign hopes to battle two of the biggest barriers to the usage of adult diapers—stigma against incontinence, and a common perception that adult diapers are very expensive. “Thus, to mark our 25th Year we are taking stigma head on by proudly wearing, showing, and talking about diapers, as always. And to make the product more accessible to several more millions, we have nearly halved the prices,” said Kartik Johari, Vice President of Marketing and Commerce at Friend’s parent company Nobel Hygiene.
Celebrations coincide with the brand’s 4th annual Azadi Week, a testament to their 25-year commitment to destigmatising adult diapers in India. During Azadi Week, alongside regular campaigns on mainstream media, Friends’ 800+ member, pan-India, sales team engages in a series of awareness and educational activities such as bike rallies, free diabetes-testing camps, hospital and old-age home visits, etc. Every member of the Friends Diaper sales team also wears the diaper themselves as they go about their day, pulling up the corner of their shirt to proudly reveal this product to customers and retailers. This year, the 100+ members of Friends’ head office also joined the celebrations, sporting diapers to work on Diaper Day, Aug 7.
According to the last official number, urinary incontinence, or the involuntary and uncontrolled leakage of urine, affects over 5 crore Indians due to conditions such as diabetes, prostate issues, menopause, ageing, neurological disorders, obesity, etc. In a conversation over call, the brand shared horror stories of elders who often stop going to work, or even leaving their homes out of fear of not being able to make it to the toilet on time.
As Friends Diapers celebrates 25 years of leadership in the market, the brand remains a seminal voice for elders and elder care in India, where the current senior population is set to double by 2050.
“It is our hope that more citizens, and the government, will join us in making sure that every day is a day of azadi for those suffering from incontinence. It is only united effort that can bring change,” said Kamal Kumar Johari, Managing Director and Founder, Friends Adult Diapers.
Friends Diapers has a range of made-in-India pant-and-tape products for all sorts of incontinence, and are known for their superior quality, comfort, and protection.