Company Overview
BASF India is the Indian subsidiary of a German multinational chemical company also known as BASF, one of the largest companies to produce chemical products in the world. The portfolio includes chemicals, plastic, performance products, crop protection, energy, and petrochemicals. BASF India holds a portfolio that serves customers in both the public and the private sectors within South Asia, while innovation, sustainability, and value-added services remain the focus of its scope and mission.
Key leaders are Narayan Krishnamohan (CEO) and Prakash Karekar (CMO). The company is publicly listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange. In recent years, the revenue is estimated to be around 1.75 billion USD in India. The company’s corporate vision is to be a safe marketer and distributor of energy and petrochemical products while providing innovative sustainable solutions. “We create chemistry” is the company’s tagline.
Key Challenges
As with many large chemical manufacturers doing business in emerging markets, BASF India also has to address a number of challenges:
- BASF has a client base spanning all customer tiers and industries. This creates complexity in attempting to build targeted and relevant marketing plans.
- The company must comply with stringent environmental guidelines as well as increased expectations surrounding sustainability. This means ongoing development and innovation in more eco-efficient and responsible solutions.
- Having good digital reach is important when targeting audiences with long B2B decision cycles. BASF needs to remain highly visible and engaged with the online marketplace.
- Targeting rural and agricultural customers means that companies have to create content in local languages and local contexts. BASF needs to ensure it is always cognizant of its communications to a varied customer base.
Strategic Responses
BASF India has begun a range of strategic activities to address these challenges:
- BASF’s award-winning campaigns “Quantified Sustainable Benefits” and “Engineer” communicate its technical expertise and sustainability focus. “Innovate With Us” builds reinforcement of brand positioning with the identity of working collaboratively to solve problems with clients and partners focused on innovation.
- BASF has a robust presence on all major platforms and LinkedIn in particular is a tool for engagement. Its social media footprint includes a blend of spotlighting employee stories, social causes, technical messaging, and sustainability communication to generate trust with its brand.
- BASF has more than 200,000 keywords and significant web traffic as part of their SEO strategy to help drive visibility. E-commerce, a farmer app, and rich content marketing help develop access, engagement, and localized service for customers.
Results & Outlook
BASF India’s digital metrics are strong: organic traffic of over 500,000 a month, more than 200,000 organic keywords, and active followings, especially on LinkedIn. Their B2B and sustainability campaign awards have built brand reputation in technical and constructively based circles. Customer engagement and appeal have been greatly improved through their agriculture app, localized content, and online ordering support markets. Overall, BASF India has significant technical capabilities, has firmly positioned itself as a company of environmental sustainability, and appears poised to grow its business in the rising green, efficient chemical solutions.
Gireesh Sharma
Director, Manufacturing Industry