Traya’s Dussehra game turns hair fall into a diagnosis problem

01 · The activation

Traya, the doctor-led hair loss brand, took its ‘understand before you treat’ message to Sri Ramlila Ground in Dwarka on 21 October. The venue, home to the tallest Ravana, was chosen for the Dussehra symbolism: ignorance is the real villain.

The brand set up an interactive bow-and-arrow game called ‘Andhere Mein Teer Mat Chalao’. Participants aimed at targets labelled with commonly blamed hair fall triggers—hard water, excessive oiling, pollution, stress and chemical salon treatments. The game drew a clear parallel between shooting arrows in the dark and cycling through shampoos, serums and DIY remedies without knowing the actual cause.

02 · The strategy

Winners received Traya kits tailored to their concerns. But the bigger draw was the free Traya Hair Test, complimentary scalp scans and one-on-one consultations with Traya Hair Coaches. That sequence mattered: the game educated, the assessment diagnosed, and the coach consultation personalised the follow-up.

Saloni Anand, co-founder of Traya, said the brand wanted to bring the conversation to life in a simple, interactive way. She added: ‘Understanding your hair fall is the first step towards addressing it.’

03 · Why it works

This is not a product ad wearing a festival costume. It is category education. Traya used Dussehra to reframe the buying decision from ‘which product should I try next?’ to ‘what is actually causing my hair fall?’ That position makes the brand the expert, not just another bottle on a crowded shelf.

Hair fall in women can be influenced by genetics, hormonal changes, nutritional deficiencies, stress and lifestyle patterns—and those causes differ from person to person. A bow-and-arrow game made that complex message accessible in minutes.

Traya’s funnel is a useful template for D2C brands that sell considered products. The consumer did not land on a discount; she landed on a diagnosis. That changes the psychology of the purchase from a leap of faith into a recommendation based on her own data.

• Use a familiar cultural symbol to make a sensitive topic approachable.
• Let an interactive game carry the message instead of a banner.
• Sequence the experience as educate, diagnose, sample and retain.
• Pair free sampling with a genuine assessment so the product feels prescribed, not pushed.

04 · The next test

The open question is measurement. On-ground activations can produce footfall and conversations, but Traya will need to show whether Dwarka visitors convert into consultations, repeat purchases or referrals. If they do, expect more D2C health and beauty brands to use festival moments for diagnosis-first marketing, not just product sampling.

Source: Campaign India

Mad About Marketing Desk The strategists and writers at Mad About Marketing, writing up what we see in the work every week.