What’s The Nation’s Blue-Eyed Boy
WASEEM BADAMI
Got To Do With Hemani Herbal?
If you are even remotely health-conscious and often find yourself on a lookout for unadulterated natural products to take care of your skin, hair, immune system and overall wellbeing inside out, you sure are well acquainted with the prestigious organic healthcare brand – Hemani Herbal, established since 1949.
The brand’s tall elegant bottle of premium rose water encased in an exquisite wooden box was quite the best discovery for the raahat-o-taskeen of my oily skin and tired eyes. Their prettily named ‘Silver Needle Green Tea’ is awfully refreshing and aromatic to the point of addiction!
So when I recently got lucky enough to have received these two rather unusual gifts, oozing out nothing less than royalty with the label Waseem Badami (Hemani), my curiosity got the better of me and took my editor self to Pakistan’s most loved TV anchor to finally learn how this one-of-a-kind collaboration came about…
The minute he walks in with that infectious amiable air about him, the tone is set – he speaks at length as that is what he does better than any of us and we listen, star-struck; intently…
I have always been of an experimental nature.
I keep telling myself, there’s no harm in trying out new things and venturing into untapped venues every now and then. I mean how else do you know what would work for you right?
Back in the days, no newscasters hosted shows. I went ahead and did so.
From being a show host, I became a Current Affairs and Budget Transmissions Anchor.
Then from there I went on to host sports and entertainment alongside comedians.
Shan-e-Ramzan too was a major experimental step on my part.
So while juggling around varied projects on an individual basis has quite been the trend of my professional life so far, joining hands with a brand never crossed my mind, had it not been for the Late Junaid Jamshed (may he rest in peace) as he was the one who planted the idea of me collaborating with Hemani Herbal, and not just in my head but theirs too!
Before that, I was hesitant of any such association simply because the performance of the brand’s products could directly reflect on my reputation and I couldn’t bring myself to trust anyone with that.
So the story is such that one fine day, before a launch event of Hemani Herbal, Junaid bhai earnestly suggested how I should join hands with the renowned brand as he himself is an avid user of their range and swears by it, and I on the other hand has been on very close terms since long with the Hemani family, settled in Dubai. Their product range is manufactured in Pakistan and Poland and sold worldwide physically and via e-commerce.
Funnily enough I took it in another way. I thought Junaid bhai wanted me to speak to the brand owners to see if they’d like to team up with his own brand – J. To add to the injury, I even announced so on the stage as a passing proposition as to how remarkable the collaboration of two religiously sensible and widely regarded brands like Hemani and J. would turn out to be!
After the launch, I ran into Junaid bhai again. He said u didn’t talk to them yet, but I already did. So embarrassed I was, convinced that the Hemani family would obviously think I asked him to propose this idea, someone who met them just then as opposed to my ties of years with their household.
Why me? He asked…
When the deal got real, and I was finally on board having initiated an all-new, truly high-end, niche and premium range of natural, organic healthcare products, I asked why me? Why not a Katrina or a Mehwish?
I was then briefed about the kind of credibility and personality my name is bringing to the brand. Since Hemani Herbals and now especially the more exclusive range – Waseem Badami by Hemani is not just mere oral beauty products but a complete way of healthy lifestyle from organic edibles such as our honey imported from Bulgaria to our premium rose water and green teas that you have personally tried by now and vouch for!
He fully vouches for it!
Therefore, I am not just endorsing the brand in the capacity of a brand ambassador or a brand partner but more so as the one who fully owns up to the ideology of embracing mother nature like Hemani Herbal has, since decades now.
It has now been a year and half since the Waseem Badami by Hemani range has hit the market with more than 70 unique products and is available across Pakistan at all of our retail outlets including kiosks. Our only presence is at DarazPK, Amazon and Ebay.
The importance of online marketing…
Even though our focus is more on retail outlets, it’s high time we be more aggressive in the sphere of online marketing. Our online sales figures are such that while Karachi is still the number 1 selling city for our range, Quetta comes right after! Surprising it was. We even get orders from FATA. We are taking our brand to Dubai this month and then Orlando soon this year.
Free Consultancy being offered at WB Stores…
Cosmetologists are offering free consultancy to walk-in customers across Karachi at our outlets regardless of you having bought our products or not. The availability timings and names of these consultants – all are shared on our social media on a regular basis. The facility is soon getting to other cities of Pakistan as well.
His organic picks…
Some of the exclusive herbal formulations are developed by Mr. Hemani too as he is a renowned herbalist himself. My favorite edibles being the stevia chocolates which are sugar-free, pure honey from Bulgaria, organic peanut butter, homemade jam and coconut chips! Then the Beard Shampoo is what I like picking from our men’s care range on and off among others.
Chances of getting into acting and/or politics…
While I’d like to be an actor, I know for a fact I will only be making a joke out of myself and be awful at it, so I’d rather just let that be. I have had a role where I am candidly playing myself in the hit movie WAAR though, if you recall, but that’s all.
Far more than acting, I am clear & sure about never joining politics even though I have been offered a seat in the senate as unfortunately one cannot survive in this field without having to lie incessantly.
Coming back to Wasim Badami by Hemani, I’d like to conclude how we are bringing the purity and richness of daadi maa k totkay back in trend as a lifestyle!
