By Amit Bapna |

February 7, 2023 | 3 min read

An emotive true story about overcoming cancer is the focus of the online pharmacy brand Netmeds new campaign as it pushes its dominance in the burgeoning e-pharmacy market.

‘The Girl in Red Lipstick’, created by Grey Group India, coincides with World Cancer Day and aims to inspire cancer sufferers to keep fighting against the disease.

Netmeds, which was acquired by Reliance Retail Ventures in 2020, as a part of the retail giant's expansion plans, is positioned as 'India ki Pharmacy' or the pharmacy of India.

E-pharmacies are a burgeoning market in India and the category has started its journey of consolidation with players like Netmeds getting active with their marketing activity.

India's online pharmacy market is predicted to experience rapid growth due to a combination of increased medical spending by consumers and growth in mobile internet and digital penetration. Reports predict the market will see 40% growth annually.

Shantanu Saha, the chief marketing officer, Pharma Business at Reliance Retail, says the brand plans to increase its value through authentic storytelling.

"Netmeds is an empathetic intermediary, and we have many humane stories to tell. These are stories we are exposed to daily from our delivery staff, frontline staff and our network of family, friends and colleagues. We wanted to share these stories of healing, courage, wellness & hope through the medium of short stories with real-life protagonists.

"This World Cancer Day, we share the story of Anchal Sharma. A story of sheer grit, positivity and the willpower to want to live life and spread hope on her terms. It sits well with our Brand Purpose, which is to provide genuine medicines at a reasonable price and on time. By doing this, we attempt to help deliver, in our own small way, wellness and hope to everyone across the whole nation. We are, after all, 'India ki Pharmacy'," says Saha.

The nearly 3-minute film is inspired by the true story of a cancer fighter Anchal Sharma who is shown spreading the message of happiness and positivity, despite being a cancer patient herself.

The film shows Anchal Sharma using red lipstick to reaffirm her courage and strong will to fight the struggles of cancer treatment. During these challenging times, she continues to hold her head high and used lipstick to spread positivity among other fighters.

Sandipan Bhattacharyya, managing director & chief creative officer, Grey Group India, says the film aims to spread a very crucial message for cancer fighters and caregivers #silencecancernotthefight

"It's a story that needs to be shared so we all can get a bit of her courage and that incredible zest for life," he says.

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