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Looks
like remixes are the order of the day. Be it the plethora of music
video remixes that are dominating the small screen today or be it
Haldiram's latest Recipe Remix Campaign. In either case, an endeavor
has been made to reposition an old product through attractive packaging,
innovations and incentives that appeal to the consumer. With mouth
watering and tongue tingling names like 'Bhujiawich', 'Nut Cracker
Raita', 'Jor Garam Chaat', 'Corn Mix Cutlet', 'Bhujia Roll'; Haldiram's
seems to have struck the right cord in appealing to the consumers.
The
age old Haldiram's bhujia, which was originally perceived as a brand
for the 30+ age group, is looking to cater to the younger lot. The
conservative brand is now out with a 'Recipe Remix' campaign which
was conceived by its ad agency Profile Advertising (which took eight
months to convince the client to go ahead with the new campaign)
with a view to create a workable product extension for the packaged
goodies. With this campaign Haldiram's also hopes to form a long
term relationship with its existing and potential clientele.
The
new campaign with the tag line of 'Taste Mein Naya Twist' aims to
drive home the point that a whole lot of new, never-eaten-before
recipes can be created out of a single pack of namkeens, instead
of the only earlier option of just eating it simply out of the pack.
Talking
about the new campaign and more importantly the need for it, Profile
Advertising CEO Jiten Dhawan said, "Having worked in nurturing
the brand for almost 14 years, we felt it was time for Haldiram's
to realise the essential fact that, as a company it has been perceived
largely as a brand addressing the 35 years plus category. However,
with the introduction of packaged 'Chips' and other ready to eat
snacks in the pipeline, it was important for Haldiram's to be accepted
across the board in all age groups from four to 70 years."
Since kids are now becoming increasingly important in the household
decision making process and with pester power at its peak; targetting
the lower age segments, i.e. four - 30 years; who have had no regular
association with Haldiram's in the past seems to be the ideal thing
to do. The campaign for Haldiram's Chips has a tag line of 'Just
Munch Karo' and connect to all age groups.
The
soft launch of this new campaign was initiated in the first week
of January 2004 in both print and radio. What with the television
being expensive for advertising, Haldiram's has decided to stick
to print and radio for the time being at least. Another reason for
not coming up with a TVC (television commercial) as yet, was that
the company felt it was safer to do the first ever TVC for the brand
on a corporate note rather than the Remix campaign. Dhawan said,
"As of now we are using the radio and the press for three months
each. We have 160 seconds of commercial time on Radio Mirchi thrown
in with some Remix contests everyday. The ads are being published
in women centric magazines like Femina, Filmfare,
Cosmopolitan, Savvy, Meri Saheli and Grihshobha.
By the end of the month ads will also be placed in the publications
like Delhi Times and HT City. The Remix commercial
we guess, would now be stage two."
Talking
of budgets, the total ad spend initially allotted for the entire
campaign was approximately Rs 3-3.5 million. But to pitch against
teen favourite munchies like Lays, Kurkure, Lehar etc which advertise
heavily on television, Haldiram's sure does need to keep in mind
advertising on the idiot box. Dhawan elucidates, "Television
no doubt is an excellent medium. However you need to effectively
sustain it in conjunction with the press. Advertising per se has
to be consistent in order to derive results." Not now, but
later seems to be the agency's take on the TVC. "The Haldiram's
Chips film has been shot and will be released soon on television
and cinema. It uses the concept - 'Just Munch Karo' in a storyline
of a birthday party which the kids can easily identify with,"
says Dhawan.
The
Haldiram's Chips product was initially perceived to be a brand for
the 30+, but a conscious effort is being made by the client and
the agency to change the target group to 18+, which was exactly
what was done through the Chips ad campaigns in the Delhi Times,
HT City and radio spots. "We were very clear with the client
that he should not suddenly expect kids in the 4+ segment to switch
loyalties from other brands. And so long as we continued to initiate
trials amongst the kids, with their mothers bringing in the packs
home, we were sure the slow and steady approach of see, feel and
try the product would eventually work in sync with the next campaign
exclusively targetted to the kids, starting off with a film,"
said Dhawan.
Haldiram's
goodies have been in the market since the last 20 years or so and
has always had a low key affair as it concentrated more on dealers
and below the line activities, without giving much thought to advertising.
It is only since the last three or four years that they have really
started spending and allocating some monies towards advertising.
For
the new Recipe Remix campaign, the key was to implement it with
a restricted budget by using Haldiram's existing outlets with large
footfalls as a trial base, by allocating separate Recipe Remix counters
within each outlet to initiate trials amongst the walk-ins. Secondly,
the makers made sure that there was constant and extendable customer
interaction with the brand. Said Dhawan, "We ensured customer
interaction by letting them recreate their own innovative Recipe
Remixes out of any of the Haldiram's Namkeens who in return could
get a chance to win up to three gift vouchers of Rs 2,500 each from
Haldiram's every month. And only after that there would be a quantum
change in the brand perception and product acceptance."
All
the innovative Recipe-Remixes have been worked out by Haldiram's
chefs and sold at the Recipe Remix counter at Haldiram's besides
being showcased in the take-one leaflets placed at the Haldiram's
outlets, in magazines and press ads. The attractive press ads that
have been developed around the Haldiram's goodies especially the
Chips sends across the message that the chips can be munched anytime
and anywhere.
Profile
Advertising which has been handling the Haldiram's for almost 14
years has a perfect understanding of the client and their product
categories. Says Dhawan, "We understand the client to such
a great extent that we are almost given a free hand now to steer
the communication stance. And the tone has been primarily 'Hinglish'
from the very beginning." With
new upmarket packaging and a logo reduced in size of the Haldiram's
Chips package, the company is essentially targeting the 18+ years
by giving them newer innovative ways of accepting the product.
Expectation
are particularly high on two counts with regard to the new Recipe
Remix campaign. Firstly, increased consumption within the existing
segments of 35+ and secondly, an entirely newer experimental clientele
base of 4+ which has been averse to accepting and eating namkeens
straight out of the pack.
Dhawan
says, "Ideally, besides a change in brand perception, this
concept would also create an acceptability of the brand within the
lower age segments, which it definitely requires, to further help
with the launches of Funchees (Cheese Balls), Ticklers (Potato Sticks)
and Taka-Tak (Kurkure) which are in the pipeline."
Changes
in the Namkeen packaging are also being looked at wherein behind
each pack there would be a Recipe Remix. Haldiram's have left no
stones unturned in advertising their product. As of now, Haldiram's
has created Recipe Remix counters within four outlets in Delhi and
Gurgaon to test market the concept and let the walk-in customers
sample and buy two Recipe Remixes each week. "There will be
approximately 20,000 footfalls through which there will be a sizeable
visibility and awareness everyday. Also danglers and leaflet dispensers
are being initiated at the 'A' category retail outlets in Delhi
and NCR regions to start with," says Dhawan.
Although
it is too early and premature to gauge the campaign's effect on
the actual increase in the overall sales of Namkeens packs, it does
seem that this one might just do well. Not just due to the new campaign
or incentives provided by the company but simply because Haldiram's
has been a trusted name in the market for over two decades now.
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