Beverages and snacks giant PepsiCo India has launched three new products this year in the Nutrition space. Deepika Warrier, Vice-President, Nutrition, PepsiCo India talks about how the brand is positioning these products as wholesome choices for young consumers looking for convenient and nutritious offerings
BY CHRISTINA MONIZ
Q] You have had three launches in the Nutrition portfolio this year. Tell us about your strategy behind these product launches.
It has indeed been a very interesting year for us with so many products being launched under PepsiCo’s Nutrition umbrella. In 2017 alone, we have introduced Quaker Nutri Foods ready-to-cook breakfast range, Tropicana Essentials functional juices and Quaker Oats + Milk, a unique grain dairy beverage. We are mainly targeting millennials and young consumers who lead a rushed lifestyle, and seek solutions to incorporate health and nutrition in their everyday routine. We have worked with Indian consumers’ need for convenience and on-the-go nutrition solutions to complement their time-pressed lifestyles. At the same time, consumers have been very clearly telling us that while they seek health and nutrition benefits, they will not compromise on taste. So we remain focused on delivering both nutrition and superior taste to consumers. We have successfully made India’s favourite breakfasts healthier with the Quaker Nutri Foods range –the range comprises Idli, Dosa, Upma and Poha with 40-56% Quaker oats. Then we have the Tropicana Essentials range of functional juices tailor-made to address deficiencies in the diet and lifestyle of urban consumers, with variants such as Fruit & Veggie, and Iron. The Quaker Oats+Milk, is a first-of-its kind grain and dairy beverage in a unique, tasty offering. We have been focused on availability, stand out visibility in-store and trial generation for these new platforms and the response so far is encouraging.
Q] Take us through the insight behind the new Quaker Real Fit campaign.
Our newest campaign for Quaker – ‘Fuel for the Real Fit’, celebrates young Indians doing regular jobs like a teacher or a doctor, who effortlessly multitask each day, and establishes Quaker as the fuel that gives them the energy to do more. Oats are a huge source for sustained energy through the day and through our campaign, we highlight how Quaker fits in perfectly with the hectic lifestyle led by millennials. We have employed a 360-degree campaign across traditional, broadcast and digital media. We kicked off the campaign with two powerful films that redefine the idea of ‘real fit’, defining it as going beyond physical aspects. The first film showcases a day in the life of a playschool teacher who does countless sit-ups and bends as she takes care of a class full of toddlers, and she is the ‘real fit’ icon for her boundless energy and enthusiasm, with Quaker being the fuel that keeps her going. The second film showcases a doctor in an Emergency Room, who keeps going through various stressful situations, and has the energy to comfort a patient’s family even as he works through a 24-hour work day. Several A-list celebrities and influencers such as Chef Vikas Khanna, Rana Daggubati, Disha Patani, R Madhavan and Tiger Shroff have also lent support to this campaign while speaking about their ‘real fit’ icons on their social media handles. With this campaign, we want to change the way people perceive ‘real fitness’ and the response from consumers has been encouraging.
Q] What kind of media mix are you using for your newly launched products?
For Quaker Nutri Foods and Tropicana Essentials, we have carried out extensive sampling to consumers across modern trade, e-commerce, and on-ground channels, in addition to sustained social media campaigns to build strong consumer engagement and relevance. We also leveraged traditional media, as needed. For Quaker Oats+Milk, we have used a mix of television and digital media, keeping in mind the young consumers that we are targeting. In addition, we have used extensive sampling to familiarize consumers with the product benefits. In keeping with the consumers we are targeting, we have a 360-degree roll out plan for all our campaigns, encompassing digital, on-ground activations, radio, print and television depending on the geographies and target groups. Visibility in store and sampling is a critical part of the mix.
Q] Are there any markets that you will be focusing on in particular?
For Quaker, we target all metros and the South will remain our biggest market. For Tropicana Essentials and Quaker Oats+Milk, we are focusing on urban consumers in all the metros.
Q] Will you also be looking at smaller towns and cities?
We have seen a good response from all the major markets, and also on e-commerce channels. We are focused on establishing the new products in the metros and Tier I markets, before we take them to smaller towns and cities. Having said that, both Quaker and Tropicana are present in the smaller markets and enjoy good recall among consumers seeking nutritious options.
Q] There is an increasing awareness today about the harmful effects of added sugar and the need for healthier packaged foods. How do you ensure that the new PepsiCo products tick all the right boxes?
At PepsiCo India, we are moving towards a healthier portfolio as part of our ‘Performance with Purpose’ philosophy. We are working to reduce sugar in our products, with a goal that at least two-third of our portfolio will have less than 100 calories by 2025. More importantly, we are innovating and growing our nutrition portfolio to address consumers’ nutritional needs. We are targeting the breakfast and in-between meal needs through our Tropicana and Quaker portfolio. We are innovating with local flavours to make the products more exciting for Indian consumers. Some examples include Quaker Oats Chaat Style and Curry Magic flavours; and Tropicana Alphonso and Mosambi Delight. Our nutrition portfolio is our fastest growing category and we remain focused on expanding our play in this space.
Q] What, according to you, will drive the market for healthy, on-the-go breakfast products?
Today, rushed lifestyles combined with a growing recognition for health and wellness, are compelling consumers to look for convenient solutions that help them adopt nutrition into their daily routine. The breakfast space is a significant one as consumers seek to include more healthy choices at this time, versus the rest of the day when they feel less in control of what they consume. Both Quaker and Tropicana are flagship brands and are well poised to grow in India. We believe that convenience and nutrition credentials of products will be the growth drivers for the Nutrition category. On-the-go solutions will continue to drive consumption among these time-pressed consumers.
Q] Considering that you are targeting younger consumers, how are you using the Digital space to engage with them?
We are playing with several interesting formats in the Digital space. For example, for Quaker, our aim is to change consumer perception of ‘real fit’ and to do so, we have brought on board credible, influential voices of authority including nutritionists and Bollywood icons who are known for their fitness quotient (not just physical but also mental). We have also just rolled out a campaign for Teachers’ Day, amplifying the ‘Fuel for the Real Fit’ film that celebrates the devotion and dedication we have seen in our teachers.
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