“Our agenda as brand Nutrela is to democratize wellbeing,” says Sandipan Ghosh, AVP Marketing for Ruchi Soya Group of Industries, Consumer Brands Division. Ghosh talks about the insights behind the brand’s latest tablespread offering, communicating to the consumers in their own space, plans to change brand dynamics and more…
Q] Given the rising health consciousness, how does the brand reach out to its consumers keeping this in mind?
Nutrela as a brand has always been present in the space of health and nutrition. We want to champion bringing health and nutrition to each and every meal in every home. Nutrela tablespread is our latest offering. We have consciously and effectively positioned it as a source of health nutrition in the vegetarian segment. We have coined a term called ‘zero moments of truth’ for the brand Nutrela. Consumers start experiencing the brand while they are kids. That is where we need to bring in the brand Nutrela; at later stages they will come across the various interfaces of offerings.
Q] The brand has not been aggressive on the digital front. Is this going to change, moving forward?
The digital medium has a key role as more youth, young adults or informed consumers reach this medium to get information. It is not that everyone is travelling and getting informed, but they have easy access to the Internet. We need to catch them there. Our primary media going forward is going to be digital and social media to influence youth choices to consider our brand.
Q] Nutrela’s tablespread offering has been positioned in the active-wellness food segment. Also, we are seeing a new launch after a long gap from the Nutrela stable. What were some of your research insights that led to the launch of your latest offering and what is the strategy used to reach out to your target audience?
Our tablespread offering was launched three months back, first in Mumbai then Pune, Gujarat and Ahmedabad. The brand positioning is ‘zyaada lagao bindaas khao’ ( spread it thick, guilt free).
We have activated outdoor and radio mediums and also a lot of experiential; we have taken the various usages of tablespread to interesting formats. The idea is to catch our audience where they are. We have a tie-up with PVR cinemas; all their popcorn is made with Nutrela tablespread; the popcorn holders are branded with PVR and Nutrela, and patrons are also given surprise redeemable coupons.
For brand Nutrela, we are present in the health and nutrition segment, our aim was to be present in the consumption pattern of consumers right from sun up to sundown. Tablespread is a product that is used widely. Our research showed up the products people are consuming currently as well as their unmet needs. The key fact that came out from our research was people nowadays consume food not with pleasure, but guilt in terms of how much fat/calories they are consuming. Here is where we wanted to bring about a paradigm shift and tell consumers that you enjoy your life and your food, we will take care of your health. The shift is all about zero cholesterol zero transfat.
Q] The brand has not been seen using traditional media in the recent past as its prime media. What are the plans going forward?
Everything starts with a brand objective, taking the brand to the next level. To do that, we need to come up with different kinds of offerings. We will be doing a lot of culinary classes which involve blending soya into different Indian cuisines to champion the versatility of the product. We will be doing 360-degree activation; giving consumers more choices. We need to be an interesting part of consumers’ daily lives; a brand that does this will be the winner. You need to be there where your consumer is, to provide the consumer an experience to touch and feel your brand. We are working on some new campaigns for mainstream media as well.
Q] How has the growth in vegetarianism proved advantageous to the brand? Does this also filter to smaller towns and cities?
We have been growing at 30%-35% Year-on- Year across cities, both urban and smaller cities. Consumers have started understanding the power of vegetarianism. Brand Nutrela will play a huge role in this, as we have pioneered the concept of soya food. Our agenda as brand Nutrela is to democratize people’s wellbeing.
Q] The company is into different verticals - edible oils, vanaspati, bakery fats, soya foods… how are each of the brands positioned in the various sub-categories and what were the insights behind positioning them there?
You need to work on brand architecture, and within this you create different value propositions. What is the brand essence, what are you talking about, what the brand DNA is. Every category has a different proposition. Soya chunks are a source of energy, tablespread is about fitness and active wellness… thereby, each and every offering going forward will have a well-defined proposition.
Q] Given two decades of experience in the global and domestic consumer segments, what are the significant trends you have observed?
Consumers are conscious about the quality of the product; this is critical. The brand promise today not only needs to stand out, but brands need to ensure they live up to the brand promise. Needless to say, consumers are increasingly aware; aesthetics has also become very important in purchase consideration. There has been an embrace of technology globally and in India. Health as a trend is up there in a consumer’s mind even in the impulse food and snacks segment.
Q] Having come on board in September, what are the changes you are planning to make in the brand dynamics?
Relooking at the brand architecture, this is the first step in our vision of taking Nutrela to every home and enhancing every meal. Also, addressing the ‘low hanging immediate needs’ as I call them, which is making the tablespread more accessible to the target group. With the soya chunks, the focus is sustenance and growth. The third focus is recruiting new consumers.
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