With the problem of match timings being uttered in the same breath as the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, official snack partner Lay’s has spun it into an opportunity through its World Cup campaign in India. Rajiv Mathrani, Director & Category Marketing Head – Snacks, PepsiCo India talks about the idea and the brand’s strategy for the tournament
By Henna Achhpal
Q] Where did the idea for ‘Yeh Game Hi Hai…Taste Ka’ campaign originate?
The agencies had come up with several concepts for the World Cup campaign and we were researching them with consumers. That’s when the journey towards this campaign began. It is actually created by consumers. Usually, consumers’ responses are about what they like or don’t like. But one of the consumers cited the various excuses he would use to get out of regular situations to watch the World Cup. That is where we got the first thought for ‘Yeh Game Hi Hai…Taste Ka’.
Some brands pick up regular observations for their campaigns and some ride on context. We thought if the match timings are going to be the biggest talking point of the tournament, let’s convert the problem into an opportunity. It’s best to take what’s the trending thought in the youth’s mind and play with it. What you decide to do with the trending thought has to be interesting enough for it to become word of mouth. Since this particular problem was the biggest thought on their mind, we gave it a fun take and said: here’s a brand willing to talk about the problem and giving you a fun and quirky solution. That set the premise of this campaign.
Once we had done that, all our ideation revolved around how we could help consumers get closer to watching the matches. From a brand’s perspective, the best way to do it was to use Lay’s as a bait to lure people to get immersed in its taste and get out of the regular tough situations they are in and catch the matches live with their friends.
Q] What is the media mix for this campaign?
We started very early and will be continuing the campaign till the very end of the tournament, so we will be shifting our media mix as we go along. During the World Cup, we will have an extremely heavy presence on Digital. The campaign is spread across media platforms. The way we have scaled campaigns in the past, we have good learnings from them. It’s about customizing your message to the medium. What works on Television may not necessarily be the only thing that runs on Digital or Print. Some media are active, some are visual, some are reading platforms and some are interactive. You can’t just post something and say this is it. In terms of mixes, our spends on Digital have only been on the rise and this campaign will be skewed towards Digital. This time, our estimation is that the matches will be seen on second screens far more than in the past and that will only fuel the need for brands to be present more on personal screens than on Television. So we will be investing a big proportion to ensure that we catch the eyeballs of consumers on personal screens.
Q] What is unique about the campaign?
The campaign has multiple touch-points. We are strong believers of media-to-shelf marketing. It’s not enough to simply air one film and hope that it will do the trick for you. It is important to reach the consumer with the same messaging through various touch-points. In the case of this campaign, we are covering everything from advertising to on-ground activations to multi-screen presence. We are doing a lot of two-way interaction. It’s not just one-way communication. We have engaged a lot of consumers asking them for their excuses on how they will watch the World Cup this year and they have responded generously. Even during the tournament, the campaign is going to be far more interactive. To complete the picture of media-to-shelf, we are going right up to the packaging where all our packs will be carrying the World Cup messaging and contest opportunities.
Q] How do you plan to leverage Digital for this campaign?
Digital is not just another medium, it’s not just about taking your TVC and rolling it on your social media. It is about understanding the social media platforms which are far more engaging and interactive than any other form of media. We have given importance to using the core thought of the campaign and devising a social strategy around it versus taking one creative of Television and putting it on another medium. We are giving importance to Digital so that even people who are watching the World Cup on multi-screens, beyond Television, are engaged with the brand and the campaign, and get the chance to interact with the brand while the World Cup is on.
So far we have had the ‘Bahana Batao World Cup Jao!’ contest, asking consumers how they would get out of a situation. We also had ‘Game Ka Dushman’. We have many contests planned and one of them is a Digital ticket hunt. There is another innovation which we are keeping under wraps for now. Today, there isn’t much difference between on-ground and online activation. The activation that I’m talking about integrates on-ground with Digital.
Q] Lay’s India has continually associated itself with sports such as cricket and football. What are your comments on sports such as kabaddi and hockey gaining popularity?
It’s great news that other sports are gaining popularity. Our approach towards such properties is completely consumer-centric. It’s not as if we have some personal love for one sport or the othe;, cricket has been a mainstream sport for decades. Over the last few years, we have seen other emerging platforms. It’s great because more the platforms, more the play area for a brand to spin their campaigns around. It opens up more opportunities with different sports. For us, it’s not about one sport or the other, it’s about taking different platforms which the youth are associated with and activating them.
Q] In today’s Digital world, it’s imperative for a brand to be continually talking to the consumer. What is the approach of Lay’s India towards this?
Currently, we have the World Cup campaign running and it will run for a certain period of time. We’re activating a certain platform which is transient. The good news is that in the space that we operate in, the brands that we operate in, if not cricket, there’s some or the other news which is always on the mind of the consumer. We don’t use Digital only when a campaign is running. It’s important to ensure that there is continuous engagement. Once the tournament is completed, there will be some other trending thought or even if there is no trending thought, the engagement continues. It’s not about picking up the engagement only when a campaign is going on. Social media is the one medium that is constantly on. A consumer will spend as much time on social media today as he/she would in May, June or July. It doesn’t matter. Since for a consumer, the time spent on social is pretty much the same, whether there is a tournament or not, as a marketer I need to be talking to you, irrespective of anything. So it’s a never-switched-off medium.
ABOUT THE BRAND
Launched in 1995 in India, Lay’s is one of the marquee brands from PepsiCo India and has been known for offering flavours of the world along with Indian flavours. PepsiCo entered India in 1989 and has grown to become one of the largest food and beverage businesses in the country. Its beverage and snack food business is supported by 37 beverage bottling plants and three food plants. PepsiCo India’s portfolio includes brands such as Pepsi, Lay’s, Kurkure, Tropicana 100%, Gatorade and Quaker.
CMO FILE
As the Director & Category Marketing Head – Snacks, PepsiCo India, Rajiv Mathrani is responsible for building PepsiCo’s Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) strategy and creating business solutions for all regions to meet commercial objectives. He also leads the identification and development of new emerging platforms to spur disruptive business growth. Mathrani’s experience has encompassed senior marketing and distribution roles in the FMCG industry and various roles in the film-making industry.
MARKETING TIP
In today’s time, it’s important to customize your message to the medium.
FACTS
Creative Agency: JWT
Media Agency: Mindshare
PR Agency:Genesis Burson-Marsteller
Digital/Social Agency: Glitch
Feedback: henna@exchange4media.com
