Summary
How we won the whole year with a single day
Challenge
Daawat needed to break this inertia without breaking the bank. So, to build preference for the brand this year, we decided to not play the sov game. But play the "single malt way". Taking a cue from liquor brands, where preference often travels down the portfolio from premium offerings; we pivoted the brand to focus on the premium end of rice: BASMATI. And the toughest battle for a basmati was that of winning preference for BIRYANI. Packaged rice market in India is consolidated. India Gate leads the market followed by Daawat. Gaining share is difficult as rice is often a habit and choice is driven by preference. Gaining market share was critical for business growth as the leader brand was pushing to strengthen its position.
Objective
From the humble dal chawal…to the great Indian thali. Rice has special place across our culture & cuisine. So much so that each state has its very own take on rice. In fact, India consumes 11 million tons of packaged rice each year, that's 11.9 Billion dollars (USD). But this everydayness of Rice also created the biggest challenge for rice brands: preference… Specially if you are the number 2 brand: Daawat. Like any commodity, rice is difficult to distinguish from one brand vs the other. Most brands mirror category codes of "long grain", khila khila etc to create a sea of sameness, failing to nudge consumers to switch. Consumers remain in their inertia and choice is often to continue whatever has been coming in the kitchen. For them, just the presence of rice in a meal is enough. And this indifference comes in the way of building preference. Gaining share even by a few basis points was difficult. Unless brands were committed to outspend competition consistently. Share of voice was often the driver of share plate. Which made it expensive for brands to hold onto success.
Strategy
Approaching preference building the single malt way meant talking to connoisseurs. And when it comes to basmati, the biggest rice connoisseurs are Biryani cooks & biryani lovers. Biryani is India's first love. In fact, it's the most ordered dish online. And with each state having its own version of a biryani, the love for it cuts across the cultural fabric of India. Most biryani lovers are deeply passionate about their favorite version of a biryani. And they pay active attention to what rice is being used for their biryani. In fact, biryani cooks & connoisseurs actively engage in choosing the rice brand. This gave us our window to build preference via their passion. Insight: In fact, winning the scrutiny of those cooking a biryani and winning the sanction of those eating it almost makes a brand, the top-of-mind everyday rice too… So, when all others were focused on "commodity" codes, we decided to focus on the connoisseur way of selling rice and win the everyday rice war by winning the battle of biryani. How did we do that? We knew the DAAWAT's quality was enough to win-over the cook's scrutiny. But before that, it needed to win over the hearts of biryani connoisseurs. For it's the connoisseurs that the cooks make biryani for. Winning them over wasn't going to be easy. We had to talk like one of them and give them what they needed the most: A LEGITIMATE EXCUSE TO INDULGE IN BIRYANI. And a way to celebrate their love for it. Like valentine's day is an excuse and day to express your love.
Data
This case demonstrates 2 key points: How to win in commodity market through premiumization and build lasting salience by connecting with their audience. How brands can create their own moment in pop culture to gain permeance in minds of consumers. Rice is a commodity and building a brand is tricky. Most brands rely on heavy spends but salience is fleeting. Daawat overcame this challenge by doing something unique i.e. instead of creating an ad, it created a day, riding on India's love for biryani.
Solution
Results
BIRYANI DAY BECAME A SMASHING HIT. India was waiting for Biryani Day and we gave them one successfully. Our task was to help the brand gain salience but not via an ad campaign. Indian poured out their love for biryani on stories and indulged unabashedly in their favorite dish. The ip gave us lasting salience amongst biryani lovers while cleverly showcasing the quality & versatility of our rice.
