A few years ago, if you ask anybody
in India about a cookie, they will better point their fingers towards Britannia
Good Day. Yes. Good Day was a synonym for cookie in India. But there is a
significant shift happening in the industry. The consumer awareness and
affinity to cookies have increased. This
has made the cookie industry exciting for the biscuit marketers across the
country. In the approximately Rs 300 billion biscuit industry the cookie
segment accounts for around 30 percent share at Rs 90 billion. Biscuit giants
like Parle, Britannia, ITC and a host of players are targeting this market very
aggressively. The market is dominated by Britannia’s Good Day and Parle’s Hide
& Seek. A relatively late entrant
UNIBIC is also there in the race for the pie in the market.
UNIBIC which came to India had a
rough patch for around 10 years. It suffered lackluster response from the
customers as well as internal issues which made the company lag behind
competitors. Although the brand is home to a wide array of products like
biscuit, cookie and snack bar, I strongly believe that brand equity is
still at stake.
The product portfolio of UNIBIC
is varied. A glance into their website exposes you to around 30 different
cookie and snack bar variants spanning across 8 different categories. It stands
out of the competition in terms of product design (design resembles a handmade
cookie) and innovation. They a few years back launched the Chywanprash variant
which was later pruned out. Their appetite in understanding consumer palate is
unmatched as now they have launched a Meetha Paan variant of the snack bar. The fate
of the variant is yet to be decided but the innovative spirit is commendable. In
order to tap the rural market, the company also have Rs.10 packs in the kitty
which is on par with the competition. Have quality products but yet to grab a lion’s
share of the market? Quite interesting? I feel that barring product they failed in
building the brand. The glad news is that they are now the market leader (as claimed
by the company) in the snack bar category.
UNIBIC
follows a brand building strategy which is I think is long term in nature. On
looking at distribution they have now a presence in around 3, 00,000 outlets
across the country. Is it enough? Their institutional selling is strong as they
have partnered with Retail Chains, IT Firms, banks, Corporates, Government
Organizations, Caterers, Hotels, Hospitals, and Educational Institutions, etc. The
major institutional clients include Indian Railways and a lot more. The company
is also expanding its business to North India and planning for a new facility
in North India ensuring a pan – India presence. But I doubt the positioning of
the brand. On brand equity terms do the brand enjoy high brand awareness? The
product placement in the retail chains, bus waiting shed branding as well as
bill boards are truly attractive. Can they contribute more than salience?
UNIBIC is still sold mostly in bundled packages which can induce consumer trial
but the product imagery may get affected over a period of time. The
Segmentation of UNIBIC goes like this. Cookies are primarily for kids, the
digestive range of biscuits are for the middle-aged segment and the sugar-free
cookies are for old people. The snack bar is for pan – Indian consumers.
On
marketing communication the brand has adopted myriad ways to connect with the
customers. The brand has connected with the customers over outdoor media as
well as TV and digital. To promote Unibic's cookies and snack bars, the company
teamed up with influencers across Instagram and also partnered with Shilpa
Shetty Kundra's YouTube channel in a bid to promote their digestive cookie
offering. Product activation was also done during events like Puri Jagannatha
Yathra. All these have helped in enhancing secondary association. In 2016 brand
started using UBU mascot in their campaigns. It has gained appreciation from
all corners of the industry. With UBU the brand tries to be lively and friendly
personality. The UBU and other campaigns across social media platforms like Facebook
and Instagram earned a lot of followers. But in gaining an emotional connection I
strongly believe the brand miss a celebrity endorser. In a highly competitive
market, it is very important for a brand to have a strong secondary association
which a celebrity can provide. A brand is more than a product. So a strong
emotional connect can enhance brand equity. I also believe that UNIBIC can
follow a cause-related marketing campaign which can also create a strong
association.
Anyway,
UNIBIC with the high-quality product portfolio they have will surely become a
challenger in the market in the near future.
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