"Who says housewives are boring? If only we could put a camera when they are with their friends... Husbands will be shocked," says R Balki, chief creative officer, Lowe Lintas. Balki is referring to the four commercials his team has conceptualised for Britannia 50-50’s new product, Snackuits, which claims to bridge the gap between biscuits and snacks.
Lowe Lintas took three days to shoot the commercials featuring three naughty, cheerful housewives travelling in an autorickshaw savouring their tittle-tattle. "The main challenge for my team was to keep the conversation between the women real and around Snackuits," Balki recounts.
Snackuits was a challege not only Balki and team, but also for Britannia Industries, which is an established player in the Rs 7,000-crore salty snacks or the savory market with products such as 50-50, Time Pass and NutriChoice.
"People these days are extremely health-conscious. Snackuits is baked and has zero fats. But to make people aware of the fact that this product is healthy is really tough especially when there are several players coming up with something similar every other day," says Shalini Degan, Category Director, Delight & Lifestyle, Britannia Industries.
Some identical products which carried the "baked" tag, such as Marico Saffola’s Zest and Parle Monaco’s Smart Chips, were pulled off the shelves because they did not do well in the market.
But Degan is optimistic about Snackuits, which is available in three different flavours - Swiss Cheese & Chilly, Chinese Hot &Sweet and Italiano Pizza. "With Snackuits in its kitty, the company aims to get 15% additional revenue," Degan says, adding that the growth rate of the savoury baked snacks market is about 20% per annum.
About the difference between 50-50 Snackuits and their NutriChoice Multigrain Thins (also a baked product, launched few months back), Degan says: "The consumer base for both the products are different. While 50-50 is an Rs 450-crore growing brand, the latter is relatively new." Snackuits is a product line extension of the main brand, Degan points out.
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The company, which is already selling Snackuits in the North, West and East, plans to roll it out in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala later this month. A 30 gm packet is available for Rs 10, while for a 50 gm air-tight container, one will have to pay Rs 20.
According to the Euro monitor International data 2011, Britannia leads the savoury baked snacks market with a market share of 36.5%, followed by Parle (26.5%) and Surya Food and Agro pvt (10.8%). The company launched 50-50 in 1993 and because of its youthful appeal it became the leader of the category with more than one-fourth of the market share. In 2001, Maska Chaska was launched from the 50-50 portfolio and it became an instant success with everyone.