 "Del Monte: Packing a fruit punch")
A new digital video campaign of processed food and beverage brand Del Monte is a cheeky prod directed at the viewer to reject packaged juices and embrace the can. And who better than desi rapper Baba Sehgal to advertise this with a minute-long song - a mellow throwback to his '90s fare - that also takes a swipe at rival brands?
The core message of the video as well as the hashtag accompanying it is simply "Don't be a sucker", mocking people content with sipping juice through a straw. It is not unusual for an ad in this category of products to lay stress on the very simple act of drinking (remember Piyo Sar Utha Ke by Coca-Cola, which played on national sentiments through expressions of patriotic pride). Using a straw to drink then would seem unmanly, compared to the more assertive posture of the head facing up while gulping down a can.
According to Yogesh Bellani, chief executive of FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd, which sells beverages under the Del Monte brand, the social media posts and the Baba Sehgal video both urge consumers, in a light-hearted way, to "look beyond the regular mango and orange drinks".
Through this campaign, Del Monte wants to position itself as the "preferred brand of the conscious and smart buyers", focusing on its "unique flavours and the can" as the differentiators to stand out among other contenders.
The thrust on smart buying also reflects the background of Del Monte and its absence among mass market players, as it has initially concentrated on a more niche category as a business-to-business (B2B) supplier in the hospitality industry.
"Today we have progressed with a prominent B2C (business-to-consumer) presence through modern and general trade. Both B2B and B2C contribute an equal share to Del Monte's revenue. We are getting a good response from both the segments and continue to grow with them," Bellani adds.
Within the beverages industry, the packaged juices market is considered to be one of the fastest growing categories as it recorded a compound annual growth rate of over 30 per cent during 2003-12. The Indian packaged juices market is estimated at Rs 8,000-9,000 crore with its three sub-categories of fruit drinks, juices and nectar drinks. Growing health-consciousness is urging consumers to veer to fruit juices. Del Monte is among the new players in a market led by Dabur and PepsiCo.
Luring people with cans may not be an easy task, as the low-cost aseptic packaging is preferred by consumers and manufacturers alike.
Indrajeet Bose, creative executive director of Wunderman International, the ad agency that conceptualised the campaign, explains, "Del Monte fruit drinks are clearly a challenger that needs to be edgier and more experimental than established brands. With this as the background, the client pointed out that drinking from either a bottle or a Tetra Pak package involves sucking a straw, while cans can be consumed in larger gulps. The other insight that emerged was that we Indians tend to follow a herd mentality rather than think for ourselves. Could such conventional thinking be turning us into 'suckers'? The rest was just a matter of connecting the dots."
The campaign, which broke in early May, also focused on social media with Facebook and Twitter posts.
Asked about the choice of Sehgal, who has been away from the limelight, Bose says, "It was a all-round nod when we said Baba Sehgal in the conference room. We were discussing tapping influencers like Baba Sehgal on Twitter, when we suggested using him for what he does best. We were sure he fits the bill with his sarcastic humour and unique take on things. Our intent was to dial up the brand's point of shunning herd mentality, which means making context the hero."
The core message of the video as well as the hashtag accompanying it is simply "Don't be a sucker", mocking people content with sipping juice through a straw. It is not unusual for an ad in this category of products to lay stress on the very simple act of drinking (remember Piyo Sar Utha Ke by Coca-Cola, which played on national sentiments through expressions of patriotic pride). Using a straw to drink then would seem unmanly, compared to the more assertive posture of the head facing up while gulping down a can.
According to Yogesh Bellani, chief executive of FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd, which sells beverages under the Del Monte brand, the social media posts and the Baba Sehgal video both urge consumers, in a light-hearted way, to "look beyond the regular mango and orange drinks".
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He says, "The #Dontbeasucker campaign idea is aimed at those who follow the herd or norms without a question and stick to default choices. To them we want to say 'think about your choices, explore the unknown, the unfamiliar and you might be pleasantly surprised with what you discover'."
Through this campaign, Del Monte wants to position itself as the "preferred brand of the conscious and smart buyers", focusing on its "unique flavours and the can" as the differentiators to stand out among other contenders.
The thrust on smart buying also reflects the background of Del Monte and its absence among mass market players, as it has initially concentrated on a more niche category as a business-to-business (B2B) supplier in the hospitality industry.
"Today we have progressed with a prominent B2C (business-to-consumer) presence through modern and general trade. Both B2B and B2C contribute an equal share to Del Monte's revenue. We are getting a good response from both the segments and continue to grow with them," Bellani adds.
Within the beverages industry, the packaged juices market is considered to be one of the fastest growing categories as it recorded a compound annual growth rate of over 30 per cent during 2003-12. The Indian packaged juices market is estimated at Rs 8,000-9,000 crore with its three sub-categories of fruit drinks, juices and nectar drinks. Growing health-consciousness is urging consumers to veer to fruit juices. Del Monte is among the new players in a market led by Dabur and PepsiCo.
Luring people with cans may not be an easy task, as the low-cost aseptic packaging is preferred by consumers and manufacturers alike.
Indrajeet Bose, creative executive director of Wunderman International, the ad agency that conceptualised the campaign, explains, "Del Monte fruit drinks are clearly a challenger that needs to be edgier and more experimental than established brands. With this as the background, the client pointed out that drinking from either a bottle or a Tetra Pak package involves sucking a straw, while cans can be consumed in larger gulps. The other insight that emerged was that we Indians tend to follow a herd mentality rather than think for ourselves. Could such conventional thinking be turning us into 'suckers'? The rest was just a matter of connecting the dots."
The campaign, which broke in early May, also focused on social media with Facebook and Twitter posts.
Asked about the choice of Sehgal, who has been away from the limelight, Bose says, "It was a all-round nod when we said Baba Sehgal in the conference room. We were discussing tapping influencers like Baba Sehgal on Twitter, when we suggested using him for what he does best. We were sure he fits the bill with his sarcastic humour and unique take on things. Our intent was to dial up the brand's point of shunning herd mentality, which means making context the hero."