Now, get, set and Bingo!

Ravi Naware, the dynamic CEO of ITC foods tells the inside story of how marketing whiz kids at ITC made Bingo a spectacular success in 2007

Whether venturing into new segments like Whether venturing into new segments like snacks through Bingo or revealing innovative products like Aashirvaad Organic Spices, ITC Foods has kept its food kettle boiling this year. This was supported by aggressive ad and marketing campaigns. Little wonder that in such a short span of time ITC’s Bingo has managed to shake market leader PepsiCo out of its slumber by capturing a 16% market share of the organised branded snack food market. In an exclusive interaction with 4Ps B&M, Ravi Naware, CEO, ITC Foods, shares what were Bingo’s initiatives and the company’s plans for 2008.

What was the initiative behind Bingo campaign?
We wanted to launch an innovative product, I mean the snacking segment was growing at a fast pace, but we didn’t want to launch a ‘me-too’ product. Since Bingo was a very innovative product in terms of its flavors & taste, we wanted the ad campaigns also to be very innovative.

And how did you make them different from the others?
The quality of the products was our prime focus, which we wanted to convey but in a very humorous way. The fun factor was there in all the ads and at the same time we wanted to convey that Bingo was for the masses from across the country. So if one ad was targeted towards Leh-Ladakh, then the other was for the Gujjus.

Compared to the other products in the market, how do you think Bingo was positioned?
Before launching Bingo, we researched for a few years. Our primary research helped us to know what consumers exactly want from snacks. We combined wide variety of taste with the chips and we also made them innovative through their layout & packaging. This made Bingo totally different from the products available in the market.

This year, you have also roped in Rakhi Sawant for Mint-O-Fresh. How do you think she matches with other brand ambassadors of ITC Foods like Shahrukh and Sachin?

I think, the job of a brand ambassador is to convince and connect people with the product. And Shahrukh and Sachin having a mass appeal did actually help to uplift our products. But at the same time, we wanted to establish different brands and hence our brand ambassadors remain different. For Mint-O-Fresh, Rakhi was roped in as she has a youthful image that is required to push a mint product.

What’s next for 2008?

In 2008, for sure we will be venturing into some of new segments within the food division itself. We will also be enhancing our existing business portfolio. We will be launching Benevita Flexseed Biscuit & many other innovative products.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist)