MAM
Local, corporate & digital is Kinetic India’s OOH plan
NEW DELHI: The Covid2019 pandemic seems to have hit some industries harder than others, including events, experiential and out of home (OOH). The OOH industry saw a good year in 2019. According to the FICCI-KPMG report, the industry witnessed a growth of five per cent to reach a size of Rs 34 billion. Kinetic India managing director Ajay Mehta says that the unlock phases have seen over 149 new clients coming back to the OOH space.
He says that during lockdown the conversation has become localised such as residential areas (high-rises with digital OOH), the local kirana store, the nearby grocery and retailer, etc. “Very interestingly from 1 June onwards – data shows that grocery impacts exceeded pre-Covid2019 numbers. This can be attributed to changed buying behaviour exhibited by audiences. Post-July, we are seeing increased traffic on the roads and this is being recognised by advertisers and a few large-scale campaigns have started or are starting,” he adds.
As India continues to battle this grim pandemic – Kinetic India is focussing its medium-term on five pillars. “We call it LoCDAT which stands for local – corporate – digital – airports – tier 2/3,” Mehta highlights.
Explaining the five pillars, he shares, “Localise your campaigns – focus on hyperlocal targeting in and around the residential areas, which will continue to remain the key focus. As workplaces continue to open and people return to corporate offices they will gain an enhanced prominence in the new-normal as they are a unique touchpoint to connect with usually hard to target audience. Digital OOH – which has the highest reach for targeting 25-45-year olds across China will see greater investments in India as well. Moving towards the programmatic for digital OOH will be critical for this medium to deliver ROI – which continues to remain largely missing in the traditional OOH space.”
Advertisers, including FMCG, automobile and BFSI, have used the medium heavily during the pandemic. “The FMCG industry has seen the launch of over three dozen new products during this lockdown period in the cleaning and disinfectant category amongst others. Personal mobility has assumed prominence with car brands back on OOH with long-term investments. BFSI with products having guaranteed returns is also present on OOH. Media brands are also back in a meaningful manner,” says Mehta.
Mehta shares that the months of June-July generally witness a seasonal dip on account of a few brands fearing increased costs due to flex tears due to the monsoons. He says: “However, the brands which decide to be present on OOH during this period are able to achieve an enhanced share of voice and cut-through. However, it is heart-warming to see the rate at which clients are coming back to OOH since the declaration of Unlock 1.0. Multiple notable brands with contextualised creatives and success stories on OOH have shown the way for other brands to emulate.”
As consumer habits have had a sea-change during this COVID2019 pandemic, the company expects mass brands to focus on OOH across the length and breadth of India. “As tier II and III cities open up faster on account of a lower Covid2019 infection rate, multiple brands especially in the FMCG, insurance and mobility (including four and two-wheeler) space are making their presence felt on OOH. Apart from these other categories like media including OTT, home improvement, mobile handsets, computers,” he shares.
The industry in the past has suffered due to a lack of unified measurement system, but lately many big players have invested heavily to bring transparency. Kinetic India had recently announced IOM (India on the move), an in-house developed tool which understands the audience traffic pattern and helps in designing sharper targeting audience with minimised spillover.
“The moot point today is that clients are demanding ROI more than ever. Every investment is put under the scanner. IOM on a very simplistic platform helps our clients clearly understand the efficiency being delivered for their campaigns. It analyses multiple data points to track traffic movement across road, rail and air. This ensures a data-based approach to decision making. It is based on pre and post-Covid2019 numbers and helps establish a baseline to allow the client to calibrate their OOH investments,” Mehta emphasised.
“For this tool, we have focused on transparency and multiple available data sources for preparing our tools. What is proprietary is the thought and execution that goes behind it. We have used mobility data, transit data to derive a systematic measurement system that provides a real-time understanding of the on-ground audience scenario,” he concludes.
Brands
Big Bowl appoints Lyxel & Flamingo as social and media partner
QSR brand eyes next growth phase after crossing Rs 100 crore ARR milestone
MUMBAI: Big Bowl, one of India’s largest bowl-format quick service restaurant brands from Lenexis Foodworks, has appointed Lyxel & Flamingo (L&F) as its social and media partner as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The partnership comes after the brand crossed the Rs 100 crore annual recurring revenue milestone in 2025 and aims to help accelerate its journey towards Rs 150 crore ARR in its fifth year since launch.
Big Bowl currently operates more than 250 kitchens across 50 cities and has emerged as a major player in India’s organised bowl-format food segment. Built around hearty portions and delivery-first convenience, the brand offers a wide mix of Indian, Chinese and fusion bowls designed for quick, affordable and portable consumption.
As urban consumers increasingly gravitate towards easy-to-carry and value-driven meal formats, the company sees the bowl category as a scalable format aligned with modern eating habits.
With the appointment of Lyxel & Flamingo, Big Bowl plans to consolidate its social media and digital media operations under a single partner. The move is intended to sharpen its digital reach, strengthen youth-focused storytelling and improve performance marketing outcomes.
Lyxel & Flamingo, one of India’s largest independent digital-first agencies, manages more than 350 brands and oversees advertising spends exceeding $100 million across its network.
Under the mandate, the agency will handle Big Bowl’s social media strategy, content development, digital performance marketing, media planning and buying, as well as campaign amplification across platforms.
Commenting on the partnership, Lenexis Foodworks founder and director Aayush Madhusudan Agrawal said, “Big Bowl has scaled rapidly to cross Rs 100 crore ARR and established itself as one of the largest bowl-format brands in the country. As a delivery-first, digitally native brand, our next phase of growth will be driven by sharper performance systems and stronger brand storytelling. Consolidating social and media with Lyxel & Flamingo allows us to integrate data, creativity and media precision as we scale towards our next revenue milestone.”
Lenexis Foodworks marketing head Vikas Iyer, added that the delivery-led category requires content, media and performance marketing to work closely together.
“With Lyxel & Flamingo, we aim to build a sharper social voice, stronger acquisition systems and measurable impact, ensuring the brand scales not just in presence but also in precision,” he said.
Lyxel & Flamingo chief executive officer Dev Batra, said the agency will combine data-driven marketing with creative storytelling to support Big Bowl’s growth. “Big Bowl brings the flavour, and L&F brings the fire. Our strategy combines data-led performance with engaging storytelling to help build a strong digital brand presence while delivering measurable business results,” he said.
With this partnership, Big Bowl is looking to strengthen its position as a digitally driven QSR brand, blending brand-building with performance marketing as it scales within India’s rapidly growing organised food delivery market.
