Brands
Innovation gives one a commercial advantage: Sagar Boke
MUMBAI: Early this year, Bunge India had re-launched its refined edible oil range under its iconic Dalda brand.
And since then the 75-year old has been busy focusing on consumer engagement in the crowded market. According to a report by India Rating, the Indian edible oil industry might see an investment of Rs 450 crore in 2014-15 as compared to Rs 100.7 crore in the previous financial year and Rs 516 crore in 2012-13.
The brand, which was announced as the number one brand in edible oil category in 2013 as per the AC Nielsen report, currently, enjoys a well-placed presence in geographies of north and east of the country and plans to reach out to more consumers in western and southern geographies.
With an eye on smaller markets, the brand is leveraging festivals and occasions to connect with its target audience and ensure maximum visibility and brand recall. Dalda is largely focusing on its mass consumers in tier II and tier III markets to create interactive platforms for consumer participation through various experiential activities.
During this year’s Jagannath Rath Yatra, which attracts a crowd of more than 10 lakh pilgrims every year, Dalda created a unique art exhibit at the Puri Beach for the devotees. For the on ground activity, it collaborated with sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik to create a life size sand art illustration of the deity Lord Jagannath. Additionally, a 12 feet diameter Dalda branded helium balloon was installed at Grand Road to welcome all visitors at the Rath Yatra.
“Consumer engagement is our key focus in order to retain our existing consumers and attract new consumers. Some of the initiatives conducted this year include our Rath Yatra activation in Puri, Baisakhi activation in Punjab and Holi activation in Uttar Pradesh where our team encouraged consumers to share recipes of food cooked in Dalda Edible Oils for our Dial D campaign. We also decided to do something unique for Mother’s Day in Uttar Pradesh, wherein consumers were encouraged to call on Dial D and record a personalised message for their mothers,” highlights Bunge India marketing head Sagar Boke.
He adds, “We want our consumers to actively participate and engage with us through these experiential initiatives and to understand that brand Dalda stands for a promise of purity and taste.”
When asked in the high-competitive market, how the brand plans to stay ahead, the response is innovation. The brand feels that innovation will help one stay ahead of its competition as markets, technologies or trends shift. For the brand it is also a key component of a successful business plan. “Consumers often see innovation as something that adds value to a company or to its products. Used properly, innovation can give you a commercial advantage – especially in saturated or rapidly shifting markets. Your customers may even be willing to pay more for your well-designed, novel and innovative product or service, rather than choosing a cheaper, but less exciting rival,” points out Boke.
The branded edible oils category is a large and fast growing market and today a consumer is more aware of different types of oils. After its re-launch, the brand feels it is doing well as it made sure that nutritional benefits of oils are visible on the pack.
“India is a diverse market with packaged edible oil increasing its penetration over the last decade. The in-home consumption is on a rise and there exists diversity in consumption of oil types. We aim to have a long-term play in this market,” says Boke.
To make its communication stronger, the brand has Cartwheel as its creative agency, OMD as media agency and PR is handled by Madison.
Brands
Uber launches hotel bookings feature in partnership with Expedia
From hotel bookings to room service at your door, the ride-hailing giant is making its boldest push yet into everyday life
CALIFORNIA: Uber is done being just a taxi app. At its annual GO-GET product event, the world’s leading mobility and delivery platform unveiled a sweeping set of new features designed to plant itself at the centre of how people travel, eat and shop, hotel bookings included.
The headline move is a partnership with Expedia Group that lets Uber users in the United States book hotels directly within the Uber app, with access to a catalogue that will eventually grow to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members get 10 per cent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings and savings of at least 20 per cent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 hotels globally. Vacation rentals from Vrbo, Expedia Group’s home-rental brand, will be added later this year. The partnership is expected to expand beyond the United States. From June, Uber rides will also be integrated directly into the Expedia app, with push notifications sent to travellers ahead of hotel check-in to book discounted Uber rides for the duration of their stay.
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, framed the expansion in terms of the modern condition. “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place,” he said. “We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living.”
Ariane Gorin, chief executive of Expedia Group, struck a similarly ambitious note. “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience,” she said. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology. Together, we’re helping travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Beyond hotels, the product announcements come thick and fast. Travel Mode, available within both the Uber and Uber Eats apps, offers curated recommendations on local favourites, tourist destinations, OpenTable restaurant reservations and on-demand delivery to hotel rooms. Uber One International means the membership programme now works globally, allowing members to earn credits on rides abroad that can be redeemed once back home. A new Shop for Me feature lets users request items from any store, even those not listed on the app. Eats for the Way allows riders in select cities booking an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV to have a drink or snack waiting for them in the car. Voice Bookings, powered by artificial intelligence, lets users book a ride conversationally, without touching their phone. And a redesigned One Search bar consolidates results for places, food and items across the entire Uber platform in a single query.
Uber has now logged more than 72 billion trips since it launched in 2010. The question it is now answering is what comes after the ride. The answer, apparently, is everything else. Whether users want a hotel in Paris, a coffee in the back of a car or a snake plant from the local garden centre, Uber would very much like to be the one to provide it. The app economy’s land grab has a new front-runner.
NOTE: The image used is AI generated and only for representational purposes.
