MAM
Mobile marketing in growth path
MUMBAI: With digital becoming the ‘fashionable’ medium over the past couple of years, marketers are now looking at exploring the various avenues it presents. With the growing acceptance of new technologies, many new possibilites for marketing and ways to reach the TG have emerged. The mobile has gone from being the traditional third screen to the first screen for many, especially the youngsters.
Mobile marketing is finding new takers everyday. Along with the potential it presents, it also throws a set of challenges. The 8th Marketing Conclave held by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) brought out the many nuances of mobile marketing. The panel discussion was moderated by 2ergo MD Raj Singh and the participants were Velti director product management – mobile marketing Paul Griswold, Aditya Birla Group CMO financial services Ajay Kakar, One97 head mobile marketing and advertising Srinivas Mothey and Google India country head- mobile Mahesh Narayanan.
Mobile search is growing at an estimated 170 per cent year on year. Globally nearly 80 per cent users make use of the search option first when they switch to a smartphone. Obviously the figures point to a massive market and reach, especially among the youth. Mobile is going the way Internet went in the year 2005, only it is a more complex medium with a variation in services, service providers, operating systems and screen diversities.
While youth are early adopters and accept new technologies, the CMOs are yet to grow to the mobile medium. Here is the first challenge in mobile marketing. While the medium and the user has matured, the marketer is yet to catch up. Other challenges include figuring out what percentage of TG can be reached through the medium of mobile marketing and how much should be spent on the medium. The issue of measurability lingers over here as well.
Kakar offers, “Apart from the fact that we as markerters need to grow up to the medium, the tone of our marketing and ads also needs to change. The audience today will not respond to a ‘buy me’ kind of message. Brands need to communicate ‘why me’ and give the consumer an incentive, a reason to choose the brand.”
Also, mobile marketing means different things to different brands. While some brands may believe in sending bulk messages and use IVR. Others may believe in developing dedicated apps and display ads. Thus the parameters of mobile advertising will also change from brand to brand and audience to audience.
Griswald opines, “Another hurdle we need to cross is the fact that mobile advertising doesn’t figure in the integrated marketing plan. While we spent almost 10 per sent of our time looking at the mobile screen, marketing spends on the mediun are in the range of one per cent of the total budget.”
The mobile need not be a separate medium. It is actually a superset of the Internet and broadens the scope of online. It provides yet another way to interact one on one with the consumer. Mothey concurs, “The trick will be to integrate the mobile medium with the other digital and non digital routes. There can not be one single mobile solution in isolation.”
But how does one convince the ever suspicious brands of the merits of mobile advertising? Narayanan offers, “Create case studies. That way you can convince the brands to take up this medium.”
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.
