Relaunch of Frooti-The 'Digen Verma' Campaign

Details

Themes: Advertising and Promotion
Period : 2000-2001
Organization : Parle Agro
Pub Date : 2001
Countries : India
Industry : Food, Beverages & Tobacco

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Case Code : MKTG005
Case Length : 5 Pages
Price: Rs. 200;

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Campaign Tale Contd...

To create such kind of hype, there was a blitz of outdoor ads, promos, cinema and teaser spots with the name of 'Digen Verma.' Many popular teenage joints such as restaurants, movie theatres, buses and local trains were flooded with catchy posters asking 'Where can you find Digen Verma on Saturday nights?' or 'What is Digen Verma's favourite serial?' etc.

Some of the colleges even had exam banners saying 'Digen Verma will be the topper again' while cinema halls flashed DV slides exhorting him to tow his Ferrari away from the parking lot. For the fortnight that this teaser campaign lasted, mystique, intrigue and high drama cloaked this `faceless' man who become a talking point all around the country.

Eventually it was revealed that 'Digen Verma' was the brand ambassador for 'Frooti.' A manhunt was also on to select the right guy to play the role of Digen Verma, who was to be introduced in September 2001. As part of the relaunch strategy, the Frooti tetrapak was given a new packaging.

New `splash' graphics were introduced on the pack in the same signature green and orange colours and a flip top packaging replaced the aperture for a straw. The tagline of 'Frooti' changed to 'Just like that.' Said, Venkateshwar: "A study revealed that while consumers liked Frooti and recalled the brand, they were not drinking it. The reason given most of the time was 'just like that'."

There was thus a need to create some excitement around the brand. With the new tagline "Frooti - Just like that" the new campaign highlighted the new positioning of the product. Prior to the shift, the base line of the advertising for the product was "Juice up your Life" and "Fresh and Juicy."

With the hype generated through the teaser campaign and resultant interest generated, coupled with changes in packaging and tagline, Parle Agro then used regular advertising across various media (viz. Print media, TVC's, on-line promotions etc.) focussing on communication of its new positioning and attract the target segment.

Revealing future plans, Mr Venkateshwar said, "...It is a three-year gameplan. Digen Verma cannot be larger than Frooti and the image will taper out at the end of the period." According to Prakash Chauhan, post Digen Verma and the new packaging, the brand would look at a 40 per cent growth from the existing 20 per cent. He commented, "It is the onus of the market leader to grow the brand.''

Can Digen Verma Generate Sales?

The 'Digen Verma' campaign seemed to have been very successful in terms of the interest it generated. For Rs. 30 million spent on it, the customer awareness it was likely to capture for 'Frooti' seemed quite phenomenal. Though the campaign had been successful in generating interest, some analysts were skeptical about whether a campaign could actually generate sales.

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