Amedeo Aragona, Marketing Director-Indian Subcontinent, Kinder Products, Ferrero India believes there is stiff competition and the challenge is to stand out from the clutter.
“To stand out we need to be seen by the consumers and hence the right packaging, visibility, availability is needed. There are so many touchpoints in the digital environment that it is even more complicated to capture the audience. In such a market, playing with the emotion helps, rather than the functional side,” he said.
Ferrero India is taking a step forward towards strengthening its presence in the Indian market by diversifying its offerings. To further enhance the brand across India, for the first time, Kinder has partnered with celebrities and mom-influencers like Karisma Kapoor (for North and West), Subhashree Ganguly (For East), and Sneha Reddy (For South).
Aragona shared, “We have been very cautious in collaborating with any influencer but we saw that in India it is a gamechanger. They create awareness and bring in equity for the brand. We always wanted a mother that could build a sense of relatability with the consumers and hence, we chose these three mothers.”
Speaking of consumer trends, Aragona has been with the brand for about 15 years and has noted some dynamic shifts in the sweet consumption industry. The new generation wants a more sophisticated taste now, even if it comes at a little higher price.
But, to retain them is a challenge, and brands can do only by moving at their pace, according to the executive. Innovation is happening at a rapid pace and the way to communicate must be aligned with their generation, with the help of AI and metaverse.
Additionally, where a brand was earlier spending heavily on TV, they are now investing the same amount of budget on digital and getting better coverage. The shift in strategy from traditional media to digital media is happening all across.
Aragona highlighted, “Kinder itself invests 60 per cent on digital and 40 per cent on TV. So, the change has already happened at our end too.”
The launch of a new range of products is well timed with the festive season and will be supported by a strong 360-degrees marketing communications campaign. Along with TV and digital presence, the brand will adopt a mass media approach as well.
Prior to India, The Ferrero Marketing executive handled European markets like Roumen, Luxembourg, and Alba. He observed the buying behaviour in India as compared to Europe is way different since the need is different.
He elaborated, “Here in India, people love chocolate and their buying decision is very impulsive. In Europe, there is much more thought behind it and you have to give them a reason to buy. A consumer thinks ‘I want this brand because someone told me about it and it has this specific taste and a good variety’. Hence, there goes a lot in attaining a consumer whereas in India, they want it, they buy it. It's that simple.”
In the coming quarters, Aragona looks forward to a double digit growth and for Kinder to become the most preferred brand for kids in India.
