‘Super khush hain hum! ’ is the latest campaign for Stovekraft’s flagship kitchenware brand Pigeon with the tagline ‘India Ka Happy Choice.’ Dr. Manu Nanda, Chief Marketing Officer, Stovekraft says, “The idea behind the campaign was to bring smiles to people. That's why we coined ‘Super khush hain hum! ’. The insights were simple. We're a global brand, but just talking of India, our products sell from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Northeast to Gujarat. There isn’t any place in the country where we don't have our partners selling Pigeon products.”
Pigeon products are sold in over 1,28,000 retailers, in large format retail, around 215 exclusive brand outlets, e-commerce and quick commerce platforms.
He says, “I can proudly tell you that we now sell more than one Pigeon product every second. Every year we sell more than four crore products. That was the idea behind this campaign, bringing smiles to the country.”
Sharing his insights on quick-commerce platforms he says, “Today, compared to earlier, if I have to test market a product, I can do it easily. I've launched a few products only on Quick Commerce to get quick consumer feedback, and then I've launched it in retail, online and in our stores. It's the fastest way to go to the consumer today.”
The Communication Mix
Speaking on Pigeon’s media strategy Nanda has a two-fold approach – for brand building and for product sale. He explains, “The brand building is influenced by the TV campaign that does not talk about a particular product, but happiness in general. The other part of the communication is to be visible whenever a consumer is searching for a product in our portfolio. Digital is important because the consumer is not only in the general trade and at in physical stores but also online. The consumer is buying a every second, so you have to communicate with them and effective content.”
Life Banaye Easy
A big shift in the kitchenware segment was the Covid-19 pandemic. The consumer-centric focus now is on innovative products that are easy to use as people don’t want to be tied up in the kitchen. For example, last year Pigeon launched a dough maker to knead dough which can be a tedious cumbersome process. Nanda says the launch of the dough maker was an instant success. Another innovation was with probably the most used kitchenware in the Indian kitchen – the pressure cooker. Instead of standing next to the gas till the whistle blows and then simmering or raise the flame, Pigeon relaunched its electric pressure cooker, Electra. The electric pressure has a switch-on timer where all the ingredients can be placed in the pressure cooker and put the time on for the specific time the food must be cooked. Similarly, a switch-off timer shuts the pressure cooker down automatically once the food is cooked. Electra can also bake a cake and curd can also be fermented in it. Recently, Pigeon launched its newest air fryer called the Stellar. The air fryer has a glass top which allows one to peep and see the browning of the food without opening the basket. Nanda says, “Consumer centricity and consumer insights are the innermost circles for us on the bullseye.”
The Affordability Proposition
Being a mass brand, Pigeon’s go-to-market strategy is very clear. Nanda says, “We're very clear in our go-to-market approach that we want to be affordable. We want to be very aggressive in our pricing and that's the kind of communication we also have when we do our campaigns.” Every year in December, Pigeon comes out with a unique campaign. In 2023, the campaign highlighted that for Rs 2,024 you could buy a few combos of Pigeon products. Similarly, in this year’s campaign 2025, consumers can purchase some Pigeon products for a price of Rs 2,025. He says, “The core of our communication to the consumer is that, we're there for you. We make great products that are also very affordable.”
A USP for Pigeon over competition is the company's manufacturing prowess which gives it the scalability advantage. Nanda explains, “We don't want to bring in a product that only sells a few thousand units. The aim is to sell more than one lakh units of any product that we manufacture. The affordability proposition comes from consumer insight and also from our ability to produce in mass. Not many competitors can compete with us on that scale. So economies of scale combined with consumer centricity and the strong understanding of the sweet price point is exactly what the whole package is about.”
The Tier III Story
From being a south-centric brand till a few years ago, Pigeon has now evolved to be a national brand. The brand has seen high growth in the Jammu Kashmir market and in the Northeastern market. Nanda says, “We have been strong in the Tier I and Tier II markets. However, the big growth in terms of percentage is coming from Tier III markets, i.e. the smaller district towns.” Talking about the categories which will be growth drivers he reiterates that consumers want quick solutions and that’s why appliances have a ‘bright future’.
On a final note, on what next can be expected from Stovekraft, Nanda signs off by saying, “New products that bring ease and joy in your life and are available at a good price point.”
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