The art of preparing Biryani - a fragrant and flavourful rice dish has traditionally been a time-consuming endeavour. However, LT Foods Ltd., the parent company of DAAWAT, aims to change that with their innovative DAAWAT Biryani Kit. This DIY Ready-solution promises to simplify the Biryani-making process at home without sacrificing authenticity. Talking about the insight behind the launch of its newest digital campaign, K. Ganapathy Subramaniam, VP & Head of Marketing at LT Foods, shares that there has been a significant Biryani Boom, especially post-COVID. According to him, biryani has become the go-to dish if we were to look at Rice dishes of any format.

Convenience Meets Tradition

People crave the experience of enjoying authentic Biryani at home but often lack the time or expertise required for its elaborate preparation. “Even though Biryani occupies such a high mindshare, it is not a very easy recipe that everybody is very comfortable making," explains Subramaniam.  The core insight behind this launch, as he mentions was to answer the question of “How can I satisfy this craving for biryani at home?”

Offered in three popular regional variations – Hyderabadi, Kolkata, and Lucknowi – the kit caters to diverse taste preferences while ensuring an authentic Biryani experience. Sharing another important insight, Subramaniam adds “Increasingly, in the most recent environment, experiences have become important - like adding your effort to create something to satisfy your creative urge. We are seeing that as part of DIY. We want to operate in that space”.

Multi-faceted Marketing Strategy

To effectively reach its target audience, LT Foods has adopted a multi-faceted marketing strategy. Subramaniam adds, "We are a digital-first communicator in this particular segment because it is reaching out to a far younger TG. A large set of people who are adopting to this particular segment are relatively younger, more media agnostic, and largely digital-comfortable audiences.” The company adheres to a ‘media-agnostic, but consumer-centric’ philosophy.

On the choice of media for communication, he further says, "We are constantly understanding how people consume media.” Although kicked off with digital, the brand is gradually spreading communication to the rest of the channels. According to him, communication around the new launch enhances and reinforces love for the mother brand and allows the mother brand to relate its credibility to establishing a segment. He adds, “Our Biryani kits are a natural extension to the Gen Z or the millennials of today for the brand.”

To emphasise the brand’s proposition, LT Foods celebrates the pleasure of making authentic Biryani at home in 30 minutes, in a recent digital campaign. Beyond offering convenience, the brand wanted its marketing campaign to capture people’s emotional connection with Biryani. Subramaniam elaborates, "The campaign goes beyond just showcasing the product's features. We wanted to celebrate the joy of creating a memorable meal for your loved ones. Biryani is often a centrepiece for celebrations and family gatherings, and we wanted to capture that essence of togetherness." The digital campaign features a heartwarming story of a couple that resonates with this sentiment. He believes the approach strikes a perfect balance between practicality and emotional connection, making the campaign relatable to viewers.

Potential for Growth

While the initial focus for the DAAWAT Biryani Kit is on metros and urban centres - given the audience for the kit resides largely there, Subramanian hints at the potential for growth in other regions. He acknowledges a growing interest in the product from consumers in smaller towns as well. This aligns with the increasing e-commerce penetration across India, which allows LT  Foods Ltd. to reach a wider audience regardless of location. According to him, the brand is prepared for this adoption as he mentions, “Regionalisation has been part of the DNA for us, but it is not regionalisation for the sake of regionalisation. We understand the audience and we respond to them - it's about personalisation.”

He suggests that the brand is focused on this offering because there was a genuine gap considering the complicated process of Biryani making.  He further said, “If I don't have an actual problem, I don't want to dish out a solution that is irrelevant” while talking about extending the format to other rice dishes.

While the company is one of the established players in the FMCG segment in the consumer food space, Subramaniam adds, "We are not looking at just basmati rice.  LT Foods is a global food brand. One that also talks about extending ourselves wherever we can be meaningfully part of consumers’ lives”. The DAAWAT Biryani Kit serves as a stepping stone towards this goal. He adds, “It is not about a positioning or a segmental space on Basmati, we do not see competition or reposition ourselves from that lens. Our worldview is that we need to be global and we need to be increasingly seen by a larger and new set of audiences globally”. By offering this Biryani solution, LT Foods is also attempting to strengthen its brand equity as a global player with a diverse product portfolio.