New Delhi: Parle Agro Pvt Ltd, the makers of beverage brands Frooti and Appy Fizz, will spend ₹200 crore on marketing this year across both brands, with a 100% increase in digital media spends.
The summer campaign of Frooti, for the first time, features two big Bollywood celebrities — Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. Created by advertising agency Sagmeister & Walsh, the campaign builds on Alia and Varun’s playful rivalry where they are seen challenging each other for a bottle of Frooti in a series of television spots. The campaign will be promoted across television, print, outdoor and digital platforms.
“I believe that the chemistry and popularity of the Bollywood duo will be able to deliver a lot more for us. Varun caters to a more mass audiences which helps the brand reach out to a larger consumer base," according to Nadia Chauhan, joint MD and CMO, Parle Agro.
In the South market, actor Allu Arjun promotes Frooti and has appeared in a series of campaigns. Apart from television, print and digital, the company is banking big on the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) and plans to leverage the upcoming ICC World Cup scheduled to start in May. It is the official beverage partner of IPL team Chennai Super Kings.
With the help of these marketing initiatives and expansive distribution network,the company claims that Frooti’s market share has grown from 22% in 2015 to 27% in 2018. It claims it to be the top-selling beverage brand in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Kerala.
Meanwhile, Parle Agro has also launched a ₹10 'pick me up' bottle through a television campaign featuring actor Salman Khan. According to the company, Appy Fizz, which is growing at over 60%, is set to become a ₹1,000-crore brand this year on the back of its strong distribution network, new stock keeping unit (SKU) launch and hyperlocal marketing initiatives. In February, the company appointed Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr., popularly known as Jr. NTR, as brand ambassador for Appy Fizz for the South market.
“We are looking at hyperlocalisation through our marketing initiatives by associating ourselves with regional celebrities, festivals and events. Junior NTR and Allu Arjun are helping us bring brands closer to consumers in South and bridge the cultural gaps," according to Chauhan.
Launched in 2005 as a niche and premium product, Appy Fizz has dominated the fruit-plus fizz category, which has seen a lot of action lately, especially with PepsiCo and Coca Cola India launching fizz drinks.
“We created this category 10 years ago and have been building it every year. In 2019, we will cross the ₹1, 000-crore mark. It’s a big brand in our portfolio and we are hopeful that the fizz category will cross the ₹4, 000-crore mark soon," Chauhan added.
With a brand turnover of ₹5,000 crore, Parle Agro caters to over 1.8 million outlets in India through more than 5,000 channels partners. Along with Frooti and Appy Fizz, it owns packaged drinking water brand Bailley, flavoured carbonated drink Frio, carbonated jal jeera brand Dhishoom and Café Cuba.
