In a MediaBrief exclusive, Tushar Malhotra, Director of Sales and Marketing at Bisleri International, discusses the evolution of the Bisleri brand over the years, emphasizing its consistent adaptation to evolving consumer preferences and trends. He highlights Bisleri’s array of sports initiatives and its partnerships with multiple IPL teams.
Malhotra outlines the strategies that Bisleri is employing to strengthen its connection with younger generations, and highlights how it’s leveraging CGI campaigns and movie associations as part of its marketing. Read on.
How has Bisleri’s brand journey evolved over the years, maintaining its synonymous association with water?
Bisleri is a hallmark of trust and quality in bottled water. In the over half a century that we have been in existence, we have become synonymous with the water category. Our brand equity is as much about our heritage as it is about reinventions that keep us relevant.
Our trademark green makes us instantly recognizable in a melee of predominantly blue brands. Our 140 production facilities and presence in over 300,000 outlets across India ensure consumers find a bottle of Bisleri wherever and whenever they want to quench their thirst.
We have also been nimble with our pack sizes. We recently added a 200 ml pack to meet the growing demand from offices and events, in addition to our range that features 250 ml-19 litre bottles, and a 20-litre returnable jar that accounts for 20-25 percent of sales and furthers our sustainability goals.
We are water-positive, returning more water to the environment than we consume, through our extensive rainwater harvesting.
Our range of diversified beverages that includes Bisleri soda, Vedica Himalayan Sparkling water and the carbonated soft drinks Bisleri Limonata, Bisleri Pop, Bisleri Spyci Jeera, and Rev infuse the right dose of excitement to meet the demanding but discerning new-age consumers.
How has Bisleri managed to maintain brand consistency while adapting to evolving consumer preferences and trends?
Brands in our space can no longer differentiate on quality. It is a hygiene factor with everyone laying claim to it. But our current insight into Gen Z tells us that water is more than about quenching thirst. Keeping up with their drive for a healthy and mindful lifestyle, our brand is about hydration. It is the soul of our marketing strategy today.
We approach hydration in two ways. First, establishing that ‘hydration is fun’, and our stylish and premium ‘Drink it Up’ campaign with Deepika Padukone made drinking water cool. Relevant to the nurturing of body and mind. The 650,000 glasses of Bisleri water that were consumed at the Lollapalooza festival in Bombay this year speak to the success of the campaign which preceded it.
The other key focus is our sports marketing programme, which was flagged off with our association with the Procam International marathon. It puts hydration at the centre of sports, which requires body and mind to be in sync to perform to their fullest. Since then, we have grown as one of the major sports marketing brands in India.
How do Bisleri’s sports initiatives align with the company’s growth strategy and brand values?
Bisleri’s sports portfolio spans cricket, badminton, and beyond. We’ve been hydration partners for five IPL teams (Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Rajasthan Royals) and six teams in the Indian Softball League and the Ultimate Table Tennis League. We’ve also partnered with the National Games in 2023.
Our presence extends to global events like the Commonwealth Games, Dubai Marathon, and Ras Al Khaimah Marathon, as well as the UAE ILT20 and Taekwondo International Championships.
Our ‘Carry Your Game’ campaign featuring Manpreet Singh, Lovlina Borgohain, Nishad Kumar, and Ashwini Ponappa reinforces Bisleri’s association with athleticism and peak performance.
These strategic partnerships not only broaden Bisleri’s reach but also align with our brand values of active and healthy living. By connecting with diverse sports and athletes, we seal our position as the preferred hydration choice for fitness enthusiasts.
Bisleri recently launched a CGI campaign during the IPL. What inspired this campaign, and what impact did it have on engagement and sales?
The use of CGI is a key marketing technique for high RoI messaging. We wanted to present our hydration partnership with the IPL franchisees in a disruptive way that would remain memorable. This campaign helped us pull it off. Our engagement metrics proved it had connected well with the thousands of audiences.
What is the digital versus traditional split for your marketing?
Bisleri’s marketing spend is split into 35-40 percent on digital, 50-60 percent on TV, and 15-20 percent on experiential marketing experiences like the IPL CGI and Lollapalooza activation.
What strategies are you implementing to build a stronger connection with younger generations like Gen-Z and Gen Alpha?
Gen Z and Alpha are digital natives, glued to their media screens. We use multiple screens to amplify our messaging. Being a mass brand, Bisleri will continue to be on TV but with a distinct increase in investments in digital channels.
Our e-commerce app called Bisleri@Doorstep brings in a D2C ease as we deliver water straight to consumers at the tap of a finger, and its growth of nearly 2X yearly is promising.
Bisleri’s carbonated soft drinks have stoked the younger generation’s interest in the brand as well. We launched our first campaign with Bisleri Limonata, featuring Aditya Roy Kapur, as the brand ambassador, to spotlight the product benefits.
Perhaps the biggest piece of the connection with younger generations is our sustainability efforts, which proves that we walk the talk.
Sustainability, how?
Our programme, Bisleri Greener Promise, has helped us transform into a brand with a purpose with tangible, measurable results. It is two-pronged with plastic recycling and rainwater harvesting.
The Bisleri Bottles for Change drive has educated over 750,000 – 800,000 consumers on responsible plastic recycling and tied up with educational institutions, local governing bodies and housing societies to widen the reach.
Some other key initiatives include the textbook co-developed with Kartikeya Sarabhai, at the Indian government’s behest, that will spread the message across schools. Our Bisleri Bench of Dreams features art of children from Child Rights and You (CRY) and now a foot and mouth artists association installs Instagrammable benches made of recycled plastic across the country.
The Nayi Ummeed drive restored hundreds of check dams across the country with the most recent one being in Ladakh. Bisleri also has rainwater harvesting programmes running in our factories.
How did Bisleri’s collaborations with movies for limited-edition bottles perform, and what was their overall impact on the brand?
Bisleri’s limited edition bottles started in the south where we wanted to enhance our brand equity. The cult status movies reach in South India is often unparalleled in the rest of India and helped us achieve our target.
We began nurturing brand love among the audience with our association with RRR, followed by Vikram, Jailer, and Ponniyin Selvan: I and II. They transformed our trade partner stores into mini-festival zones.
Since then, we have had national tie-ups with Jawan, Tiger 3, Dunki, and Kalki, Jatt and Juliet, Chandu Champion, and Maharaja in July. This is moment marketing at its best given the buzz it generates.
What are the current consumer buying trends emerging in the market? How is Bisleri adapting to these?
Three trends are key to Bisleri’s growth: Hydration with our water portfolio; refreshment with our fizzy drinks; and health and nourishment promoted by our sports associations and underlying messaging across different products.
