Ankit Agarwal, Partner and Director, MDPH and Zed Black, talks about success in the Agarbatti and Puja categories, the benefits of running ads on TV on election results day, and more.
alka roy chowdhury
issued – April 22, 2024 14:17
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7 minute read
Can you shed a little light on the journey of your brand and how it has strengthened over the years? Also, what innovative marketing strategies do you use to reach the masses? ?
My father started this company with his brother in 1992 in a garage in Indore. In 2000, the brand Zed Black became an established name in the world. Agar segment. After 32 years, the company has nearly 1 million square feet of space and four factories. He has over 800 SKUs, over 500 distributors, 34 regional sales offices, and one international office in the United States. We hired MS Dhoni in 2017 and that's when the media took notice of us. In 2011, we brought on board Hrithik Roshan.
Currently, we produce approximately 3.5 billion sticks per day. We are in the top 5 in every category. Agarlike Dhoop Batty, Dhoop Cone, Dhoop Stickand hawan samagri.
As far as innovation and marketing are concerned, we are engaged in many activities. We distribute free samples to our customers to help them become familiar with our products. Apart from that, we also have a lot of activities on the ground. But of course, the big change happened when we put Dhoni on the package. Also, most brands don't have one A-list celebrity, but we have two. Agar and one is Doop.
Which mediums are you actively targeting to drive brand awareness and why? Can you elaborate on how you allocate your marketing budget across different platforms?
agarbatti Our main TG is in the rural market as it is a mass-produced product that is mainly sold in the rural market. Zed Black is very popular there. We plan to target the masses and print (newspapers) and television are the best mediums for that. These media may not be very targeted, but they serve the purpose of reaching the masses. Also, when you advertise on top channels, customers feel that this is a top brand. That's how you build trust.
What trends are you seeing related to the slowdown? What is the way forward?
I always say that there are two products that people use when they are happy and when they are sad. One is Agar And the other thing is alcohol. These two are not affected by market downturns or inflation. I also feel that the momentum is not slowing down, just that the competition is increasing. With the advent of technology, everything is now at our fingertips. Customers are becoming more aware, more alert, and have more choices.Once upon a time, customers only had one next door Kirana I used to shop, but now I use Hypermart, Amazon, Quick Commerce, etc. Compared to product consumption, there is more competition. To gain market share, you need to listen to your customers and salespeople, pay attention to marketing feedback, and make changes. It's important to be flexible.
There are so many new brands entering the market, how does that affect you? Who do you think are your competitors today?
when talking about Agar, 65-75 percent of which is the unorganized market. This is a price-sensitive product and highly anonymous as there are no barriers to entry. Therefore, competitors are mainly located at the regional level where local products exist. There is no single competitor as each state is different. Even though we are a branded product, unorganized local players are our competitors. Dhoni might also be a part of it, but he will have to compete with everyone on price.
What is your marketing mix currently and how are you segmenting it? And do you think your brand's messaging and proposition in India has changed post-pandemic?
For us, marketing primarily means electronic media and the offers we operate. By providing offers, we push our products to the retailers who are the real standard bearers of our products. As for attraction, it is done through electronic media and newspapers. This is where consumers see our products and decide to go to the store and buy.
My younger cousin was hospitalized due to the coronavirus pandemic. As for the impact of his harrowing experience, he told me that it changed the way he thought about life. So after about two years of lockdown and all the bad experiences, people now want to go out and experience the product. They want to buy products that are of good quality and reliable. Yes, the coronavirus has changed the purchasing behavior of Indian consumers.
What do you think about TV? Are you still advertising? Also, can you share some insights on how you market your brand through TV?
We're not really into digital marketing. Because we believe that our products are common items sold in rural markets. We also found that digital is very expensive. You don't know how it impacts impressions or where the money is. Digital or social media marketing depends on your brand’s needs. For example, when it comes to mobile phones, footwear, clothing, etc., digital can be a great medium. However, I don't think customers use the Internet to buy Amanita. We have a social media presence on Instagram, but as far as marketing goes, we don't have any expectations at this point. We believe in traditional mass appeal and value for money, and have achieved success in television and print.
If we compare television and newspapers, what percentage will each have?
About 30 percent goes to newspapers and 70 percent goes to television. However, this will depend on the ambition of the campaign. The campaign with Dhoni was more print-based as it was more trade-focused. Right now, I'm focusing on brand, so I'm shifting to TV. But I think there's still a very good market for newspapers. People trust brands that advertise in newspapers.
What is your advertising strategy for the upcoming Indian general elections? What media are you specifically targeting?
The impact of advertising on news channels during elections is very positive. The last time we ran an ad was during the state election results. We did a special integration with one of the channels where there was a podium with the brand's logo. Obviously, people are glued to their TVs all day long, so the response was very good. Our Prime Minister has made every election equally big, even if it is a local government election. Additionally, the general election is similar to the presidential election in the United States. It's all about choosing the prime minister. We also placed newspaper advertisements. Corporate social responsibility ads encouraged people to vote.
If you had to choose between print and television, which would you choose in an election?
To be honest, the main event is the day the results are announced, and that day is all about television, so there's no way to compare. Everyone is glued to their TVs and as a brand, you too have to be on TV that day.
Finally, please tell us about your roadmap for growth.
Our plan is simple. We always listen to our customers. We recently pooja Category. pooja It's a category that never existed before COVID-19. This includes what you offer to the gods when you go to the temple. agarbatti, garland, camper, chandan tika, kumkum, among others. We also ventured into the samar bread category and received very good response. Also, religion is becoming quite large in the country, such as Ram His Mandir in Ayodhya and various dams. Agar and pooja The number of categories will increase in the future.
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