Mumbai: Who doesn’t love snacking? And if it’s guilt-free, then even better!
New-age snacking brand Too Yumm! from Guiltfree Industries, part of the FMCG division of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group recently roped in Bollywood celebrity Varun Dhawan as their brand ambassador for their recently launched traditional Indian Namkeen range being introduced in the market. They unveiled a new digital campaign film, featuring him - this film will be the first in a series of many ground-breaking campaigns on the range.
In this campaign titled “Varun Dhawan!! Too Yumm Namkeen Ke Shaukeen | NO Palm Oil”, Dhawan is spotted binging on his favourite Too Yumm Namkeens like Aloo Bhujia, Bikaneri Bhujia, Moong Dal etc. in different avatars and encouraging Indians to become ‘Namkeen ke Shaukeen’. His witty, quirky and fun character personifies the brand’s attributes of unconventional offerings & pepping up their consumers. The speciality of the products in the Too Yumm Namkeen range is No use of Palm Oil which makes it a healthier snacking option.
Guiltfree Industries’ flagship brand, Too Yumm has carved out a niche for itself in a cluttered market through very disruptive product format and flavour innovations. Over the years, Too Yumm has pioneered many innovations like Multigrain Thins, Wasabi Foxnuts, Dahi Papdi Chat Chips, Noodle Masala Karare etc. Too Yumm Brands like Karare, Multigrain Chips, Rings and Veggie Sticks, etc are household names now.
The year 2021, marked Too Yumm’s entry into the mass segment of Potato chips & the company has seen immense success with this launch over the last two years- with Too Yumm Chips crossing the 100 crore mark within just 15 months of launch.
The snacking category in India is large with an estimated size of 30,000 crore annually and Too Yumm is one of the fastest growing brands in this space clocking high double digit growths and expanding its market footprint every year. With a reach of more than 3 lakh outlets across India, Too Yumm caters to a diverse audience with its offerings across the length and breadth of the nation. Too Yum is now expanding its portfolio into a new segment with a category defining innovation in keeping with its belief of giving consumers healthier products without altering their taste preferences and behaviours. This will be supported by announcement of a new brand ambassador & commensurate marketing strategy.
In an email interview, Indiantelevision.com spoke to RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, Guiltfree Industries vice president of marketing Yogesh Tewari about the the brand’s recent foray into the Namkeens category, getting Dhawan on board, the advertising and marketing strategy for the brand, and more.
Edited excerpts:
On the new range of Indian Namkeen without Palm Oil, and the thought behind launching such a product
We, at Too Yumm, are committed to disrupt the snacking space with purpose-driven products that prioritize both health and taste. Since it is a young, disruptive brand we believe in challenging the status quo. The Namkeen category is large and consolidated with a few legacy players; but the category has not kept pace with evolving consumers and we saw a wide gap where the category is plagued by widespread use of Palm Oil for frying– our focus is on the primary USP of our Namkeen range, providing tasty and healthy consuming snacks with 30-35% less saturated fat. Our latest offering is the Traditional Indian Namkeen range, which is special because it contains NO Palm Oil and gives consumers the same taste that they love.
On deciding to associate with Varun Dhawan and the expected impact
We chose Varun Dhawan because his wittiness, joy, and quirkiness perfectly embody the principles of our brand. We believe that his affiliation with Too Yumm will increase our exposure and have a greater impact on our consumers. With the rapid expansion of the brand into newer categories such as Indian Namkeen – we want to establish a strong connect with a wider set of consumers by offering them tasty, healthy, and innovative snacking options. Our presence is currently in the lower-tier towns, and we focus on the top end – including metros and Tier 1 and 2 towns like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi and more.
By highlighting the use of Palm Oil in the Namkeen category and emphasizing our "No Palm Oil and Great Taste" messaging through a celebrity face, we aim to educate and encourage consumers to make an informed choice. We want to revolutionize the way people eat Namkeen in India by offering guilt-free and delicious snacking options.
On how this new campaign with Varun Dhawan differs from previous campaigns
Varun Dhawan marks the arrival of a fresh and entertaining approach – bringing a peppy and young vibe which fitted well into our Namkeen portfolio. His character brings a new level of excitement and entertainment to showcase our range and its distinctive qualities that perfectly aligns with the unconventional and ‘guilt-free factor’ of our brand. With this campaign we also made a strategic choice to go “Digital First” and try to make the Namkeen category “cool” in minds of consumers
On having Virat Kohli as your brand ambassador, and the new campaigns expected on that front
Virat has been a part of our brand journey since inception and there’s a lot that the brand has gained from the association, and he still continues to be a big part of the brand family and we’ll still continue to leverage him. As a dynamic and innovative brand, we also believe in continuously exploring additional avenues and collaborations. We believe that both Varun and Virat complement each other beautifully and create a power packed duo. There is a lot in the pipeline from the brand and you can definitely expect some fireworks in the coming months.
On the advertising and marketing strategy planned for all the products of the Too Yumm stable for 2023
We have adopted a mix of traditional marketing and new age media approaches to connect with our consumers. This year we have increased the budget by around 30 per cent for advertisements. The focus is on investing more in digital advertising rather than television, with the brand utilizing multiple consumer touchpoints for amplification and visibility. 75-80 per cent of our media spend has been allocated on digital platforms initially, however, the yearly ad budget allocation remains balanced with approximately 40 per cent allocated to digital and 60 per cent to television – that is subjective to change depending on the requirement.
On the media mix that you are looking at for Too Yumm’s brands
As mentioned above, our investment in digital advertising is significantly higher than any other medium. The primary reason is digital platforms, such as social media offers a vantage point to target specific cohorts and focusing on critical geographies such as key metros and top states such as Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, North-east, Delhi that are strong areas for us.
During IPL 2023, we had also initiated CTV campaigns on JioCinema, despite the higher cost. The objective was to achieve incremental reach since it allows the brand to target the consumers, therefore, leveraging the IPL on mobile screens for incremental reach, higher impressions, more frequency and higher ROI. We are also continuously evolving our marketing approach to the dynamic market; engaging with influencers, vernacular digital media, OTT platforms and even AI platforms to be ahead of the curve when it comes to reaching out to our Target audience.
On the future plans for Too Yumm in terms of expanding the product range and launching innovative offerings
We understand that consumers seek novelty and exciting flavours in the snacking category. Our aim has always been to provide disruptive and unique options to our consumers, going beyond the traditional Classic Salted or American chips. With our latest category launch we have added 11 new variants of Indian traditional namkeens to our portfolio and we will continue to add more regional variants, flavour innovations and new formats to keep consumers excited on the product front.
We take pride in introducing flavours that stand out and offer a delightful twist to the snacking experience. Among our popular offerings, the Multigrain chips range features flavours like Dahi Papdi Chaat, which has garnered significant appreciation from our consumers. Additionally, our Karare range includes flavours like Noodle Masala, Chilli Achaari, and more, adding a touch of spice and innovation to our products. We believe in continuously pushing boundaries and surprising our consumers with distinctive flavour combinations that leave them craving for more.
On the significant markets (geographically) for Too Yumm in India, and eyeing international expansion in other countries too
We are a pan India brand currently and our distribution is higher in metros and urban markets. There are no major region-specific skews that we observe; as our products have a wide appeal across geographies. Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, North-East, Delhi etc are strong markets for us currently. We are evaluating few international markets as well and plans are in the pipeline to strategically expand the distribution.
On the retail expansion that you are looking at in the year 2023 (be it through EBOs, franchise outlets, in-shop, online, offline)
We have been increasing our direct and in-direct distribution exponentially over last few years. We are currently present across all States in India in the range of 3-4 Lakh outlets across traditional trade, modern trade and e-commerce platforms. Rural expansion is a key task followed by strengthening our footprint in major metros. Our plan is to leverage both online and offline platforms across our portfolio to expand reach and e-commerce channel partners will play a major role in the same.
On your vision and way forward for Too Yumm
We want Too Yumm to be among the Top 5 most trusted snacking brands in India. We will continue to create meaningful disruptions in the snacking space, evolving the categories with healthier and tasty products. As a brand we are seen as a Quirky, New age and Purpose driven brand. We will continue to drive this equity going forward.
