Mumbai: India Gate Basmati Rice’s parent company KRBL is expanding its reach in Maharashtra with a campaign titled ‘Swaad Samriddhi Ka’ or ‘Taste of Prosperity’. Maharashtra contributes 13 per cent to the basmati rice market, and India Gate aims to make its products a staple in the state’s households for everyday meals.
Known for special occasions, India Gate now seeks to cater to daily consumption, introducing basmati varieties like Gini 70, Mini 50, Tini 50, and Niki 40, ideal for local dishes like Varan Bhaat and Masale Bhaat. This expansion reflects the brand’s commitment to local tastes and making basmati part of daily diets.
The campaign centers around a young couple; the wife brings her husband’s favorite Varan Bhaat to his workplace, symbolizing family prosperity with India Gate Basmati Rice as the ‘Taste of Prosperity.’
To connect with Maharashtrian families, the campaign includes a culturally resonant film, targeting regions like Kolhapur, Pune, Sangli, Solapur, and Satara. With over 3,500 TV spots across major channels and digital amplification, particularly on YouTube with Marathi content, the brand aims for broad engagement.
“With India Gate Basmati Rice already being a market leader across India, we see Maharashtra as an essential region to fuel our growth. Maharashtra’s consumers are incredibly hardworking and dedicated to building prosperity for their families, a sentiment we deeply resonate with. Through our expanded portfolio and this heartfelt campaign, we aim to not only increase our brand’s familiarity but also nurture a deep-rooted connection with the families,” said KRBL AVP-marketing, MT&e-commerce, Kunal Sharma.
Mumbai: KRBL Ltd’s India Gate Basmati Rice, a Basmati rice brand and a pioneer in packaged Basmati, continues to champion purity and authenticity with the launch of Phase three of its “Basmati Rice No Compromise” campaign which hinges on the new FSSAI standards for Basmati Rice that have come into effect from 1 August. In a determined effort to enhance public awareness and education, India Gate Basmati Rice is setting new standards in the Basmati rice industry.
“Basmati Rice No Compromise” is a nationwide consumer awareness initiative by India Gate Basmati Rice
With a multi-dimensional multimedia approach, this phase is aimed at encouraging people to select basmati rice responsibly. India Gate hopes to create trust in its promise to supply the finest basmati rice to homes across Indian markets by engaging with customers directly.
Phase Three: A Three-Pronged Approach
Television Campaign (TVC): India Gate Basmati Rice launches a captivating TVC introducing an interesting concept that reinforces its position as the “Asli” Basmati Rice. Encouraging consumers to make the switch from loose (‘Khulla’) to packaged Basmati, this campaign aims to raise awareness about choosing wisely in light of the new FSSAI standards.
Digital Campaign: Through engaging digital films, India Gate leads the charge in promoting the shift from loose to packaged Basmati. These films capture the consumer’s dilemma at the point of sale while choosing the right basmati rice for the family. These films and interactive social media campaigns, aim to educate consumers about the benefits of choosing packaged Basmati.
Setting the Stage for Basmati Purity
India Gate in association with Eat Right India (An FSSAI campaign), has been holding the first-ever “Basmati Rice No Compromise” Conclave 2023 across the nation. This movement, with an aim to educate the consumers about the regulations introduced on basmati rice by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), set off its road shows in the first leg including Delhi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, and Bhopal and will be followed by further cities, including Lucknow, Patna, Ahmedabad, Pune and Hyderabad.
This is the first time that the FSSAI has established identity requirements for multiple types of basmati rice, including brown basmati, milled basmati, parboiled brown basmati, and milled parboiled basmati. These rules, as specified in the Food Safety and Rules (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) First Amendment Regulations, 2023, were published in the Gazette of India.
Sharing his views on the commercial and educational campaign, KRBL head of marketing Kunal Sharma explains, “We are committed to our customers, and we have taken it upon ourselves to educate them about eating right and the importance of choosing right. We laud the FSSAI for proactively creating an identification criterion for Basmati rice. These measures will certainly strengthen customer confidence in the authenticity and integrity of our precious basmati rice, both in India and globally. As a basmati rice brand, India Gate is dedicated to maintaining the purity of basmati grains with respect to standards.”
The agencies that have worked with KRBL in bringing this campaign to life are Creative Land Asia, Lyxel & Flamingo, Wavemaker and Consocia Advisory. All the agencies came together to create a narrative to convey a strong message that showcases KRBL as a category leader and is committed to its goals.
KRBL Ltd remains optimistic that this campaign will not only increase customer awareness but also foster an appreciation for the superior qualities of Basmati rice, further solidifying India’s position as a key player in the global basmati rice market.
Mumbai: In a bid to further bolster its content portfolio, Asianet on Monday announced the fourth season of “Bigg Boss” Malayalam. Hosted by veteran actor Mohan Lal, the show is slated for premiere on 27 March.
The show has signed-up Nerolac Paints as the ‘co-presenting sponsor,’ India Gate Basmati Rice as the ‘co-powered sponsor,’ and Eyetex Dazzler as ‘special partner.’ Asianet recently unveiled the official logo of the latest season.
“The show has been one of the highest-rated properties in Malayalam entertainment on TV for the last three seasons, and with the upcoming season of Bigg Boss, we are confident of further strengthening our content portfolio in the Malayalam-speaking market,” said the channel’s spokesperson. “Every brand that has been associated with Bigg Boss has managed to redefine their presence in the market and we look forward to continuing this trend.”
NEW DELHI: As the nation is dealing with Covid2019, the problem of hunger still prevails amongst millions of under-privileged humans. India Gate Basmati Rice, being one of the oldest brands in India has started #UmeedHainHum – an initiative to feed families during these tough times. The brand has been providing more than 20,000 meals every day across the country.
KRBL Limited business head, sales and marketing Ayush Gupta shares, “When we first started this activity, it was about helping an orphanage which was struggling for their daily meals somewhere in Bhopal, but as we moved along the journey became larger and more vivid in terms of the people and sections of the society we could serve.”
According to Gupta, the brand has observed that people are buying via online channels, “We are observing a heavy surge in online purchases, which is becoming beneficial for top brands who have a really high recall. FMCG as a consumer segment is going to be the most sustained and will provide a backbone for customers returning to the market. Groceries will remain key to the last mile shopping with strong positive sentiment towards supporting them.”
He also points out that local brands, which are providing quality products, will be the most benefited in the coming months as well.
“During the ongoing crisis of Covid2019, we want to make sure that we are available in appropriate quantities to all our customers across the globe. As rice is one of the most consumed essential grains in most countries, we are taking special measures to make sure that each and every packet is passed through stringent quality checks and is hygienically packed,” he says.
When asked about what kind of shift the brand has seen in the marketing strategies and on what mediums the brand is experimenting to connect with the consumers, Gupta says, “Right now, in times of uncertainties, brand communication should be able to educate, assure and be empathetic to the needs of customers. Being omni-channel, ensuring the availability of stocks everywhere with a 'value for money' proposition is how we are approaching the current scenario.”
He shares that the remaining financial year looks promising as the food and beverage industry will become the forming grounds of people coming out again shopping for their staple requirements. “This will, in turn, provide opportunities to various other categories to get picked up and provide better balance to the overall market,” he adds.
Gupta reveals that the brand is planning to extend its existing health portfolio which has brown rice and quinoa in it, with flax seeds, chia seeds and black rice. These products, which are already available under the brand India Gate in international markets, will now be available in India as well.
He further added, “Currently, KRBL intends to expand further into various regional rice varieties which are generally available as loose rice only. In our category particularly, customers are fast moving towards packaged products as it gives assurance of safety, hygiene, cleanliness and quality consistency month on month. Along with this, after the successful launch of Idli Rava, we are planning to launch similar rice- and grain-based products which can be used for making a multitude of dishes.”
MUMBAI: Star World, India’s leading English General Entertainment channel, is all set to bring the latest season of the biggest and most watched culinary show on Indian television – Amazon.in presents MasterChef Australia S7 powered by India Gate Basmati Rice. Starting 3 September, the seventh season of the globally popular series will air every Monday to Friday, 9pm only on Star World and Star World HD.
MasterChef Australia has been a tent pole property for Star World and has inspired millions of Indians year on year changing the way food is perceived in India. The last season further cemented the show’s massive fan following, becoming one of the most-watched shows in the 9 PM slot in 3 years across the category.
Commenting on the show’s launch Star World official spokesperson said “MasterChef Australia has been a flagship show on Star World that has transformed the culinary landscape in India. Star World has always been a pioneer in exposing India to global lifestyles and creating that urban premium consumer segment who today we call as the Global Indian consumers; they demand nothing but the very best in English Entertainment”
A mega 360 degree promotional campaign has been put in place which will pan across various mediums to include On-Air, Digital, On-Ground, Trade and Public Relations. For the launch of the show, Star World will be putting up a massive promotional TV campaign not only across the Star network but outside network TV channels as well. Digital is key driver and the lead medium for the show and the channel has a robust visibility and consumer engagement campaign planned to reach out to its target audience via an extensive paid and earned media marketing campaign.
Star World will further amplify the show with unique targeted digital and on-ground tie ups. Food Talk India, one of India’s largest digital food communities has come on board as a digital partner and will be creating fun and engaging content on social media platforms for the show along with co-curating promotional events in Mumbai & Delhi to give viewers a MasterChef Australia worthy experience. Food Talk India, along with Star World, and Olive Bar and Kitchen will be hosting on-ground concepts with in New Delhi and Mumbai.
MasterChef Australia follows the journey of ordinary home-cooks as they showcase their extraordinary cooking ability. From different backgrounds, and with different experiences, skills and cultural influences, there is one thing that unites the home cooks – their passion for food. With the culinary bar set high in 2014, the heat will be on and this year we will see some of the most talented and passionate home cooks eagerly tackle challenges and put up dishes which will leave everyone spellbound.
Judges Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston will seek out the most passionate and talented amateur cooks from across the country to unearth the Top 24 to join them in the MasterChef Australia kitchen. This September, judges will once again become mentors, encouraging and challenging the contestants to push the boundaries further and unearth their passion for food. Speaking on the launch of the show in India, Gary Mehigan said “MasterChef Australia is very special to me. I am aware of the fan following the show has in India and its evident from all my visits to this fabulous country. This season will be truly awesome as the contestants on the show are cooking & plating food better than ever before. Don’t forget to tune in”
MUMBAI: As things heat up in the national capital with the political parties battling it out for aam admi’s attention, Life OK’s second season of the reality show Welcome 2- Baazi Mehmaan Nawaazi is all set to add more spice to the existing drama!
The ‘desi’ version of the international reality series, Come Dine with Me, will now explore the Delhi cuisine and culture with common man, this time around.
Unlike the first season which was hosted by actor Ram Kapoor, this one will be sans a host and celebrities. The previous season featured actors hosting dinner at their places and will bring together a bunch of New Delhi-based strangers from different walks of life. They will be seen bonding over food, entertainment and ‘mehmaan nawaazi’ (hospitality) with one specific theme each week.
Produced by Miditech, the series started from 17 March and is aired every week Monday to Friday at 10:00 pm and will run for eight weeks.
India Gate Basmati Rice continues to be the presenting sponsor of the show. Moreover, the channel has roped in Pantene 6 Oil Nourish as the powered by sponsor.
The reason behind having no host this time around is, the makers wanted to focus on the five contestants. “This time we just wanted to focus on the five contestants each week. The show concentrates on Dilwalon Ki Dilli, the melting pot of cultures offered with a dash of masala, drama and entertainment. This season is all about laughter, food, excitement, drama and different personalities,” echoes Miditech co-founder Niret Alva.
Fifteen episodes have been canned till now. The makers and the channel believe that it is going to be a fun ride. Celebrities are expected to come in but much later. “This time we are keeping this season more on the lines of the international format. Some celebs will definitely join in every now and then to pep up the drama and entertainment quotient, but that will come much later,” reveals Alva.
Life OK general manager Ajit Thakur expounds: “It is our endeavor to introduce clutter-breaking content and our reality shows are always served with a twist. As five contestants from culturally diverse backgrounds come together, the show moves away from the run of the mill kitchen politics and takes you into the actual kitchen conversations.”
Alva revealed that selecting the contestants was very tough. “We were looking for the characters from different walks of life. We needed permissions to invade their homes. Apart from this, we also needed the contestants for five days without even telling them what’s going around.”
In its first season, the show aired from 21 January to 23 March 2013. There were nine groups that involved 45 celebrities, with five celebrities featuring in the show every week.
While the channel has pinned high hopes on this series, whether they will succeed it or not is a different story altogether. Says a highly placed media planner (name withheld on request): “The channel has been innovating and launching new shows time and again to sustain viewership and maintain numbers. But according to me, they should not try content which has not worked for them in the past. The first season did not work well for the channel and that was the clear indication that audiences are not interested in such content.”
The media planner further goes on to say that: “To fill the vacant slot, they could have extended the shows which are doing well for the channel like Mahadev and Shapath. This strategy would have got them a few numbers.”
