New Delhi: Zomato CMO Gaurav Verma has moved on from the organisation. He announced the development on his social media handle.
Verma joined Zomato from Pepsico as CMO for the brand in 2019. Soon, he was elevated to global growth head for dining out for a brief period of six. Later, he was again given the mantle for marketing in April this year.
He led the brand marketing activities for Zomato throughout the pandemic and spearheaded several interesting campaigns.
Verma has 15 years of experience in the industry and has worked at multiple brands such as Pepsico, ITC, Lenovo, and Tata Tea. His longest stint was at Pepsico where he worked in different categories such as Tropicana, Lays, Kurkure, and others.
NEW DELHI: Lay’s, the potato chip brand has been at the helm of influencer marketing through its campaigns for some time now. Last year, it was the Smile Dekho campaign which garnered a massive response and this year, the brand has unveiled #LaysKhol campaign.
However, a common thread in these marketing strategies is how the company is innovatively leveraging the power of packaging design in its brand communication. PepsiCo’s product customised the Lay’s smile packs #SmileWithLays, where nearly 750 influencers were brought on board to carry the campaign through. The influencers were provided with customised Lay's packs with their own smiles printed on the packaging.
This was then boosted by a TVC that featured Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. Titled Train Pe Tussle, the ad film showcased brief bickering between the two characters in a train, which is eventually diffused by a smile.
The first phase of the #LaysKhol campaign featured popular cricketers including Virender Sehwag donning his special Baba Sehwag Avatar, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Brett Lee, Harbhajan Singh, and Rahul Tewatia. In the four-part video series, cricketers dabbled in some fun and cheeky banter that not only engaged cricket fans but also drove conversations.
Now, during the festive season this year, the brand has unveiled 18 limited-edition #LaysKhol packs, each of which poses an intriguing question with a quirky answer given inside the packet. It’s an interesting way to get those extra few seconds of face time with the buyer at the crucial time of purchase decision. These special packs have been shared with celebrities, influencers, and friends of Lay’s.
The activity has so far received an overwhelming response, garnering significant mileage for the brand with more than 1,600 organic posts and stories leading to over 3.58 million engagement on social media.
Lay’s decision to capitalise on the same trend back-to-back signifies that newness in packaging leads to good recall and consumers stay with the brand for a little longer. The packaging design reflects the brand identity and brings the brand to life – from the visual appearance and feel of the packaging to its function and sustainability.
Through the multi-channel campaign, the brand objective is to target brand fans, drive engagement, and deepen regional penetration.
However, after running many successful campaigns over the years, why is product packaging gaining prominence in Lay’s marketing plan now? And does this whole exercise give Lay’s an edge over its competitors?
Brand expert N Chandramouli states that the packaged snacks segment has been completely altered due to the lockdown. “Since Lay’s products are largely standard, other than a flavour change once in a while, they have few options to engage the consumer, and one of them is the packaging design or social media campaigns aimed at engaging the youth. India has a wide variety in packaged snacks for consumers, unlike the Western markets, and Lays has been facing tough competition over the years, with the pandemic only beating them further down.”
Influencer marketing has become a core part in any brand’s strategy, and the lockdown has dialled this up further. Businesses have cut spends on ATL mediums, and more and more, they’re reaching out to the big movers and shakers on social media, which has led to influencers getting a bigger slice of the ad-ex pie. Established brands are slowly moving towards digital campaigns, which are specifically designed keeping the influencer community in mind.
Agreeing that traditional advertising on TV and print has come down substantially for all brands, and they are moving digital because the spends can be controlled, Chandramouli adds: “In digital campaigns, the best engagement is perhaps with influencers who have an engaged audience and create content specifically to suit their audiences. This makes influencers a very important channel for brands, especially considering the after-effects of Covid2019.”
As a consumer, one is more likely to pay attention to content that comes from a trusted source. Network Advertising chief strategy officer Sunit Khot is of the view that influencers are usually a sure-fire way for brands to gain traction in digital marketing. They help in getting more interested and engaged audiences. “Having said all that, I personally feel that influencer marketing cannot be the be-all and end-all of digital marketing. It has its virtues but by no means can it replace other marketing activities that work towards building brand affinity and loyalty.”
Makani Creatives co-founder and MD Sameer Makani believes it is imperative for brands to keep the audience aware and recall at large. “Knowing the fact that we all are under the clout of pandemic and people spend more time digitally, brands have taken social media as a revolutionary tool to promote and connect. Influencer marketing plays a huge role in keeping the audience intact and reaching the masses. In fact, playing with a product package can be a good move only if it resonates well with the audience,” he said.
Lay’s has always touted itself as a cool, youth-centric brand: a fun, ubiquitous snack that can be consumed at any place, any time. But in a competitive market like India where it faces challenge from the strongholds of namkeen and traditional snacks, Lay’s is repositioning itself through meaningful digital campaigns and revamped packaging that thrust its hip quotient – as something consumers can not only eat, but also enjoy. It will be interesting to see if the brand can keep this momentum going in the long run, or drop it like a hot potato.
New Delhi: Facebook global chief marketing officer Antonio Lucio announced via a social media post that he is stepping down from his role. Lucio has been CMO of Facebook since September 2018 and will remain in that position until September 18, 2020. Currently, he is helping the company transition through the end of the year.
Lucio said, “This has been a challenging year for all and an especially reflective year for me, following my mother’s passing before the lockdown. Given the historical inflection point we are in regarding racial justice, I have decided to dedicate 100% of my time to diversity, inclusion and equity. Though these issues have been core to my personal purpose and my work for many years, I want to make them my sole focus. I will devote the next chapter of my professional life to helping companies and agencies in the marketing and advertising industries accelerate their transformation and to drive holistic and profound change. It is a time for reckoning for our nation and industry, and it is time for me to play a more active part in accelerating change.
In leaving Facebook, I am nothing but grateful.
I believe in Facebook’s mission, and COVID has demonstrated the platforms at their best. As the company evolves, striking the right balance between preserving freedom of speech and eliminating hateful speech on the platforms is a generation-defining question that must continue to be addressed. I know the company and its leadership agree on the centrality of this important task.”
Prior to joining Facebook, Lucio served as the global chief marketing and communications officer at HP. And he also had a similar position at Visa.
Lucio was reporting to Facebook Chief Product Officer Chris Cox. Cox recently returned to Facebook after departing from the company in March 2019. One of the biggest roles that Lucio took on was handling the negative press Facebook received following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Lucio has over two decades of experience of working at multiple brands such as Pepsico, HP, Kraft Foods, P&G, Visa and others.
NEW DELHI: To express gratitude towards the millions of Indian families for their continued support towards each other during these challenging times, Kurkure launched a special campaign. The campaign brings to life a special thank you to the Indian families for always being supportive, entertaining, and adding ‘masaledaar fun’ to each other’s lives in their own ‘atpata’ and ‘chatpata’ ways.
Through its long journey in India, Kurkure has always been an integral part of Indian families and their daily moments filled with ‘quirky masti’. The new campaign is based on three relevant insights. The cultural insight of how India has been known for its joint family – centric setup; the social insight which recognizes the deepened bond, uptick in family time and increased connect between family members during these challenging times as more and more people have moved back home; and the consumer insight which identifies people's need to express themselves in fun and quirky ways.
PepsiCo India senior director and category head – foods Dilen Gandhi said, “As individuals, thanking our immediate families may not always come naturally to us. While we may convey our gratitude to them through little actions, it is putting this deep emotion into words which is the real challenge. Through Kurkure’s new campaign, we aim to offer our fans and consumers across India with a fun way to say ‘thank you’ to their loved ones. This quirky tribute matches perfectly with the ‘atpata’ and ‘chatpata’ characteristics of Indian families – making this ode truly distinct in today’s scenario.”
He further added, “While the trend earlier was about moving out on your own, the reality now has once again cherished the role played by family as a social institution and familial bonding has become a privilege. Our attempt through this campaign is to celebrate that.”
The special film unveiled by the brand captures the nuances of the relationship that all family members share with each other and celebrates how they have kept one another upbeat and entertained even during these times. The peppy track takes the audience through relatable, fun-filled family moments from the homes of Indian families, such as fighting over the remote control and enjoying a special meal. Shot in a unique stop-motion format, the film highlights that with family by one’s side, even these difficult times have been nothing short of a joyride.
Kurkure brand ambassador Akshay Kumar said, “In these trying times, we came closer to our families and became each other's source of strength, happiness and humour. Kurkure, which has a long journey of celebrating fun-filled family moments, captures this heartfelt bond and the idea of being each other's support through a special masaledaar tribute to the Indian families. I hope everyone enjoys this chatpata ode and is inspired to find fun ways of thanking their own families”.
PepsiCo Foods, India WPP lead – Ritu Nakra said, “Kurkure has always had Indian families as the "Hero" of our brand communication. In light of current events, our families have become more important than ever, acting as our support systems and making these tough times somewhat bearable. This ode to Indian families was our way of recognising and celebrating our families that have been there for us through tough times. Done in a very quintessential Kurkure manner, with loads of quirk and humour.”
The launch of the film is first in the line of many digital activations that the brand has in the pipeline for the coming few weeks. The latest campaign is being brought to life through a robust 360-degree surround plan across multiple platforms.
NEW DELHI: After being associated with Pepsico for 20 years, Deepika Warrier will take on the Diageo India chief marketing officer (CMO) role at the end of July 2020.
She made the announcement about her movement in a post on her LinkedIn page. In her last role, she was CEO and MD of NourishCo Beverages Ltd (a Pepsico-Tata Global Beverages JV).
In a LinkedIn post, Warrier wrote, “After 20 enriching years at PepsiCo, I’m moving to Diageo India as CMO end 20 July. PepsiCo has been a true alma mater and college of leadership – teaching me appreciation for great talent, how to combine data with storytelling to write inspiring strategy, the importance of execution, passion for our brands and pride in our products and so much more. The company has great leaders, past and present, who not only ensured that I learnt every day of the past 20 years with critical experiences, but also stood by me through personal crisis. And of course so many friends and colleagues and agency partners who were there for me through thick and thin .Its difficult for me to summarise 20 years in a post and name so many , who have made such a difference to my life and that of my family , but suffice to say… you can take a girl out of Pepsi , but …
And now on to a new journey, as I lead my second curve at Diageo India – can’t wait to create magic with my new team … as we navigate this new reality, help our consumers re-connect, socialise the best they can, celebrate life with our great brands, responsibly . Thank you Anand Kripalu and Cristina Diezhandino for the terrific opportunity – excited to be a part of your great team!”
Warrier held various senior brand management and new business development positions at Pepsico. She was the marketing vice president and CMO, Pepsico India Region (2007-2010). In 2014, she was the VP Global Nutrition Pepsico, Dubai. In 2016, Warrier headed Pepsico India's marketing operations as VP nutrition category. She was CEO and MD for NourishCo ( a Pepsico-Tata Global Beverages JV) in April 2019.
MUMBAI: PepsiCo has appointed Wern-Yuen Tan as the CEO for the APAC region, it shared in a press statement. Tan will begin his new role on 15 June 2020 and will be based in Singapore. He will report directly to PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta. He will be replacing Ram Krishnan who will now transition fully to his previously announced role as global chief commercial officer of PepsiCo.
Prior to PepsiCo, Tan served as President and CEO of Walmart China where he led a team of 100,000 associates responsible for over $10 billion in annual revenue across the Walmart, Sam's Club and eCommerce businesses. During his tenure, he led Walmart China through a time of transformation to become an industry pioneer in omnichannel innovation and retail digitization. Prior to joining Walmart in 2017, Tan served as managing director for McDonald's Taiwan, where he gained valuable experience in the foodservice sector. Earlier in his career, he was a principal at Boston Consulting Group, where he advised retail and consumer clients on growth strategy, innovation and turnarounds. Tan began his career in the Singapore government.
PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said, “All of us at PepsiCo are delighted to welcome Wern-Yuen as our new CEO of APAC at this time of unprecedented change and opportunity. Wern-Yuen has driven transformative innovation and results at every step of his career and brings deep experience with consumers in this diverse region through positions in retail, foodservice and consulting. His leadership will be instrumental as we look to accelerate growth by leveraging our scale and creating more localised solutions in these important markets."
He added, "I also want to recognise and express my deep gratitude to Ram and the APAC leadership team for their phenomenal work managing our business through a historically difficult period while delivering strong results and making PepsiCo Faster, Stronger and Better. Ram will now return fulltime to his role as the global chief commercial officer, a crucial position for PepsiCo's winning with a purpose strategy. His continued leadership will be a tremendous asset as we execute on our global consumer and customer sales agenda, whilst developing and scaling new capabilities and business models based on data and technology to deliver future growth."
"I am thrilled to join PepsiCo, a truly global company whose products are recognised across the world," said Tan. "With deep roots across this region and an unparalleled offering, PepsiCo is uniquely positioned to expand its market share and existing omnichannel capabilities across APAC. I look forward to working with Ramon and the entire leadership team to drive growth and localised solutions in this dynamic part of the world."
MUMBAI: Star Sports has appointed Rajiv Mathrani as its new chief marketing officer (CMO), a source close to the development has confirmed to Indiantelevision.com. Mathrani joined Star Sports on 17 September 2018. In his last gig, he worked as chief brand and online officer at Airtel, where he led the transformation of the telecom giant into a digital services player.
In a career spanning close to two decades, Mathrani has worked with top companies including Pepsico, GlaxoSmithKline, Citibank and Marico Industries. He was a creative consultant for a brief period of three years, before returning to the corporate world as vice president marketing at Pepsico in 2010. He was elevated to Pepsico senior director – snacks category head in 2014.
Mathrani holds a PGDBM in marketing from XLRI Jamshedpur.
In a recent development, Star had expressed displeasure with regards to Virat Kohli’s absence from Asia Cup. The broadcaster wrote an email to ACC game development manager Thusith Perera, stating how Kohli’s absence will impact the financial aspect of the coverage. The broadcaster wrote that it will impact their ability to monetise and generate revenue for the tournament.
Responding to the email, BCCI, however, in a sharp reply to ACC has made it clear that neither it nor broadcasters have any say in national team selection matters.
MUMBAI: In line with its global sustainability agenda of Performance with Purpose 2025, PepsiCo India has launched Cheetos Ocean Safari that meets its global nutrition guidelines to encourage the consumption of healthier food and beverage products for children.
Cheetos Ocean Safari with the goodness of three grains – whole wheat flour, corn, rice and with the benefits of rice bran oil having lower saturated fat, will cater to the growing need of consumers for healthier snacking option for kids. It provides approximately 15 per cent of daily wholegrain requirement per serving.
This is as part of PepsiCo’s commitment on a global basis to advertise to children under 12 only those products that meets PepsiCo’s Global Nutrition Criteria for advertising to children.
PepsiCo India vice president of snacks category Jagrut Kotecha says, “The new Cheetos – Ocean Safari, made with the goodness of wholegrain and less than 10 per cent RDA for sodium and energy, driven from saturated fat for kids is in line with our global Performance with Purpose (PwP) goals 2025 for reducing sodium and saturated fat levels in our snacks products. Till date we have been successful in reducing 5 per cent to 25 per cent sodium across various variants of our snacks master brands, Lay’s and Kurkure and reduced 15 per cent saturated fat in the entire Lay’s potato chips range.”
Cheetos, the puffed snack brand is available in Cheetos Cheese Puffs, Masala Balls and the newly launched variant Ocean Safari variants. Cheetos Ocean Safari will be available in four exciting 3D animation shapes of Dolphin, Shark, Starfish & Octopus, a first in the puffed snacks category. It will be available in Rs 5 and Rs 10 packs distributed through traditional trade in the cities across South and West India.
PepsiCo entered India in 1989 and has grown to become one of the largest MNC food and beverage businesses in India. PepsiCo India has been consistently investing in the country and has built an expansive beverage and snack food business supported by 62 plants across the country. PepsiCo India’s diverse portfolio includes iconic brands like Pepsi, Lay’s, Kurkure, Tropicana, Gatorade and Quaker.
MUMBAI: Facebook has named Antonio Lucio as the new global chief marketing officer. Lucio is a very prominent face in t he global advertising and marketing industry, having stints in HP, Visa, PepsiCo. He will start his work on 4 September.
Lucio will fill a post that’s been open since Gary Briggs announced his retirement in January. According to reports, Briggs helped in the search for his replacement. He will report to chief product officer Chris Cox, overseeing global marketing strategy for the social-media company.
Our Chief Product Officer Chris Cox welcoming @ajlucio5 the Facebook family – joining as our new Chief Marketing Officer on September 4! pic.twitter.com/v0vIGomMmK
To regain Facebook’s brand value will be a challenge to new CMO as he joins in a crisis period. Since the beginning of this year, the social media giant has faced mounting consumer, regulatory and political pressure in several countries. In last quarter also, the company posted disappointing results. Hence, Lucio’s primary challenge will be to regain reputation of the brand.
Prior to this position at Facebook, he held the portfolio of CMO at HP. He served as Visa’s first global CMO where he directed the company’s famous “Everywhere you want to be” campaign while he also helped the company transition from financial-services player to a technology business. At PepsiCo he served as chief innovation and health and wellness officer.
MUMBAI: Indian origin Indra Nooyi has decided to step down from American multinational food, snack, and beverage company PepsiCo after heading it for 12 years.
She is currently serving her notice period and will leave the position on October 3. Nooyi will however remain Pepsico’s chairman until early 2019.
Recently elevated PepsiCo president Ramon Laguarta will fill in Nooyi’s shoes to be the new CEO. Laguarta has been with the corporation for over 22 years.
In a statement issued by the company, Nooyi said, “Growing up in India, I never imagined I’d have the opportunity to lead such an extraordinary company. Guided by our philosophy of Performance with Purpose — delivering sustained performance while making more nutritious products, limiting our environmental footprint and lifting up all the communities we serve — we’ve made a more meaningful impact in people’s lives than I ever dreamed possible. PepsiCo today is in a strong position for continued growth with its brightest days still ahead.”
Nooyi joined PepsiCo in 1994 as senior vice president of strategic planning and has since donned many hats at the company.
A Yale University alumni, she shattered the glass ceiling by becoming PepsiCo’s first female CEO.
