case on brands for different segments

1. Britannia – A big bite
Britannia saw a huge marketing opportunity in fundamental
changes that were happening in consumers’ lifestyle and their food habits. Also, the increasing level of
aspirations among rural consumers was resulting in new demands and it offered a huge market for FMCG
brands like Britannia.
The Challenge
The challenge, however, for the brand was to find ways to cater to these behavioural changes and
growing aspirations. Another challenge was to customise its products and position them in a manner that
would appeal to differentiated needs.
The Strategy
The company focused on innovation to tap into the changes that were happening in terms of consumer
behaviour. So, it picked out the changes and harnessed that change for its growth by being more
evocative to the phenomenon. It came up with innovation not only in terms of product development, but
also in terms of positioning and pricing to cater to the needs of evolving consumers.
Neeraj Chandra, COO, Britannia Industries
“When we look at some of the categories consumed over a period of years, change is almost
imperceptible in the categories like biscuits, soap and laundry powder. We chose to tap these basic

2. changes in the marketing environment through innovation,” says Neeraj Chandra, COO, Britannia
Industries.”
Whether it is entering into diabetic friendly space or innovating for new consumer taste, Britannia drove
innovation in various ways. The brand came with solutions that focussed on more segmentation.
As the food market in India is changing, Britannia entered new categories to cater to this change. For
instance, it introduced rusk which is mostly sold as an unbranded product in India.
The Implementation
Catering to the needs of health conscious consumers, Britannia came up with health offerings like
NutriChoice and Nutrichoice Thin, virtually creating a new health pillar for the brand.
“The brand tapped into the rising trend of people desiring health in all forms. This is something that is a
very big fundamental change and Britannia is well positioned to anchor with this,” say Chandra.
The company also focused on its communication that promised a better health. With these new products
in the category, Britannia gained a stature of a ‘health and nutrition’ brand. These new entries made the
brand Britannia move up the value chain and also widened its consumer base.
Britannia also came up with new products to cater to the new taste of consumers. For instance, it brought
Choco-Decker, combining the taste of chocolate with biscuits.
As chocolate is an increasingly accepted taste
worldwide, Britannia leveraged this change for increased taste sensation to appeal a new set of
consumers. The product was packaged in the forms of bars. “We drew upon the appeal of chocolate and
used it to leverage another category such as biscuits in terms of flavour, product form and shape,” says
Chandra.
Positioning innovation:
With a focus on clear segmentation, the company also repositioned some of its brands. For example, it
repositioned Bourbon, a product similar to its brand Tasty Treat, to cater to young adults. The company
pulled the product out from the Treat category that mainly catered to the kids. With the youth becoming
more important, a simple change in positioning of the brand, delivered a much faster growth. This helped

3. Bourbon grow by 50 per cent. “The product remained the same, but it just got repositioned. The insight
was that young adults are becoming more important in the Indian market and we tied to connect with
them better,” says Chandra.
Another repositioning was done for its highly successful brand Tiger. “Tiger is a simple Glucose biscuit,
and Tiger used to be associated with being a 100 per cent glucose biscuit. Tiger got repositioned and
strengthened on not just being a glucose format, but really standing for nutrition for kids,” says Chandra.
With its new slogan ‘India Ab Banega Tiger’, Britannia expanded the brand into multiple formats. So,
Tiger is now available in a cookie format, it has a cream variant, and it is available in form of a health
drink too. “So, we brought innovation to the brand Tiger to strengthen and transform it,” he adds.
Britannia also brought a new communication for its cake, highlighting its ‘goodness’ quotient. Besides
highlighting taste and health, it also came up with an emotional appeal.
Britannia brought small packs that meant for single serve to tap into increasing consumption occasions.
“The scope for change and innovation arose from new consumption moments such as out-of-home
consumption due to increase in travel time. These packs were also aimed at consumption occasions at
new workplaces like BPOs,” says Chandra.
Making its products more affordable, Britannia brought Rs 5 packs, which helped broaden its consumer
base. “We have a whole rise of the Indian hinterland. As aspiration lines between rural and urban areas
are blurring, consumption is growing and consumerism is growing. In the biscuit market, it reflects in
people not wanting a boredom of glucose biscuits. They are looking for much more varieties. So, this
packaging strategy made sure that these varieties were accessible to all,” he says, adding, “This is all
about being conscious, recognising the change, creating the packs and pushing them out and making
them deliver,” he says.
Results
Adapting to some of the broad changes in marketing scenario, Britannia has not only added new products
in its portfolio, but has also expanded its business to morph into a major food brand. Overall, Britannia
has tapped the change through innovation to strengthen its brand and serve more consumers in a variety
of ways. Along its journey, the corporate brand has gained stature across the environment to remain
among the top brands in the country.