The latest entrant in the 50p mint category in India is Fundamint. It seems to peg its differentiation on Indian ingredients like saunf (fennel seeds) and hence the positioning: dil se desi (loosely translated as ‘Fundamentally, a local at heart’). The product, from Godfrey Philips operates in an impulse purchase category. If distribution is taken care of (given its core business that should not be an issue for GP), brand preference revolves largely on the likeability of the brand. And that’s a factor driven by likeable, enjoyable advertising.
The TVC is about a call center employee getting his desi jig thanks to Fundamint. Not a laugh-out loud kind of commercial and more audio humour than visual, perhaps? And they have the mandatory website, which has the mandatory downloads (TVC, wallpapers, what else?) and also a quiz to calculate your DQ – desi quotient. And what’s the prize – a very desi iPod Touch. The name of the game is to see the brand at the grocery store, have some positive residual imagery of the advertising and buy without thinking too much about positioning and such. Will the ‘I am a desi like you are’ kind of positioning make a difference in a 50p mint category? The category is not exactly loyalty-prone and those who seek variety – it’s a mint after all – will at least not reject the brand. With several biggies already in the fray there will be lot more action now in the category.
Was the desi in you awakened by Fundamint?
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