For years, popular brands have been charged with using cheaper and less healthy ingredients to make products for the Indian market compared to the ones catering to the US and the UK markets; which mostly has to do with the economies of scale and the use of cheaper ingredients to sell products at a cheaper price to India’s cost-conscious consumers.
Things are changing albeit slowly.
Take Too Yumm! for example. The company’s primary investment is in enhancing the product itself. This includes using healthier rice bran oil instead of palm oil and employing extensive baking technology. “While these measures increase production costs, they enable Too Yumm! to fulfill its promise of delivering tasty and healthier snacks,” says Yogesh Tewari, Vice President of Marketing, Too Yumm! and addes, “The brand has refined its positioning to emphasize “Tasty and Healthy Snacks.” This shift stemmed from the realization that while a segment of consumers prioritize health over taste, the majority prioritizes taste when it comes to snacking, with healthiness being an added benefit.”
Consequently, Too Yumm! now includes fried products in its portfolio, albeit produced using healthier rice bran oil instead of palm oil, resulting in lower saturated fat content compared to regular fried snacks.
In a chat with Storyboard18, Yogesh Tewari, Vice President of Marketing, Too Yumm! discusses the genesis of the No Palm Oil campaign, rationale behind partnering with Lucknow Super Giants, how Gen Z wants extreme and more.
Edited excerpts:
What led to the genesis of the No Palm Oil campaign? Why does Too Yumm! want to establish itself as a healthy snacks brand?
Initially launched in 2016-2017, Too Yumm! promised healthy snacking, positioning itself as a healthier alternative within the fried snack category. The brand enlisted Virat Kohli as an ambassador to reinforce this positioning in consumers’ minds. The brand has evolved since then, introducing more product variants in line with evolved consumer preferences.
However, the brand has refined its positioning to emphasize “Tasty and Healthy Snacks.” This shift stemmed from the realization that while a segment of consumers prioritize health over taste, the majority prioritizes taste when it comes to snacking, with healthiness being an added benefit. Consequently, Too Yumm! now includes fried products in its portfolio, albeit produced using healthier rice bran oil instead of palm oil, resulting in lower saturated fat content compared to regular fried snacks. Despite the associated increase in production costs, the brand believes it’s the opportune moment to proudly communicate its commitment to offering tasty and healthier snack options to consumers who are increasingly discerning about oil types and label information. This innovation has set new industry benchmarks in the snacking industry, inspiring others to follow suit in introducing No Palm Oil snacks.
To mark this pioneering position, Too Yumm! has launched a new campaign titled “Switch to NPO” (No Palm Oil), reiterating our position as a brand that has been the trendsetter with No Palm Oil in its snacks range. Through this integrated campaign, we aim to connect with consumers in driving the conversation on No Palm Oil snacks as healthier snacking options without compromising on taste.
What were the key areas of the marketing investments for this campaign?
The company’s primary investment is in enhancing the product itself. This includes using healthier rice bran oil instead of palm oil and employing extensive baking technology. While these measures increase production costs, they enable Too Yumm! to fulfill its promise of delivering tasty and healthier snacks. To credibly communicate this proposition, the brand collaborates with content creators, influencers, food reviewers, and bloggers who drives the consumer’s preference and purchase decision. Too Yumm! identifies key opinion leaders who carefully select brand partnerships and provide factual, balanced content. By sharing the brand’s story with content creators whose values align with the proposition, the company effectively reaches consumers.
In addition, Too Yumm! utilizes digital media, brand’s social media platforms, plans for out-of-home advertising in key metropolitan areas, and YouTube as mediums to rapidly increase awareness about its healthier snack offerings.
Could you outline the ad spends and digital investments for this campaign? Take us through the main objectives and strategies for partnering with Lucknow Super Giants this year.
The campaign is currently ongoing, making it challenging to quantify its impact numerically. However, its credibility is paramount at this stage. We aim to avoid overwhelming consumers with a heavy-handed brand perspective. Instead, we’re pursuing a gradual approach—a ‘slow burn.’ We’re strategically selecting mediums where consumers are receptive to understanding our message.
Our strategy involves leveraging product and point-of-sale materials, educating our sales force to in turn educate promoters and retailers about our product differentiators compared to others. Additionally, we’re incorporating campaigns that utilize influencers and digital media channels.
As for the second part, snacking is something consumers engage in during occasions when they want to enjoy themselves or uplift their mood. One core occasion is sports, whether watching at home or in the stadium, where snacks complement the experience.
Too Yumm! has been associated with this occasion since the beginning of its brand journey, starting by roping in Virat Kohli as a brand ambassador. The brand has been associated with the IPL property since its inception.
A few years back, when Too Yumm!’s promoter group RPSG bought the Lucknow Super Giants team, it presented a clear opportunity. Firstly, because the team is co-owned by the same promoter. Secondly, they represent the biggest snacking market, Uttar Pradesh. Hence, it made absolute sense for Too Yumm! to associate with the team, which we have been doing for the last three years, including the current year.
Can you share some market trends and consumer insights? How has Too Yumm! been leveraging them?
On multiple counts, both communication as well as innovation. Let me talk about innovation first. We are a highly disruptive, innovative brand since our launch. We aim to disrupt the market, whether it was the launch of big products or new formats like multigrain chips or Veggie Stix or innovative flavors. We pioneered unique flavors like Dahi Papdi Chaat in salty snacks.
We leverage insights to understand trending flavor buckets, what consumers want to try, and what is being offered in other categories but not ours. A recent example was the trend of spice across categories. We wanted to enter that segment but disrupt it significantly. With that insight, we launched Bhoot Chips based on the insight that consumers want spicy but tasty products, not just extreme heat. The core idea was balancing flavor where consumers find the heat irresistible but still want to finish the pack because it’s so tasty. We are happy that competitors have tried to mimic the product, and the segment has seen significant innovation and growth since our launch.
Similarly, on the communication side, each piece is centered around consumer insights. We know Gen Z is the largest snacking cohort, so our brand positioning was tailored to be relevant for them. A core insight was that Gen Z doesn’t do anything at an ordinary level; they want the extreme – extreme adventure, sports, content, pleasure. We leveraged this insight for our new positioning and campaign launched last year along with our brand revamp.
Where is the sales coming from the most?
The primary demographic for Too Yumm! is Gen Z, encompassing individuals aged 15 to 24 years, including college students and young adults. This consumer segment exhibits a strong affinity for both the snacking category in general and Too Yumm! specifically.
In comparison to other brands, Too Yumm! has a slightly higher representation within the 25 to 30-year-old age bracket, largely due to its perception as a healthier option. However, the majority of its consumers still belong to the 15 to 24 age group.
Geographically, Too Yumm! demonstrates strength primarily in the South and East regions of India, with notable presence in states such as Karnataka, West Bengal, and Assam, which serve as key markets for the brand