Real refreshed

POWER MOVES: Dabur

Dabur Real is the latest addition to a bandwagon of brands adopting the health positioning. Its latest campaign aims at appealing to the better judgement of mothers by highlighting the nutritional benefits of Dabur’s packaged juice, rather than just the taste. “Taste, which was our earlier positioning, is a variety seeking behaviour, while health is a habit,” says Dabur India Head of Marketing (foods division) Krishan Kumar Chutani.

Religare Capital Markets Executive Vice-president (institutional equities) Varun Lohchab believes the new positioning is just another way for the brand to stay contemporary. According to Lohchab, currently, the juice category in India is estimated at Rs 800 crore, growing at 20 per cent a year. Dabur Real is the market leader with over 52 per cent share, while Pepsi’s Tropicana has locked 25 per cent of the market. The rest of the pie is divided between Godrej and other local players.

It is uncommon to see a market leader change its brand positioning without feeling threatened. Lohchab points out, “Despite being the market leader, Dabur cannot afford to be complacent. Competition in this segment is heating up from local players and behemoths like Pepsi and Coca-Cola who are growing their non-carbonated beverage portfolio.” However, Chutani of Dabur says that penetration in the category is still low (15 per cent), and there is scope for multiple players to co-exist and grow the category. The other challenge that Dabur hopes to overcome is convincing the consumer that packaged juice is free of preservatives. Chutani is confident that the growth of modern trade and exposure to packaged foods from around the world will drive consumer awareness and increase adoption in the category.

Real’s latest campaign launches a new packaging and stresses on the natural and healthy aspect of packaged juice. The new package design is a result of a dialogue with consumers about the associations they had with fresh juice. “Breakfast, morning sunshine, orange were some common insights which helped compile the brief given to Zlata, an Australian company, which redesigned the packaging,” explains Chutani. The logo has also been tweaked and has green leaves and water droplets depicting freshness.

For its TVC, Dabur showcases actor Sonali Bendre enacting a scene with her son, where she explains to him that Dabur’s Real orange juice has all the nutritional properties of real oranges. The commercial is scheduled to run for six weeks and is the first in a series of three advertisements. “The subsequent ads will focus on variant-specific advertising to popularise the lesser-known flavours,” explains Chutani. Currently, Dabur Real is available in 14 flavours, with orange and mixed fruit as bestsellers.

The television campaign is also being extended to print, radio and outdoor. Currently, the radio medium is being favoured in Chennai and the southern markets, while the outdoor campaign is running in Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore and Chandigarh. On the digital media platform, Real is engaging kids who help influence purchase decisions. “The digital space is an involvement- and education-driven initiative rather than an advertising medium,” explains Chutani. Social gaming and social networking are both on the agenda, but at this point the company is not ready to divulge further details.

Currently, Real accounts for nearly 75 per cent of the total sales of Dabur Foods, which has brands like Activ, Burst and Hommade cooking paste as part of its portfolio. With the new positioning, the company is targeting a 25 per cent increase in sales. It will be interesting to see how the brand squeezes a bigger pie of the packaged juice market.