Tetra Pak: Packing a punch

The latest campaign by Tetra Pak is a renewed push by the company to generate awareness about the brand’s unique six-layer packaging. The concept of six layer packaging is not new to consumers, but in the past, most of the communication around the brand was limited to packaging innovation in the dairy sector.

“Moving forward, we want to break away from that mould, and focus on packaging in new categories such as juice which are experiencing strong growth,” explains Kandarp Singh, managing director (south asia) Tetra Pak. “While milk and juice companies account for 80 per cent of the overall sales for Tetra Pak, we are also actively pursuing newer categories like buttermilk, flavoured milk, tomato puree and soya products,” adds Singh.

Booz & Company, Partner, Abhishek Malhotra believes Tetra Pak’s objective is similar to what the Intel brand does for its semi-conductor chips. Intel is one of the best examples of ingredient branding where the company invested heavily in building brand equity for an input product, which was essentially seen as a commodity.

Adds Sainath Saraban, executive creative director, Leo Burnett, the agency which handles the Tetra Pak account, “Tetra Pak is a B2B2C (business to business to consumer) product where the brand name, Tetra Pak, is not widely used to refer to the brand itself. The name is used in a generic manner where Indian consumers often refer to anything packaged in a carton as Tetra Pak. Through this campaign, our attempt is to establish a strong identity for the brand as well as educate consumers about the benefits of adopting the Tetra Pak six-layer packaging, which include prolonged freshness, purity, and protection from adulteration.”

To take the message forward, the company has launched two television commercials (TVCs). The first TVC uses humour to harp on the overprotective nature of Indians. It showcases a baby who is fondly dotted with kajal (kohl) — symbolising protection from evil spirits — on his entire face by friends and family. The theme draws attention to the fact that the Tetra Pak’s six layer packaging protects food and helps retain its nutritional benefits. The second commercial revolves around a family where the husband/father is given a personal trainer as birthday gift by his wife/kids. Both the commercials end with the voice over, “How many times do you think of your loved ones…Tetra Pak thinks six times”. An outdoor campaign is running alongside the TVCs in three cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. Company sources say a print and radio campaign are also in the pipeline.

The campaign unfolds at a time when the Indian food packaging industry is witnessing growth rates of close to 10 to 15 per cent. A recent study by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry reveals that packaged food in India is gaining acceptance due to the convenience it offers and is preferred by nuclear families where both the husband and the wife are working outside the home, bachelors who want to refrain from eating out, as well as people who do not have the time to prepare elaborate meals.

Nonetheless, Anand Halve, co-founder, chlorophyll believes that it will take time for food packaged in Tetra Pak to gain mainstream acceptance. “In India, given our cultural acceptance of street food, the concept of ‘extreme hygiene’ is not high up on the priority list for consumers to pay a premium for it. Also, freshness which is the second parameter the brand focuses on, is difficult for Indians to believe, who often associate packaged products as being filled with preservatives.”

In other words, unless there is a large-scale change in the context within which the brand operates, promoting Tetra Pak’s unique benefits will continue to be a challenge.