The Fundamentals Of Food Marketing

That tea is more popular than coffee in our country, and that coffee is more popular in south India than the rest of India is a home truth in India. But did you know why?

Well, before tea/coffee were introduced in our country, we used milk-based products lassi, butter milk or plain milk for our breakfast as well as to entertain guests.

Indeed, as you can see, there was a need for a stimulant in the society.

Tea/coffee fulfilled this need.

The tea garden took root in eastern India and spread to southern India. But the coffee plantation remained confined to southern India.

 

This gave rise to the Berlin Taste Wall.

On the southern side of the Berlin Taste Wall, coffee gained acceptance and became associated with refreshment and stimulation.

While on the other side of the Berlin Taste Wall, tea gained acceptance and became associated with refreshment and stimulation, while coffee began to be perceived as a strong drink to be sipped by students, particularly during examination time to keep awake.

Tuning into the grapevine

Did you know that you could portray a city by its drinking habit?

Well, lets start with Calcutta, where rum is very popular. In this city, rum is mixed with water, not cola.

And in Cochin, like Calcutta, rum is popular, but cola is used as an additive, not water. An influence of petro dollars, did you say?

Lets move to Madras, where brandy is popular. The popularity of brandy is based on the fact that it is perceived to have grape juice. So the drinkers

rationalise that they are not drinking liquor, but drinking grape juice!And that too, not because they like it, but on the doctors recommendation.

On to Delhi, where whisky is the main drink to the exclusion of all others.

Why?

Because when the Britishers came to India, they brought scotch whisky. Hence, whisky became aspirational. This wasnt odd

since Delhi sees white men as aspirational. And Delhi is undoubtedly an image conscious city!

And onto Mumbai. What do Mumbaikars drink? Of course, whisky. But in addition, consumption of white spirits gin and vodka, too, is higher than any other metro city.

Why?

Because, in Mumbai, people drink what they like, not what others want them to drink. For example, even though gin is perceived to be a light, ladies drink, it finds patronage in Mumbai.

Its a sin!

Did you know that despite the growing health consciousness, vanaspati continues to be a very popular cooking medium in our country?

Also, do you know that vanaspati is not as popular in southern India as in other parts of India?

Prior to the introduction of vanaspati, ghee was very popular across our country, both in our kitchen as well as our dining table. A spoon full of ghee over rice and dal or rice and sambhar to enhance the taste across the country. Even today, I am sure, countless people continue to follow this ancient tradition of ours and add sin full of Gaon-Ka-Ghee to enhance taste.

Vanaspati could not substitute this role of ghee as a taste enhancer.

But when it came to cooking, vanaspati started substituting ghee.

In all parts of India, except south of the Vindhyas, ghee was used extensively for cooking, be it frying, or making mouth-watering parathas. And in these regions, vanaspati took over the role of ghee and became very popular.

Why?

Vanaspati is affordable as compared to ghee, today. And because in southern India, ghee was sparingly used in cooking. Hence, vanaspati could not make significant headway here.

Taste plus

Do you know what India adds to its milk, apart form sugar, to enhance taste?

Well, the analysis could lead to a horizontal split of India.

Why?

The white revolution was successful in the western and northern regions of India. And these regions became milk surplus states.

Here, the question was: What should one add to milk to enhance its taste?

Brown powder, which could easily dissolve in milk, became very popular as a taste enhancer.

The eastern and southern parts of the country remained relatively milk-deficit states. Here, the issue was to get a product, which could be used as a substitute for milk.

Hence, white powder containing proteins, vitamins and calciums which could also dissolve in warm water as well as in milk, became popular substitute for milk, even though it is a poor substitute.

Why was the additive white in colour?

Because the colour of milk is white.

With a little help from the doc!

Did you know that 90 per cent of all brandy sold in India, is consumed among the four Southern Indian states Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh (prior to prohibition), Kerala and Karnataka.

Well, in South India, people like to drink, as much as their counterparts in other parts of the country. But here, drinkers need to reassure themselves that they are not drinking liquor.

Hence, southern Indian states have taken to brandy, since brandy contains grape juice, even if it is a few drops. And the drinkers in south India rationalise that they are not drinking liquor but drinking grape juice. That too, not because they want to, but because the doctor recommended them to do so.

Not surprisingly, several brands of brandy, sold in southern India have the word doctor prominently displayed on the label. And the liquor stores are popularly referred to as a brandy shop.

But today, the yuppie South Indian drinker, like his counterpart in the rest of India, does not need an excuse to drink.

All he needs is an excuse to drink.

Salute!

Red or white?

Did you ever wonder why multi-national companies have never entered in basic food industry in a big way?

Well, in our country, our food requirements are different in different regions.

Take atta, for instance.

In North India, atta is the staple food, and, North Indians like their atta to be redder in colour and coarser in finger feel. Why?

Because they believe that if their attawhiter and finer, than it contains maida, and hence it is not wholesome.

On the other hand, in South India, rice is the staple food. But atta is finding increasing patronage here, because it is believed that chappatis are better for health in comparison to rice. And doctors are also increasingly recommending chappati, as a part of the regular meal.

However, the preference in south India is for whiter colour atta which is fine ground, because it is believed that whiter the atta, better is the quality of wheat used to make it.

And the western India preference lies in between north and south India.

Hence, in the atta category, each region has to be catered to with its unique requirement. And if any company chooses to violate this rule, it will be at the risk of losing sales.