Q] Amitabh Bachchan, one of the highest-paid celebrities for endorsements, serves as the brand ambassador for Bikaji. How has his association impacted the brand in terms of ROI, sales, growth, and brand recall?
Amitabh Bachchan’s association has been transformative for Bikaji. Being one of the first in our industry to have a brand ambassador of his stature signalled that we meant business. As a challenger brand, we needed to stand out, and Mr. Bachchan, with his enduring image of ‘Parampara, Pratishtha, Aur Anushasan,’ brought both respect and relatability. Over the last 10-15 years, his versatility—seen in his movies, TV roles, and vibrant personality—has made him the perfect choice to connect with people of all ages.
Snacking is a joyful yet competitive category, and differentiating ourselves was critical. Having Mr. Bachchan as our ambassador created momentum, making it easier to connect with consumers and gain their trust. His presence also boosted trade confidence, helping us expand into new territories. When people say, ‘Amitji loves Bikaji,’ it reflects the strong association and trust he has brought to the brand.
In terms of brand recall also, the impact has been significant. We’ve moved to a higher level of recognition, but there’s always room for growth. We’re focused on reaching new milestones with more consumer-focused activities, building on the solid foundation his endorsement has provided. It’s been a rewarding journey for both the brand and the industry.
Q] How successful was the ‘Bikaji Khao London Jao’ campaign, and what was the idea behind it?
The campaign was born out of a desire to do something new and consumer-centric on a large scale—something unprecedented in the snacking industry. The question we kept asking was, ‘How do we connect directly with the consumer and engage with them meaningfully?’ That’s how ‘Bikaji Khao London Jao’ came about. London is an aspirational destination, and the idea of winning a trip by simply buying a packet of Bhujia was unique and exciting.
However, we understood that consumers might find such a grand offer hard to believe. To build trust and excitement, we ensured there was a gift for everyone. Each pack had a QR code that, once scanned, guaranteed a reward—from TVS two-wheelers, Samsung TVs, and Borosil vouchers to direct cashback offers like INR 75 to INR 100. Even the smallest reward, a 30% discount, was designed to make consumers feel valued.
The dual approach—offering London as the highlight while rewarding every participant—worked beautifully. Over 10 lakh consumers have received gifts, which is massive. The campaign also boosted demand, making retailers and distributors happy. It wasn’t just about driving sales; it was about creating an engaging and rewarding experience for everyone involved.
Q] What is Bikaji’s marketing mix, and how significant is digital advertising in driving brand awareness and sales growth?
Right now, television takes the lion’s share of our marketing budget. We’re focusing on digital, but there’s still a lot of work to be done in that space. Our digital presence was relatively low a couple of years ago, so while it has contributed to brand awareness, we recognise there’s still a long way to go. Traditional industry budgets are limited, but we’ve been one of the few in the snacking category to invest in advertising.
In the next couple of years, digital will play a crucial role in reaching new geographies, categories, and audiences. We’re actively working to expand and refine our digital strategies, and it will definitely be a key driver of growth moving forward.
Q] How is Bikaji striking a balance between retail outlets and digital/e-commerce platforms? How many stores do you plan to open in the next quarter and what are you doing to stay on par with competitor brands on e-commerce platforms?
We service retail stores, but we don’t have standalone stores. In a few years, the idea is to be in the e-commerce business and we’re already gearing up for that. There is work happening on it and hopefully in the next year you’ll see a lot more action from our end on that. We’re on a growth path because the industry is growing and yes, we’re looking forward to sort of, at least match up with the category growth and do better. That is the plan. QSR will be important for us for the next few years.
Q] What emerging trends in the FMCG sector excites you the most? How is Bikaji positioning itself to capitalise on these trends?
One thing we’re looking at across categories is premiumisation. Consumers are ready to pay for premium products, and that could come from anything, from product packaging to brand communication—essentially, all aspects. The modern consumer is hungry for this, and it’s a trend we’re seeing across not just the snacking industry, but across every industry. You’ve got Nykaa and Nykaa Luxe, Tata Cliq and Tata Cliq Luxury, and we’re seeing this pattern across the board. With disposable income on the rise, people are also investing in premiumisation.
Another trend is that many people are now focused on ingredients, with an increasing demand for healthier food. At Bikaji, we also offer a range of healthier options, though, as any company working with mass-market products, this is obviously a smaller range in terms of sales figures. However, over the next 10 years, these numbers will grow because the consumer base is expanding. In that sense, we’re ready and constantly experimenting with new products. At present, the market for this is fairly small, but we expect to see much more innovation in the future. Flavour innovation is huge in our industry today, with people being more aware and engaged. There’s so much content available, and flavour mixing and pairing are gaining traction.
We’ve launched quite a few products, and they will be available everywhere. There’s a mass segment in retail, but we also cater to a more premium one. For example, we have multigrain bhujia available on our D2C platform, along with trail mixes and cocktail nut mixes. We also offer a roasted range, which includes jawar and multigrain mixes. While these products make up a small portion of our overall sales, this doesn’t mean they’re not going to grow. We’re ready and will continue to work on these innovations. Today, a large cohort of customers is very conscious of what they’re consuming.
Q] Bikaji Foods International increased product prices by 2–3% at the start of the October-December 2024 quarter. What was the strategy behind the price change? Is there any pricing pressure that the company is facing?
It’s primarily the ingredients; that’s what most companies take a hit on and the pricing is dependent on it. Hopefully, over the next few months, we will see that getting better and everybody sort of coming back to normal. As of now, it’s been fairly large and every other company will talk about the same, but we’re all toughening it out. So hopefully, it will get better soon.
