Do
the dollar churning and profit thriving multi-billion dollar businesses really
care if they achieve their blunt objective of puffing bottom line through
rational marketing means or by manipulating consumers into buying their
products. Probably not. As long as paper Gandhi keeps ringing, the process does
not matter.
Thanks
to the financial wizardry of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Indian consumers have moved up
the value chain ever since global power houses set up shop here. The time
tested marketing success formula evolved consumers from functional benefits to
emotional connect. Almost all the fortune 500 companies present in India tried
to harness emotional equity into financial gains. The most notable among them
is Domino’s India.
From
the rational ‘Hungry Kya?’ campaign to the ever so emotional but equally
applauded ‘Khushiyon Ki Home Delivery’, Domino’s has made a dexterous move. It
may have taken 17 years to establish itself as an emotional brand but once the
norm was set Domino’s has been a benchmark in the Indian food space. The
‘Hungry Kya’ campaign was aimed at educating food loving Indian consumers into
developing pizza glands. The campaign developed pizza from being a niche
category food to a common man hunger satisfier. The bold tagline urged us to
come and try out pizza in a serene ambience. The theme was logical and correct
on a rational level.
Once
we learnt how to eat and relish the American made Italian bread, Dominos’
transformed its marketing motive into connecting with consumers on an emotional
scale. ‘Khushiyon Ki Home Delivery’ promised not just a hot pizza but a box
full of happiness. The hot slice of pizza was tantamount to loads of happy
moments. It was targeted at young Indian population which enjoyed pizza with
friends. When you are at home with friends, what better way to celebrate than
ordering Domino’s pizza and sharing happiness all around? The campaign was a
blockbuster hit.
The
million dollar question still lingers. Which campaign will pave road for
Domino’s in future? Should Domino’s focus on pizza varieties, side orders,
toppings and crusts to make inroads into still untapped tier 2 and 3 Indian
cities or should it resort to the emotional bond which has worked so well for
the big cities. It does not matter as long as Domino’s keeps selling its world
famous pizza into the nooks and corners of Indian streets. Be it rational or
emotional, the basic nuance of marketing explores the same fundamental consumer
needs.
So 3
cheers for Domino’s !!! Let the pizza party begin…
