Rational vs Emotional Marketing

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…