In conversation with P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy, Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Gemini Edibles and Fats India

Finding the right audience has become the prime motto of brands in the current market. To enhance the reach and engagement of a brand, it has become mandatory for marketers to be more precise when preparing brand strategies especially when it comes to the FMCG category.

To understand the marketing approach and tactics which positioned Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils as a leader in the Sunflower Oil category, Agency Reporter had an exclusive discussion with P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy, Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Gemini Edibles and Fats India

Agency Reporter – Can you share with us the marketing strategies that helped Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils achieve such a dominant market share in the sunflower oil category?

P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy – Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil the flagship brand of Gemini Edibles & Fats Ltd, which was launched in 2010 is now the No. 1 brand of Sunflower Oil in the country (Source Neilson MAT March 2022), with operations in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Karnataka, and Chhattisgarh.

This was achieved by working on a 360-degree strategy of building a good brand, delivering consistent quality with attractive packaging, building a robust distribution network that could help us reach the nook and corner of the state, and doing activities with sampling to connect with the end users besides tactical advertising to ensure visibility and encouraging trials. This helped us break the initial clutter of brands with 20+ years of legacy in the category that is characterized by low brand loyalty. The policy was always to deliver a good quality product using state-of-the-art infrastructure at a value-for-money price point.

With the basics in place, we did several innovative campaigns in urban and rural markets to explain to the customers the benefits of using sunflower oil, helped expand the market, and capture major market share from the growth. With the success of sunflower oil, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils was able to garner share in the other variants launched for niche users based on regional preferences.

Agency Reporter – How has the Freedom brand maintained its leadership position in the market, and what steps have been taken to stay ahead of the competition?

P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy – Due to its extensive distribution network and continuous focus on reinforcing the consumer’s faith in the benefits of using a particular edible oil and trust in the brand ‘Freedom’. We have a policy to advertise consistently with the same core message for each variant to aid brand recall. We set up dedicated helplines to help customers reach out to us for any issues or suggestions and launched new SKU’s / variants based on consumers’ feedback to add to the convenience of handling Freedom Oil.

We also remained focused on the key markets of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Odisha, and other neighbouring states as 70% of sunflower oil is sold in South India.

To further enhance our engagement with the consumers and improve our position in newer markets we signed up with the Rocking couple ‘Yash (KGF fame) and Radhika’ as our brand ambassadors. We have created campaigns with the couple to focus on true family values and the importance of eating good food cooked in a healthy oil to feel fitter, healthier, lighter, and Greaaat!!

We have tactically used vibrant consumer connect activities and innovative promotional offers to help maintain loyalty to the brand and rewarded them for their faith and trust through My Feedom My Gold Dhamaka Offer, Freedom Jar-Car offer, and many others. To enhance the credibility of such schemes the campaign was audited by KPMG. We also come up with Unique trade offers and clutter-breaking consumer promotions to keep the buzz around the brand and ensure consumer and trade interest in the brand ‘Freedom’.

Besides all these initiatives, ‘Freedom’ as a brand conducts various initiatives to make a social impact. We have helped redevelop and upgrade the infrastructure of Government School besides supporting the education of the underprivileged. We also undertake several campaigns for women’s upliftment by supporting their education and empowerment. We have helped the TS Police in setting up ‘A Bharosa Centre’ at Warangal, to help counsel and support women and children in distress. The leadership position highlights the brand’s extensive market penetration and consumer preference, as consumers value Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils’ quality, consistency, and dependability.

Agency Reporter – Can you discuss any recent marketing campaigns or initiatives that the company has implemented to promote the Freedom brand?

P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy – To educate customers about the health advantages of using Rice Bran Oil, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils recently launched a new campaign on Freedom Rice Bran Oil. This is part of a series on the advantages of using rice bran oil called ‘Freedom Oil Knowledge Series’. As a part of the campaign, an animated video was released to explain to the consumers how Rice Bran Oil helps reduce cholesterol from the inside and keeps you safe. The new advertising campaign emphasizes the negative effects of high cholesterol levels and the advantages of using rice bran oil in everyday cooking to lower them. Famous nutritionist Dr. Matheen Asrar (PhD Nutritionist) advises people to follow a balanced diet, engage in regular exercise, and switch to a healthy cooking oil like Freedom Rice Bran Oil for everyday cooking. This campaign was very well received and has generated over 1 million views. (To view the video click here)

We also conducted a Unique Campaign ‘Director’s Mix’ in tie-up with Google. We are running a consistent campaign with Freedom Rice Bran Oil using 100+ tailor-made messages communicating the benefits of using Rice Bran Oil through audience interest-based content, garnering more than 40 MN views.

Agency Reporter – How does the company ensure that its marketing messages resonate with its target audience and effectively communicate the benefits of its cooking oils?

P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy – Food is one of the main pivots for a family in India and the use of the best ingredients is essential as the health of the family depends on it. Cooking food requires edible oil. Consumers need information about the benefits of using a particular cooking oil before purchasing it. Freedom Oil, therefore, focuses on messages about the health benefits of using a particular variant of oil. For some variants, like groundnut. mustard oil, the messaging revolves around nostalgia or the taste of the food cooked in that variant of oil. The storyline for the campaigns is drafted with utmost care to reinforce the faith in Freedom Oils while delivering the desired message to maintain a favorable brand perception.

Agency Reporter – Can you tell us about the role of customer feedback and insights in shaping the marketing strategies of the Freedom brand?

P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy – Freedom’s marketing strategies are greatly influenced by the opinions and insights of its customers. Understanding customer feedback will enable a brand to function even better. Product insights keep track of customer expectations and problems so you can quickly reach decisions based on data. Periodically we undertake the Brand Health study and need-based research to understand the change in consumer behavior and new trends. The market research helps us to be in sync with the customer’s preferences and ensure that Freedom Oil’s brand campaigns are designed to deliver the message through appropriate communication channels. We at GEF keep improving the packaging design periodically and introduce new SKUs based on customers’ feedback and introduce new SKU’s. About 4 years ago based on consumer feedback we introduced a 2 Ltr PET bottle with a handle and a very unique shape. The new SKU made the oil pack look attractive in the kitchen while being easy and convenient to use.

Agency Reporter – What has been the most effective channel for marketing the Freedom brand, and how has the company leveraged it to achieve its business goals?

P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy – In the initial years of our journey, we focused on creating awareness for the brand through an advertising campaign with the effective selection of Electronic media with a careful selection of news and GEC channels. We effectively distributed the desired GRPs by picking up unique and popular properties with prominent channels and associating cooking with Freedom. This helped increase brand awareness scores to 85% for Freedom among housewives.

We further intensified the campaign with a selection of brand activation and direct consumer connect activities in association with leading publications/radio stations across the geographies of our operation to conduct a series of cookery workshops/cooking contests supported by an intensive PR campaign.

For the Rural markets, we initiated a unique ‘Freedom van activity’ to spread awareness about the benefits of Sunflower Oil in the interiors of the country. We ensured effective product sampling at such consumer connect initiatives to encourage brand trials and adoption. All such initiatives were preceded by an intensive campaign for brand distribution and visibility at the POP outlets. A cohesive ATL, BTL campaign along with a robust distribution helped grow the brand in the selected markets

We are early adopters of social and digital media tools for communicating about our brand and staying connected with our consumers. This has helped us achieve and exceed our business goals.

Agency Reporter – Can you discuss any new marketing channels or tactics that the company plans to explore in the future?

P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy – In order to reach and interact with the target audience, the company is using social media marketing, tactical influencer marketing, and digital advertising as new marketing channels. In today’s world, where India is rapidly embracing mobile technology and using it more and more to stay connected, digital marketing is crucial to stay connected and engage continuously with the audience. Besides advertising and Public Relations campaigns, we are actively exploring and leveraging the traffic flow on Google Apps, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms with OTT (Over the Top) Platforms such as Zee5 and Hotstar.

Over the past several years, Freedom has been communicating with its target audience through a variety of platforms and narratives by classifying its customers according to their needs in terms of lifestyle, culture, and how they perceive Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils.

In the present era, where people focus a lot on health we regularly engage in sporting activities like running, table tennis etc. to promote a healthy lifestyle while consuming our range of Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils to feel Greaaat!!

Agency Reporter – How does the company measure the success of its marketing efforts, and what metrics are used to evaluate performance?

P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy – To evaluate the success of the company’s marketing initiatives, Even though marketing can accomplish more than just boosting sales, its efficiency is frequently determined by those figures To demonstrate ROI and influence—or lack thereof—the appropriate data and results must be matched with the appropriate campaigns. We look at prior benchmarks and focus on deliverables and other metrics that will help with the objectives. We also are extremely focused on tracking the market share through Nielsen retail data and Kantar consumer panel data reports to analyze the effectiveness of the campaign.

But since campaigns can have both short and long-term effects, decision-makers should take into account changes in sentiment and customer loyalty.

Agency Reporter – What steps has the company taken to stay relevant in a constantly evolving market and adapt to changing consumer preferences?

P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy – To remain relevant in an ever-changing market, we closely monitor behavioral shifts through market surveys and research data and adapt to changing customer behaviors. We constantly leverage technology to improve our mapping and stakeholder (including channel partners, vendors, and consumers) management and experience.

Increased customer satisfaction results in increased retention and sales. Customers are more likely to re-engage with a brand that provides multiple touchpoints and it is our constant endeavour to provide customers with reasons to continue preferring our brand.

Agency Reporter – Can you share with us any plans or goals for the future of the Freedom brand’s marketing efforts?

P. Chandra Shekhara Reddy – Our focus will be to devise innovative communication and touchpoints to strengthen the core message of Freedom Healthy cooking oils ‘Freedom to eat, Freedom to enjoy.’ All campaigns will be designed with the core concept of Healthy eating and Healthy living.