In Conversation with Kartik Mohindra, Pernod Ricard
In our conversation with Kartik Mohindra, CMO, Pernod Ricard India Pvt. Ltd., he shares some insights on the brand’s marketing efforts and how their consumer-centric approach is at the heart of everything they do.
Q. Alcohol market in India is often dictated by aspirational values; say whisky, the drink of the colonists, rules supreme even to this day. What are your comments on this?
A. Yes, whisky rules supreme within the spirits category & is the drink of choice even today. It continues to drive a connect with consumers across genres, whether it has been a colonial legacy, the presence & persona of the spirit in Bollywood over the years or as fashionable as raising a toast over a conversation with a dram of fine single malt in hand.
With the versatility of the spirit & the enhanced emergence of moments of conviviality, it finds an attracted to & emerging consumer base in the form of ladies & gentlemen alike, millennials & individuals across socio-economic strata, who connect with the brown spirit as a befitting aspirational upgrade, no matter what the reason or occasion.
Q. Ballantine’s has recently rolled out a new campaign ‘An ode to the Un-disputed gods of the new world’ which is very closely weaved in with the brand’s tagline “The spirit of the gods”. Can you take us through the thought process behind this campaign? Also, please talk about the specific TG being targeted whom the brand is calling un-disputed gods of the new world.
A. Ballantine’s engages with the corporate citizens as its strategic audience and inspires them to un-follow the herd and succeed by doing what they believe is right. It inspires them to ‘Stay True’. We believe that power is no longer wielded just from corner offices. Success does not wear only pin stripes. Nor does it just sit in high rises of glass and chrome. The latest Ballantine’s communication raises a toast to the entrepreneurial spirit of this new generation who are redefining the codes of corporate success. Unorthodox, intrepid and bold in its very visual language, this campaign by Ballantine’s aims to acknowledge their audacious spirit with aspirational authenticity. The new Ballantine’s campaign is an ode to these ‘Un-disputed gods of the new world’ – symbols of the fearless new corporate tribe. The protagonists are many, diverse and represent corporate success across unconventional walks of life. Fearless, bold and not disheartened by temporary glitches, their strength lies in their uniqueness. They’re holding their ground in un-stereotypical ways; scripting success in unimagined fields and professions.
Q. Considering India is the 2nd largest market for Pernod Ricard, what kind of special promotions or consumer-connect initiatives do you roll out to generate brand awareness for the brand’s other popular premium international spirits like Absolut Vodka, Jameson and The Glenlivet?
A. We take pride in our commitment to produce brands of outstanding quality that deliver exceptional experiences to consumers. Our consumer centric approach is at the heart of all that we do, striving for a great experience at various touchpoints, be it travel retail, liquor shops or high-end restaurants as consumers today, seek constant differentiation and more authentic experiences from their alcohol beverages. Pernod Ricard keeps abreast with the evolving consumer’s attitude and preferences that are occasioned by the constant variation in the living standards and global trends. To exemplify, we successfully capitalized on the burgeoning wave of premiumization and craft spirits by introducing Chivas XV in the super premium bottled in origin scotch, the super-premium Gin Monkey 47, and the three new Single Malts in India – Aberlour, Scapa and Longmorn to stay at the forefront to meet the consumers’ needs and strive in changing market dynamics. Our vast portfolio of imported brands is tailored to consumer’s needs and their preferences for different consumption occasions.
Since the beginning, Absolut has championed creativity with a purpose and it continues to do so – This year, the brand initiated a global creative competition wherein participants from India were one of the highest in the world. Not just that, Absolut, released their new campaign ‘Born Colourless’ from India which is all about an equal world where nationality, origin, ethnicity & colour shouldn’t matter.
Jameson on the other hand is more about celebrating the light-hearted Irish spirit with wit, humour & healthy banter in the brand’s tone of voice. We have three brand ambassadors who spread the love for Jameson amongst consumers and trade partners. One of the key consumer initiatives, ‘The Jameson Bartrenders’ where our ambassadors take over a bar for a guest shift churning out delectable cocktails and engaging conversations. March is also a month-long celebration across various bars as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day (Ireland’s national holiday) on 17th March every year with music, drinks, food and mass celebrations
This year, The Glenlivet launched its new “THE Campaign” in India, celebrating the proposition of definitive moments in life and reinforcing its role as a visionary within the category. To connect deeper with our Malts, we host brand ambassador led advocacy, collaborate with luxury brands to host bespoke experiences and large-scale partnerships across key cities in India
Q. Since the brand already has around 50% value market share in India, please throw some light on special initiatives that you carry at different consumer touch-points, say at a duty-free or at a high end in mall liquor shops where the consumer is also exposed to tempting offers from competing brands.
A. It’s not so much about offers and promotions. Like I mentioned earlier, we continue to focus on the quality of our products & strengthen equity of our brands. With our consumer centric approach and the changing consumer dynamics led by millennials & generation Z, we believe that an informative-engaging experience is key to connecting with this generation. The evolution of F&B venues, duty-free stores at the Indian airports to international standards has led to a burgeoning demand for experiences that match the venue. Due to increased consumer experimentation, rise in global travel – there is an outburst of trends, such as increase in repertoire consumption of different categories by the same consumer across different occasions.
Apart from engaging our consumers on ground and with our extremely strong brand franchise, we are leveraging our strengths in consumer marketing through digital media. We will continue to align our marketing expertise in this direction and connect our leading brands with millennials through brands such as Chivas Regal, Monkey 47, Absolut, Jameson, Ballantine’s, Beefeater, Jacob’s Creek, Campo Viejo and Mumm Champagne.
Q. We see Pernod Ricard has a very balance portfolio of spirits targeting both premium and mass segment consumers, however, it is possible that all brands may not be performing equally well. Which spirits from the portfolio need more marketing attention?
A. Pernod Ricard has an enviable portfolio of brands, addressing every consumer need state. We have kept abreast with the evolving consumer landscape and preferences – Our consumer centric approach is at the heart of creating a robust portfolio of brands that command a leadership position in most of the categories that matter. In addition to these brands, we also have a set of brands which play the role of being category disruptors or challengers. As a part of our strategy, we evaluate the strength of our portfolio and take steps to refine it further to better address their needs. For eg., whilst we command a strong leadership in whiskies, we are yet to play or emerge as formidable challengers in the Rum segment: Imperial Red Rum has been developed as a stellar product offering and is being rolled out across the country to address this gap. Similarly, we continuously evaluate options in other categories that may be of interest to us. For brands in our portfolio which are growing below expectations, we work on a brand renovation program to improve the consumer marketing mix and the give the consumers a better offering than what they are used to, for their convivial occasions.
