5 Qs With Moksh Chopra On Marketing The Unusual Way

Rules are meant to be broken, isn't it?      

For products to make noise and grab eyeballs, marketers often call out for unusual marketing and selling strategies. This, of course, doesn't come easy. The utility and resonance factor can either entice your consumer or simply hold off. While unconventional and offbeat ideas can prove to be great for your brand, the chances of failure neighbour it too, especially in the current times.

In a candid conversation with BW Marketing World, Moksh Chopra, Chief Marketing Officer, KFC India decodes how to lay the ground for the consumers while using an atypical marketing method, how to strike a chord with them, how to ensure brand relevancy and much more.

Excerpts:

Q. You have often reiterated your belief in not following category norms unless and until it's interesting enough. How well has that worked for KFC, ever since you have taken charge? 

It’s important to be aware of the trends; however, one has to make the choice to participate basis an assessment of consumer relevance and the brand’s right to play. We rarely do things just because it’s the category norm, that’s not the KFC way. The emphasis is on keeping the brand Relevant, Easy and Distinctive  – whether it is in the product offerings or the campaigns. We as a team are committed to work relentlessly to provide consumer and brand relevant offerings - which receive immense consumer love; for example the new Zinger Burger and the KFC Leg Piece Bucket. This approach extends into channel offerings as well like the new “KFC to your car” service introduced temporarily during COVID and the upgraded safety process of KFC 4X Safety. We, of course, ensure we say it in a way that’s interesting - both distinctive and entertaining; which does justice to the spirit of Colonel Sanders, the brand’s founder.

Q. How instrumental has technology been to take forward your marketing goals? 

Our core target audiences are largely millennials who are tech-savvy and are seeking innovative experiences in all they do. We constantly transition and experiment with technology to provide a better experience to our consumers. Through innovative campaigns as the KFO Drone, Gamer’s Box, Watt-a-Box, among others, we have delighted our consumers with the ‘KFC experience’. Technology is an integral aspect of our consumers’ ordering and eating experience; launches as KFC voice ordering on Alexa, emoji ordering, the KFC App or services like QR code ordering at the restaurants have enabled accessibility, bringing our consumers closer to their KCF favourites.

Q. How do you ensure relevancy in brand messages and that the tonality remains intact? 

Brands are always on the look out to engage more intimately with their consumers. We, at KFC, have always taken an out-of-the-box approach to talk to our consumers. Even if it’s a popular occasion or moment in time, we always have a typical KFC take on things. To state an example, as we went into lockdown last year and most of us were seeking ways to keep busy at home, we came up with interesting campaigns as KFC Home Studios and KFC Home Kitchen. Both campaigns garnered excellent results in terms of engagement as we gave our consumers an opportunity to interact with the brand as well as do more with their favourite KFC chicken.

Q. What is your understanding of the Indian audience? What key factors can marketers keep in mind while reaching out to them, especially when following unusual marketing gimmicks?  

Indian audiences are always on a lookout for newer experiences and exciting ways to interact with brands. Hence, we at KFC, follow a bold and authentic marketing approach, while staying true to our core - serving the world’s tastiest chicken.  Consumers today are very evolved and abuzz with interesting perspectives. We continually draw insights from our engagement with consumers, and input the learnings into our strategic thinking. Equally important though, is that Indian consumers value authenticity and can tell when the brand is trying too hard. So, one needs to push the brand into new idea spaces and fresher waters – while being grounded in the larger strategic objective it is intended for; beyond just ‘catching attention’.

Q. Routing your brand through unusual marketing tactics can have its set of disadvantages too. Can we say that such atypical ideas can only be practiced by high-performing brands?  

There is a fine line between being gimmicky and being interesting or quirky, and very often consumers can tell the difference. With numerous brands vying for the attention of the same set of consumers, there is certainly an overload of messaging. Brands may give in to trying too hard, simply to get noticed. There are however some examples of brands like Zomato, Indigo, Durex and of course Amul, who have found the sweet spot in keeping consumers well engaged with the brand. It’s not just brands - social media influencers, for example, Akshar Pathak and recently Yashraj Mukhate, too seem to get this right more often than not.