From niche to mainstream

A new 360- degree campaign by Fun Foods drives home the message that food dressings are not just for salad sand aims to mainstream them

As salads come to the centre of the dining plate from being just an accompaniment, salad dressings are also becoming a common item on the monthly shopping list of housewives. But the problem is, if one limits the scope of dressings to salads alone, the frequency of consumption will remain limited.

This is the challenge a new campaign by FunFoods, a brand owned by Dr Oetker, hopes to address: That you can use dressings in all kinds of dishes just to give them a twist or add some zing. What works for FunFoods is the fact its products are low on calorie count and therefore deemed healthy.

The spokespersons for the new range of Zer0Fat dressings are film and television actors Sonali Bendre, Amyra Dastur, Gauhar Khan and Soha Ali Khan. Celebrity chefs Kunal Kapoor and Kelvin Cheung collaborated on the social media campaigns. “As a leader in the Western sauces and spreads category, it is our endeavour to offer consumers convenient ways to create yummy food. The new range of dressings delivers exactly that with the added benefit of being zero-fat,” says Oliver Mirza, managing director & chief executive officer, Dr Oetker India.

The new TVC campaign opens with Bendre creating delicious dishes using FunFoods Zer0Fat dressing. As soon as she pours the dressing on the food, the dishes rise and float in the air, highlighting the fact that they are light on the stomach. Dastur walks in, presumably back from her workout session at the gym. She greets Bendre and her attention shifts to the inviting dishes kept on the table. Together they say, “Wow! fat mein zero aur taste mein hero”.

Speaking on the idea behind the TVC, Raghu Bhat, founder director, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi, says, “As consumers are constantly evolving and looking for culinary adventures, it becomes important for brands to engage with them and offer innovative ways for them to enjoy food. The new campaign is high on appetite appeal, chemistry and also has a memorable visual idea that invites consumers to pick up the product from shelves.”

The food dressings category — comprising mayonnaise, sandwich spreads and other condiments — is at a nascent stage in India but aims to grow. With a market size of ~1.7 billion at the end of 2017, the category is expected to cross ~2 billion by the end of 2018. Last calendar year, Dr Oetker had a 70 per cent share in the food dressings market. Dr Oetker’s overall turnover — which includes revenues from Italian sauces, peanut butter, milkshake other than dressings — is around ~2 billion at present. To further strengthen its position, the company sis targeting to increase its turnover to ~5 billion by 2020 and aims to reach 35 million consumers by then. That may not be very easy. A host of players like Veeba and Del Monte, besides gourmet brands like Karen Anand, have also thrown their hats in the ring.

The company has aimed at keeping the packaging of the product as attractive as the price. The products have been priced at ~79 per bottle, much lower compared to some of its rivals. “We want consumers to use our products not just in salads,” says Mirza.

With a market size of ~1.7 billion at the end of 2017, the food dressings category is expected to cross ~2 billion by the end of 2018