Pillsbury
Market
Achievements
In India the symbol of nourishment and health is roti – described by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as an edible spoon. Whole wheat flour is an integral part of India's food culture. Not surprisingly, India produces 75 million tonnes of wheat – some 12% of the world's output.
Given the vast rural face and unyielding tradition, much of the flour used in Indian homes is freshly ground in a local mill or chakki.
Housewives believe that atta ground in front of them is unadulterated and retains the goodness of wheat. This is the reason why branded flour has had an uphill fight and accounts for, even now, no more than 2% of the total market.
In this one fact is opportunity. But the challenge is to convince the housewife that convenience apart, she is also getting a nocompromise product manufactured from selected high-quality grains using the world's most modern techniques.
It was in this difficult market that, on 11th
March 1998, Pillsbury Chakki Fresh Atta was launched. It was positioned as a high-quality packaged alternative to home-ground chakki atta. There were many risks associated with the launch; not least of all was the fact that Pillsbury, in a tradition-bound market, was a foreign brand that could simply not know enough about Indian idiosyncrasies. The pundits had predicted a quick demise.
Yet, despite all odds, the brand was an immediate success, scaling positions of leadership in key metro cities just three months after launch. The brand went from zero awareness to 75% recognition in a very short span. Today, ten years later, it is clear that
Pillsbury is here to stay.
Pillsbury is a stunning story of success. With so much stacked against it, the brand has used imagination, tenacity and research as the tools to break resistance.
The launch itself was preceded by a year's study to understand the market and the psyche of the housewife. Four truths emerged: first, the need for
148
Achievements
In India the symbol of nourishment and health is roti – described by Gabriel Garcia Marquez as an edible spoon. Whole wheat flour is an integral part of India's food culture. Not surprisingly, India produces 75 million tonnes of wheat – some 12% of the world's output.
Given the vast rural face and unyielding tradition, much of the flour used in Indian homes is freshly ground in a local mill or chakki.
Housewives believe that atta ground in front of them is unadulterated and retains the goodness of wheat. This is the reason why branded flour has had an uphill fight and accounts for, even now, no more than 2% of the total market.
In this one fact is opportunity. But the challenge is to convince the housewife that convenience apart, she is also getting a nocompromise product manufactured from selected high-quality grains using the world's most modern techniques.
It was in this difficult market that, on 11th
March 1998, Pillsbury Chakki Fresh Atta was launched. It was positioned as a high-quality packaged alternative to home-ground chakki atta. There were many risks associated with the launch; not least of all was the fact that Pillsbury, in a tradition-bound market, was a foreign brand that could simply not know enough about Indian idiosyncrasies. The pundits had predicted a quick demise.
Yet, despite all odds, the brand was an immediate success, scaling positions of leadership in key metro cities just three months after launch. The brand went from zero awareness to 75% recognition in a very short span. Today, ten years later, it is clear that
Pillsbury is here to stay.
Pillsbury is a stunning story of success. With so much stacked against it, the brand has used imagination, tenacity and research as the tools to break resistance.
The launch itself was preceded by a year's study to understand the market and the psyche of the housewife. Four truths emerged: first, the need for
148