1umbo King Vada Pav - A Recipe for Success

Faculty Contributor: Seema Gupta, Assistant Professor

Student Contributors: Ankur Bhargava, Anuj Pradhan, Mayur Kapur, Pranay Shetty
In a space dominated by Ioreign giants, a small local player Jumbo King Vada Pav tries to make
his mark by a judicious mix oI creativity, identiIication oI the right customer and eIIicient use oI
the resources at its disposal. The critical question is: can it grow to become the market leader in
this category? The article analyses the various aspects related to brand building and brand
positioning in the given context and looks at the role to be played by diIIerent media channels to
achieve the desired marketing results.
With the rapid growth oI Iast Iood chains, catering outlets and Iood joints across the country, the
Indian Iast Iood industry is slowly witnessing a rapid turnaround Irom being a small, indigenous
and an unorganized practice to a multi-billion, lucrative and highly specialized business.
Alongside the likes oI McDonald's, Subway and Pizza Hut, a large number oI Indian Iood chains
are ready to give the Ioreign giants a run Ior their money. A prominent name in this category is
Jumbo King Vada Pav. Given its unique value proposition and strong local positioning, it can
quickly become a tough competitor to other Iood chain Iranchises, Indian or otherwise. It needs a
strategy to optimally utilize its resources to achieve eIIective results in terms oI customer
attraction, increasing sales, advertising and proper use oI media. This article provides an
integrated marketing view oI the various strategies suitable Ior a Iast Iood joint like the Jumbo
King.
1umbo King - The 1ourney So Far
Jumbo King began its eventIul journey to brand the vada-pav on 23rd August 2001. Deriving
inspiration Irom the western Iast-Iood model and applying it to Indian cuisine, Jumbo King was
launched with the intention oI addressing the constitutional right oI the common man to have
access to hygienic Iood at aIIordable prices. Today, Jumbo King is the largest seller oI vada-pavs
in Mumbai, and the Iirst company to launch a marketing campaign built around Mumbai's most
popular Iood item
1
.
Jumbo King currently has 43 stores, mostly in Mumbai and other towns in Maharashtra. Around
150,000 vada-pavs are sold every day in Mumbai alone
2
. The realization is clear - there is still a
lot oI untapped potential in the market, and expansion is a must Ior growth in the Iuture.
However, taking the concept oI selling vada pavs outside the city oI Mumbai is a big challenge.
Moreover, increasing awareness and sales even within Mumbai alone poses signiIicant
challenges. Hence what is required is to Iind a distinct gap in the market, target an expanded
customer base, reposition accordingly and send out the message as creatively and eIIectively as
possible.
Competitive Positioning - Filling the Gap
While players like McDonald's, Haldiram's, Nirula's etc have Iocused on a liIestyle positioning
with a view to attract middle class Iamilies, other players like Pizza Hut, Dominos etc have tried
to attract customers with their proposition oI quick service and a large product variety on oIIer.
A price conscious but pleasure-seeking middle class Indian consumer has certainly taken up this
new wave oI Iast Iood in good spirits. On the other hand, Jumbo King has till now targeted the
middle and lower class commuters and workers mainly in Mumbai and has positioned itselI
based on the attributes oI price, quantity and local taste. To grow exponentially and expand into
other markets, it is essential to target the right type oI customer. In today's changing scenario,
students, proIessionals and daily commuters have become prominent customer segments and
Jumbo King cannot aIIord to overlook them, given their high propensity to consume snacks.
Repositioning involves identiIication oI the right customers, in addition to the existing ones and
also understanding what the customers really want Irom the product. In Jumbo King's case, the
new target group oI proIessionals, students and commuters makes it imperative to emphasize
quick service, cleanliness, taste and aIIordability. At present, it is observed that most oI the Iood
chains and outlets, Indian or otherwise, are banking on the extensive variety on oIIer and the
ambience oI the joint. There is hardly anything speciIically adapted Ior people who are
constantly on-the-go. Moreover, Iew outlets target medium and low income groups signiIicantly.
Hence an association needs to be developed between Jumbo King and travelers which will
position it as the obvious choice Ior daily commuters and the medium-to-low income groups.
This will signiIicantly garner more leverage when it comes to expansion outside Mumbai since
positioning on price, hygiene and service is a good bet to build on in a new market.
Creative Strategy - Making the Difference
IdentiIying the right advertising objectives beIore embarking on a creative strategy is crucial to
the success oI the entire marketing plan. This aspect becomes even more critical when one is
dealing with a repositioning due to previously entrenched perceptions oI the brand. An essential
Ieature oI the product (vada pav) which should be considered is that it doesn't need a person to
ask the question again and again - "Should I buy it or not?". People buy vada pavs whenever they
Ieel hungry and don't think twice about it. Hence to make something unusual out oI the ordinary,
the strategies oI advertising should include highlighting the beneIits oI the product in creative
ways, running an awareness drive to attract new customers and projecting vada pav as a snack
which can change people's liIestyles.
IdentiIying the right advertising objectives becomes even more critical when one is dealing with
a repositioning due to previously entrenched perceptions oI the brand.
In Jumbo King's case the advertising objectives are mainly twoIold - building the category need
Ior snacks as an alternative Ior proper Iood and building brand equity Ior Jumbo King. The
'Indian Iast Iood' category needs to be popularized among the target audience as a convenient
way oI having a hygienic snack when in a hurry. In what is largely an unbranded market as oI
now, Jumbo King has a unique opportunity to create a brand identity Ior itselI similar to that oI
McDonald's in the US. Creating such an identity would entail associating the brand with local
Ilavor, Iast service, convenience and travel.
As an example oI a brand identity creation strategy, one can consider suitable modiIications to
the company's logo to make it look more stylish and convey the impression oI speed, while
retaining a number oI elements maniIest in the old logo. Another exercise can involve
developing brand taglines to be delivered in regional languages (Marathi is the obvious choice in
the present case). Catching the attention oI commuters, most oI who are in a hurry, is not an easy
task and thereIore identiIying bottlenecks (which require commuters to wait e.g. elevators) where
the message can be eIIectively delivered is crucial. Even in modes oI delivery both traditional
and nontraditional modes oI advertising should be employed.
Traditional Advertising
For a brand that is small, largely regional and warrants a small budget, the most eIIective means
oI reaching out to the public is through the print medium. Small billboards, placed in strategic
locations where commuters wait (like on buses, trains, ticket counters, petrol pumps etc), can be
most eIIective in pushing the consumer towards an impulse purchase. Slogans like "When your
tank is Iull, why let your stomach go empty?" and "The law says you can't drink and drive, but
who ever said anything about eating?" can eIIectively be used by Jumbo King at petrol pumps
and traIIic signals. Again catchy statements like "Isn't it time Ior your stomach to get a top-up
too?" can be used in Iront oI mobile shops and general stores.
Bigger billboards and posters at railways stations and on trains and buses reinIorce brand
identity. They can appeal at an emotional level to the consumer regarding the spirit oI the city
they live in and tie that in to the brand. A possible campaign oI this type Ior Jumbo King will
emphasize the intimate relation oI the Iood chain with Mumbai city and its people and will aim
at binding the spirit oI living in Mumbai with the brand that signiIies speed, aIIordability and
pride in eating a local snack.
Non-Traditional Modes of Advertising
Indian snacks are not exactly renowned Ior health and hygiene. Since Jumbo King belongs to this
category oI Iood items, PR campaigns could be an eIIective tool in dispelling any such concerns
that a consumer may have. Newspapers, magazine articles and press releases talking about the
quality oI Iood at Jumbo King and its stringent adherence to hygienic standards can go a long
way in changing customer perceptions about the category and the brand. PR campaigns talking
about the entrepreneurial stories oI the young Iounders oI initiatives like Jumbo King can give a
lot oI publicity to the concerned brand and this comes at no cost. Other innovative means oI
reaching the consumers like printing out city maps or train/bus timetables (with inIormation on
Jumbo King's outlets) Ior commuters and distributing them can be employed.
Being a low involvement product with a target customer group that is mostly 'on the go', the
challenges oI reaching this segment are many. Designing a really great advertisement and putting
it on TV or a big billboard on the road in all probability will not translate into sales. Creative
advertisements must be complemented with equally creative ways oI placing these
advertisements so that they are noticed. Jumbo King is about speed and convenience and hence
locations and objects which are associated with these attributes (like bus-train time tables,
guides, road signs etc) should be used to integrate ideas with their execution as a part oI the
Jumbo King identity.
Media Planning - Showing the World
Both the traditional as well as non-traditional strategies Ior advertising oIIer great opportunities
Ior creative marketers to show oII their skills in convincing people to buy their products.
Preparing a catchy and innovative advertising campaign is no easy task and a well prepared
creative plan can work wonders Ior the company and its products. But that is just one side oI the
story. A marketer may have done an excellent job in identiIying the target audience and
preparing an excellent commercial Ior them, but what use is all that iI it doesn't reach them? That
is where an eIIective media strategy comes into the picture. One needs not just be creative and
diIIerent in terms oI preparing ads, but should also be adept at executing those well prepared ads
to perIection.
Media planning is all about determining the media habits oI consumers in the target group and
Iormulating how this knowledge can be exploited to reach the target group eIIectively. For a
budget conscious brand like Jumbo King, it becomes even more important to have a judicious
mix oI media since targeting all media channels (TV, print, radio etc) can be prohibitively
expensive. DiIIerent media channels can have diIIerent impact on the customers at diIIerent costs
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Print Media
This can be a very eIIective medium Ior the Iranchise since it has the maximum reach among the
target audience. Since Jumbo King is a budget-constrained and predominantly regional brand,
local language newspapers and magazines can be cost eIIective sources oI advertising.
Television Media
Television is a very popular source oI entertainment amongst students and proIessionals and this
popularity can be tapped by Jumbo King Ior reaching these people who Iorm a substantial
portion oI its target audience. Again regional channels will hold the key Ior Jumbo King since
they are cheaper and not averse to advertising 'insigniIicant' products like vada pav.
Radio Media
Jumbo King can also make use oI FM radio channels to send across their message, cheaply and
eIIectively. FM radio is a very popular entertainment source Ior commuters and proIessionals
and hence the message can spread across Iar and wide at minimal cost.
Internet Media
Since Jumbo King aims to target students and proIessionals, internet can be a very important
medium Ior advertising in the Iuture. Strategies such as blogs, banners, websites etc can provide
good publicity to Jumbo King with minimum cost incurred and also create an interactive
environment Ior customers to provide their views about the company and the product.
Another important part oI the media stratagem is to evaluate expenditure by competitive brands.
This provides an idea oI the relative perIormance oI brands corresponding to the spending done.
In the present case, Jumbo King's competitors like McDonald's, which have large budgets, can
aIIord to go Ior Continuous/Pulsing strategies (advertising regularly or with very short breaks)
on TV. But Ior smaller players like Jumbo King, it is necessary to careIully choose the
advertising media and Iormulate a proper timing strategy, also taking Iactors like Iuture growth
and expansion into consideration.
Conclusion
Devising a marketing plan Ior any brand requires a combination oI consumer insights, creative
thinking and strategic execution. An integrated approach needs to be reiterated to eIIectively
bring out the intended message to the target consumers. In Jumbo King's case, it is oI utmost
importance to position the brand along parameters such as aIIordability, local taste and quick
service since these Ieatures can diIIerentiate it Irom the existing competition. The target audience
should incorporate the new breed oI potential customers like students, proIessionals etc which
will play a key role in determining the success oI brands in the Iuture.
Creative techniques assume a very important role Ior upcoming brands like Jumbo King since
they are looking at getting new customers and expanding to new markets. Innovative ways oI
disseminating messages can work wonders in such situations. Again, media planning is an
integral part oI any creative strategy and Ior Jumbo King to reach to maximum number oI
prospects; the sources should be picked judiciously. In a nutshell, brands like Jumbo King have a
lot oI potential and given the right mix oI strategy and advertising, such brands can achieve
phenomenal success in the Iuture.