DEC

2

Brand Story: Fortune Cooking Oil
Fortune, today, is the biggest brand of cooking oil in India. It was launched in the year 2000. Let
us look at how the brand has evolved in the last 12 years.


Successful Launch in Year 2000
Fortune was launched as the 'better oil'. The communication centered around 'guilt-free' eating. It
was targeted at the health conscious consumer who is unable to enjoy the food as he/she is
concerned about the ill effects of oil. The message was captured in the phrase "Thoda Aur
Chalega" (a little more will do).






The launch was extremely successful and within two years Fortune was the No. 1 brand of
cooking oil in India. How was this unusual feat accomplished? Business Standard came up
with a detailed analysis in May 2004. They found out various reasons: (a) Having a port based
refinery and not outsourcing the manufacturing led to significant cost savings. (b) Focus on
Soyabean oil. In year 2000 Sunflower was a tougher market with many players and Soya was
relatively easy. Fortune focussed on Soyabean. It was able to give a superior quality oil (no fishy
smell). (c) Fortune kept its price low initially and generated a lot of trials. (d) Aggressive
promotion of the brand during launch along with a vast distributor network ensured the brand
took off immediately after launch.


Fortune was launched at a time when only a few national players were around; Sundrop,
Sweekar, Saffola, Dhara and Gemini. Of these, Sundrop and Saffola were in the premium
segment. Fortune positioned itself in the value for money segment. It gave a good quality
oil at a reasonable price.


Early Years of Rapid Growth
By the end of 2003, Fortune had 17.25% share of the Indian packed refined oil market. A great
feat considering the category is a commodity and difference between different types of oils is not
significant. Though the brand did well, it was mostly due to its success in Soyabean oil.
Sunflower oil was still a long battle. Gold Winner of South had 26% share in India followed by
Sundrop at 21%. Fortune was only at 4.5%.


By now the brand was present in all the categories; Sunflower, Soyabean, Mustard, Groundnut,
Cottonseed, etc. This varied portfolio helped the brand because preferences in India change
from state to state. While Bengal is hooked to Mustard, Andhra Pradesh prefers Groundnut and
Gujaratis love Cottonseed oil. A true national brand needs to cater to everyone's needs. Fortune
did this well.


Not So Successful Brand Extension
In 2007, Fortune extended the brand into hair oils and took Marico's Parachute head on. The
brand was calledFortune Naturelle. The company expected to clock 8-10% share but the
extension was not at all a success. Nothing much is heard of it now-a-days.


Year 2009: New Agency, New Thought
Year 2009 saw an agency change and Triton made way for O&M. The advertising changed too.
Till now most cooking oil ads (barring Saffola) were centered around delicious food, the
housewife cooking and a happy family eating together. The brand broke out of the cliche and
tried to show realistic situations. 'Thoda Aur Chalega' gave way to'Ab Bas Toot Pado'. Though
the creative was different, the brand stayed true to its 9 year of belief 'the joy of eating'. Watch
the ad here.






Watch the other one as well.






These ads were aired during IPL and gave the brand high visibility. The
brand communication had moved away from what the oil contains and what it does for your
health. It moved to 'enjoying good home made food together'. These ads were in response to a
market research which had revealed that the fast pace of day-to-day life has taken away these
moments from our lives. Fortune wanted to bring it back.


2010: Launch of Fortune Plus
Fortune tried to graduate its consumers to the next level by launching a slightly premium
oil 'Fortune Plus' Sunflower & Soyabean Oil. The oil is around Rs. 5 costlier than the earlier
Fortune and claims to absorb 17% less oil. This move is called 'moving up the value chain'. it is
aimed at increasing the margin the brand earns. Increasing the price of original Fortune would
have led to a decline in sales. Why should one pay Rs. 5 more for the same oil? Hence a new
sub-brand was launched which was positioned in a way that it commands a higher premium.






To launch the variant, the brand signed Saina Nehwal and went aggressive on TV. The tagline of
Fortune Plus is 'Oil that isn't oily' and with this it aims to attract the health conscious young
consumers of the upper middle class.


What is worth debating is, how does this launch affects the parent brand Fortune. Fortune
Plus is a costlier and better oil. Does that mean 'the old Fortune' is not as good and is a
compromise? Fortune Plus has not been a run away success but is very visible in super markets.
Only time will tell if the strategy has paid off.


2011: Har Maa Ke Dil Mein
Fortune has just broken it's latest campaign on national television. This creative takes the brand
to one level up from what it has been doing. Fortune is known to all and is the market leader in
India. Through this TV commercial the brand ties to forge a very strong tie with all its old and
potential consumers. It is trying to own the mother's heart.






The Way Forward
Fortune is the market leader in edible oils market in India. It has around 13% share of the total
branded & packed segment. The Indian market is worth Rs. 90,000 crore, only 40% of which is
branded (packaged). Rest of the market is of loose oil. The branded segment is growing at 15-
20% per annum. With such a good pace of growth, the potential is huge.


Fortune needs to stay ahead of the curve. It should remain contemporary and change with the
times something like Horlicks. Its regular packaging changes keeps the brand fresh. Fortune
needs to keep adding consumers without losing its loyal users. Since product differentiation is
not very easy in edible oils, the real differentiation will be in terms of brand image and
positioning. Oil is bought every month (more than once) and hence staying top of mind is crucial.




Source: Newspaper articles over the years especially by ET, Business Standard and afaqs. 1 2 3 4 5
Posted 2nd December 2011 by Vivek Singh
Labels: Brand Story Edible Oil Fortune Market Leader Old Brands

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DEC
2

Brand Story: Fortune Cooking Oil
Fortune, today, is the biggest brand of cooking oil in India. It was launched in the year 2000. Let us
look at how the brand has evolved in the last 12 years.

Successful Launch in Year 2000

Fortune was launched as the 'better oil'. The communication centered around 'guilt-free' eating. It was
targeted at the health conscious consumer who is unable to enjoy the food as he/she is concerned
about the ill effects of oil. The message was captured in the phrase "Thoda Aur Chalega" (a little more
will do).

The launch was extremely successful and within two years Fortune was the No. 1 brand of cooking oil
in India. How was this unusual feat accomplished? Business Standard came up with a detailed
analysis in May 2004.

NOV
21

Brand Story: Pillsbury Atta
I had analysed Pillsbury Atta in May 2008 just before my interview with Pillsbury for the post of Asstt
Brand Manager. Though I did not get the job (good for me) I did learn a lot about the brand and about
the category. I have reproduced the entire analysis here and have updated it with new developments
at the end.

---

Category

The branded atta (wheat flour) market is roughly estimated at around Rs.800 crores which is just 3%
of the total atta market in India.
1

NOV
19

Brand Story: Micromax Mobile
Gurgaon based Micromax Mobile is no ordinary brand and the way it is growing, soon it will find a
place in text books of all MBA schools in India. Read four facts about the brand and decide for
yourself.

1. It was launched in 2008 and within 3 years has become the No. 3 player in the Indian Mobile
Handset market (source) behind Nokia (39%) and Samsung (17%). It has a share of 8%.

2. It's sales turnover was around Rs. 350 crores in 2009-10 which skyrocketed to Rs. 1600 crores in
2010-11.
2

NOV
12

Brand Story: Kellogg's in India
The brand name Kellogg's is synonymous with the Cornflakes category in India. Kellogg's, a
multinational giant, came to India in 1994 and is responsible for building the cornflakes category. The
journey has been far from easy. It has actually been so tough that Kellogg's found a place in the book
'Brand Failures'. Kellogg's tried to change the breakfast habit of the Indian people and has not had as
much success as it hoped for.

NOV
5

Consumer Feedback: Flipkart scores over P&G
Last week I sent out two emails. One to Flipkart and one to P&G (Procter & Gamble). I love both
these brands very much. Flipkart for their excellent service and business sense. Pampers because its
a great product from a great company. Hence, when I found a small problem I knew I had to report it
to the respective companies.

I had bought a book from Flipkart and wasn't very happy with the book (minor binding problems). I
wrote to them to share my concern.
2


NOV
3

Brand Story: Horlicks Foodles
A brief history of the noodles market in India.

1984 - Early 2009

Maggi was the undisputed leader in the noodles market. They pioneered the category and made
Indians 'like' noodles. The category became generic to Maggi. When you want to say noodles, you
say Maggi. Top Ramen (Indo Nissin) was launched in 1991 and looked to be a threat to Maggi but
died down later.

Late 2009 - Now

The market has seen more activity in two years than it has seen in the previous twenty.


OCT
30

Brand Story: Royal Enfield (Bullet)
Last week a colleague of mine bought a 'Bullet', the legendary bike brand from Royal Enfield. There
was one problem though: The bike will not come before 10 months. He has to wait 10 months for his
all time favorite motorcycle. That led me to research about the brand and here is what I have
discovered.

Brief Background

Royal Enfield is the oldest surviving brand of motorcycles in the world. The brand which is more than
100 years old has been in India since 1949.
2

SEP
28

Your finance manager is also your marketer
Marketing is a role played, not only by sales and marketing people, but also by everyone else in the
organisation. When I say everyone, I mean everyone.

Yesterday my friend got a call from his bank (a fast growing private bank). The caller asked him to
deposit some money into his account for just 3 days. They said, "Sir you are a priority customer and
you have good balance.

SEP
25

Destination Shopping
I am not a believer in pamhplets (promotional leaflets) which come along with the morning
newspaper. Some restaurant or super market or nursery school promoting their good and services.
You pick it, see it for a second and there it goes in the trash can.

Yesterday three pamphlets came and one of which was from a neighborhood super market 'Heritage'.
It is a premium looking place where we generally don't go for vegetables, etc. It has also opened
recently.

SEP
24

Why all brands need a clear positioning?
I am a marketer by education. I have studied in theory that every brand has to have a clear
positioning. 'Positioning' is how a customer sees your brand. It is the 'position' a brand occupies in the
minds of the consumer. This is theory.

Come to practicals. One example from my city Hyderabad.

Few years back I knew of few hospital names only. Yashoda, Image, Apollo and I knew nothing more
than names. Today some smart marketing is happening in Hyderabad.


SEP
21

Google Cross-promotes Google+
Most internet users are aware of Google + but not everyone has joined the bandwagon. Though
people are 'aware' they are yet to 'try'. Once they try surely many will 'convert' and become regular
users.

With a view to get more people to 'try out' Google Plus, Google has today started an innovative
marketing technique. They have done what is called a 'cross promotion' in marketing. Example of a
cross promotion: Marico wants you to try their new hair gel.

AUG
24

Communicate less for maximum impact
In marketing we over communicate. The leaflets, the posters, the danglers, the hoardings, the
advertisements need to focus on one thought only.

What we marketers forget is that the audience of our communication does not care too much about
what we are saying. He has small attention span and is not going to read and remember everything.

When we make scheme leaflets for retailers/distributors, we must cut down content. Talk about the
main attraction only.

AUG
20

Welcome all Marketers
This blog is about my life as a marketing manager.

I am the marketing manager of a cooking oil brand in India. Previously I have handled a real estate
brand, sold FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods like hair oil, hair gel, soap, etc.) & steel.

As the marketing manager, I look after branding, advertising, media, activation, schemes and
everything for the brands I handle. So the scope of this blog will be anything marketing.






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O&M's Fortune Oil ad: Set to sweep
awards?

Taking forward Fortune Oils Joy of home-cooked food positioning, this Ogilvy & Mather
commercial is doing rounds on social networking sites as one commercial thats bound to sweep
all the awards. Fortune Oils has launched its latest advertising campaign which communicates
the message through an endearing grandmothers tale.
The video, which has already gone viral online, before being released, is set to go on air this
week. Conceived and executed by Piyush Pandey, the ad film is aiming to capture the minds and
hearts of consumers.
So is it as good as its being pitched to be? Lets find out.
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This four-minute video builds up a story that doesnt reveal the product until the end. When you
see it, you know that there couldnt have been a simpler connect. The commercial is already
tugging at the viewers heartstrings, mostly because the love of home-cooked food is so
relatable for most people living away from home. Little details, like the grandmother's
'innovative' ways to convince the nurse, and the nurse's consequent exasperation, are what
make the film endearing and relatable.

The story called "Ghar ka khana" features a grandmother who insists on feeding her bedridden
grandson two spoons of home cooked dal, but the nurse doesnt allow her to. This continues for
days. The grandmother climbs up stairs with the support of a walking stick and a box of dal in
one hand, but always goes back home dejected. Until one day when the nurse agrees. Surprised
and teary-eyed, the old lady fumbles with the lunch box and starts feeding the grandson who
after first few spoons takes the lunch box to guzzle down the dal himself. Content, the
grandmother kisses him. The end slate for Fortune Oil comes in, bearing the slogan "Ghar ka
khaana, ghar ka khaana hota hai".

When asked if the ad has the potential to win awards this year, Nima
Namchu, Chief Creative Officer, Cheil India, said, Its probably a winner
in Direction, Craft and Art Direction at Goafest 2015, if they decide to
enter it.

However, going by its length, I am assuming this is going to air once on TV and then continue
on digital media. While it is quite engaging and relatable, in my opinion, its a one-time-view
story unlike the Tata Sky Jail Break which could be enjoyed over multiple viewings, Namchu
pointed out.

Weather it sweeps all awards or not is yet to be seen. But, the makers are pretty bullish on its
prospects.

Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & Creative Director, Ogilvy South
Asia, feels it is one of the finest pieces of work that that he has
written. It has to be a very brave client with a very big heart to make a commercial of this
kind. I salute the entire marketing team at Fortune for making this happen. I am also hugely
grateful to Vivek Kakkad, and my own partner Sukesh Nayak, for bringing this story alive. Enjoy,
and have some home cooked food, he said.

Manish Iyer, AGM (Marketing & Strategy), Adani Wilmar says, We are
promoting home-cooked food at a time where people have forgotten the
goodness of it. With this ad we plan to reignite the essence of Ghar Ka
Khana in all Indian homes and bring back the magic of a home cooked
meal.

Formed in 1999, Adani Wilmar is a joint venture between two global corporations: Adani Group,
and Singapores Wilmar International. The JVs Fortune Cooking Oil flagship brand has a market
share of about 45 per cent. Its brand portfolio includes Fortune Plus Soya Health, Sunlite,
Cottonlite, Fortune Rice Bran Health, Fortune Soya Health, Fortune Premium Kachi Ghani, filtered
mustard oil, filtered groundnut oil, Fortune Goldnut and Fortune Coconut Pure.
You can watch the ads here
Fortune Oil underlines magic of 'Ghar ka
khana', through affectionate grandmas
resilience

inShare
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RELATED VIDEOS









more videos
By Campaign India Team on Jun 24, 2014
filed under Advertising, India
Watch the ad film conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather here
Adani Wilmar has launched a new TVC for its Fortune Oil brand, shifting from 'The joy of eating' to a
more personal 'Ghar ka khana, ghar ka khana hota hai' (Home cooked food is home cooked food
after all).
The ad film, all of 4 minutes and 38 seconds, has been conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather. The film goes on air
on 27 June.
The entire film is set in a hospital. An old lady with a tiffin box climbs up the stairs with the help of a walking
stick. Shereaches the ward just as a nurse gets the patient ready for a feed. The nurse tries to feed a table spoon
of daal (lentils)that a patient typically gets in a hospital. Having taken a seat next to the bed, the old lady sees
that the man on the bed turning his head away, refusing to consume the daal. She asks the nurse to let her feed
him just two spoonfuls of home cooked daal. She reiterates that that this is the fourth day that she's requesting
the nurse's permission to do so. The nurse, addressing the old lady as 'dadi' (grandmother), curtly replies that
she's been rejecting the lady's pleas gone three days since 'bahar ka khana' (outside food) is not allowed. The
man's grandmother counters this saying that 'ye ghar ka hai' (it is home cooked). Dejected, the grandmother
leaves only to return the next day with another tiffin containing daal. She tells the nurse how in his childhood, her
grandson used to return home famished after playing cricket and would consume six bowls of daal. The story
doesn't sway the nurse Priya's decision and dadi still doesn't get to feed him 'do chammach' daal. She returns the
next day with the same plea but is turned down again. The next day the tiffin slips out of Dadi's grasp
spilling daal all over the floor. The day after that, the old lady tries flattery by complimenting Priya about how
beautiful she is looking and even playfully says 'I love you' to her before repeating her 'bas do
chammach' plea. Dadi's plan backfires as an angered Priya scolds her on being unable to understand that she
isn't allowed to feed him food other than that from the hospital.
A dispirited dadi leaves only to return the next day looking happy and carrying two tiffins. The nurse is
surprised, given the events of the previous day. Dadi hands her the bigger tiffin saying it's her grandson's
birthday and that the food is for her. Priya accepts but questions her on the second tiffin. The rejection
follows. But this time, as dadi is leaving, Priya can be seen eating the food. The next day Priya pro-actively
greets the old lady, which leaves the older woman pleasantly surprised. Just as the nurse is about to feed her
grandson the hospital daal, the old lady repeats her 'do chammach' request, her voiced almost sounding choked.
Priya hesitates for a moment but closes the door and asks dadi to go ahead. The overjoyed grandmother quickly
feeds her grandson the home cooked daal. The grandson reaches out for the tiffin with shaking hands drinking
straight from it. Priya gives up and walks away, allowing them their moment of privacy. The film ends
with Fortune Edible Oils & Foods new positioning statement: 'Ghar ka khana, ghar ka khana hota hai'.
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director, Ogilvy South Asia, said, "I believe it is one of the finest
pieces of work that I have written. It has to be a very brave client with a very big heart to make a commercial of
this kind. I salute the entire marketing team at Fortune for making this happen. I am also hugely grateful to Vivek
Kakkad, and my own partner Sukesh Nayak, for bringing this story alive. Enjoy, and have some home cooked
food!"
Credits
Brand: Fortune Edible Oil & Foods
Client: Adani Wilmar
Chief operative officer: Angshu Malik
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather India
Chairman: Piyush Pandey
Group creative director: Sukesh Nayak
Vice president: Saji Mathews
Production house: Curious Films
Director (film): Vivek Kakad
Producer: Shahzad Bhagwagar

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