On the history date 11th January 1964, it was declared by the United States Government that cigarettes cause cancer. And within a day $8 billion dollar industry and the income of 7,50,000 families were at stake.
While most companies saw their sales coming down. That one company which miraculously went from 1% market share to becoming one of the fourth largest cigarette brands in the world in less than 1 year.
And cigarette advertisements were completely banned from televisions. This brand became even more popular. Which went on to become the largest cigarette manufacturers in the world.
This brand I am introducing goes by the name “Marlboro“. And to this day the Marlboro brand is so huge that it has got more consumers as compared to its top 10 competitors combined.
The question is what did they do?
After the cancer report and ban on advertisements which is supposed to be a big no for its business. Ended up becoming a stepping stone for Marlboro becoming a $26.8 billion dollar brand. (Brand Value)
The answer to the question lies with its most iconic marketing strategies ever witnessed by mankind. Which is called lifestyle marketing.
Marlboro Brand – Lifestyle Marketing
If you are a 90’s kid and you watched Sachin Tendulkar play. I bet you at some point in your life or someone from your friend circle must have bought an MRF Bat. And chances are that when you visited the store, you knew nothing about English willow, Kashmir willow, etc. You didn’t care which wood the bat is made up of. You didn’t care about whether it was original or duplicate. At the end of the day, you simply wanted ‘A CRICKET BAT’.
And had two choice bat with those stickers and bats with MRF stickers. And most of us chose the latter one. And most probably some of you may know that MRF is primarily a rubber tyre manufacturing company. And MRF full form is Madras Rubber Factory. Which happened to be the sponsor of Sachin Tendulkar.
Sachin Tendulkar MRF Bat Story
Now isn’t this a coincidence that millions of children all across the country were mindless to buy a bat with a sticker of a rubber tyre company?
If not then how the hell did this happen?
Well here’s how the magic of lifestyle marketing happens.
We all idolized Sachin Tendulkar and wanted to be like the God of Cricket. So subconsciously the MRF bats made us feel as if we were holding the same bat as master blaster Sachin Tendulkar himself.
So what we essentially brought into when we bought MRF is not the bat itself. But the connection it had with our idol. I.e Sachin Tendulkar.
Now in the US the same thing happened to Nike’s Air Jordans shoes lined up. When Nike signed up Michael Jordan. The fascination for Air Jordan shoes went so crazy that even today after 18years of Miachel Jordan retirement he earns $100 Million each year just in royalty.
Michael-Jordan-Nike
This is what we call as ‘Lifestyle Marketing’
Wherein consumers buy more into the lifestyle of the icon who is associated with the product than the product itself. And this is what the marketers of Marlboro did to their brand.
After the 1964 report which was released by the General of the United States. Brands started doing anything in their capacity to keep their reputation. Some brands tried to justify cigarettes While some brands completely disapproved of the very research itself. Back then Marlboro was a very small company producing cigarettes only to women.
Back Marlboro was a very small company producing cigarettes only to women
Marlboro Cigarette Print Advertisement
But as soon as the news broke out the parent company Philip Morris decided to shift their method of marketing. And became an epitome of business propaganda in the 20th century.
Marlboro Cigarette Print Advertisement
Marlboro Cigarette Print Advertisement
Marlboro Cigarette Print Advertisement
What the marketers of Marlboro did was instead of justifying smoking and using statistics which was difficult to understand. They came out with the campaign called ‘The Marlboro Man‘ wherein they created a brand image and introduced a character who was supposedly everything a man wanted to be like. And they came with the character The Marlboro Man.
The Marlboro Man – Come-to-Marlboro-country
Leo Burnett’s campaign for Marlboro projects an image which has made it the biggest-selling cigarette in the world. It has been running, almost without change, for 25 years.
Marlboro
Next time an apostle of hard-sell questions the importance of brand images, ask him how Marlboro climbed from obscurity to become the biggest-selling cigarette in the world.
Leo Burnett’s cowboy campaign, started 25 years ago and continues to this day, has given the brand an image which appeals to smokers all over the world.
The Commercial presented Marlboro man as a perfect archetype of manhood. He was tough, affectionate and stylish. And stood as an icon of freedom and manliness. Men of the 1960’s were so fascinated by Marlboro men that they started buying Marlboro cigarettes.
The campaign became a game-changer for the company. And within one year Marlboro went from 1% market share to becoming the 4th largest cigarette manufacturer in the world.
Fun fact is in all its commercials cigarettes was not the primary subject of focus. Infact cigarettes as a product got less than 10% of footage time in all of its commercials. And because of this even when cigarette commercials were permanently banned from TV. And brands couldn’t show cigarettes in their commercials.
Marlboro easily navigated through that situation because it anyways their focus was not into cigarettes but in Marlboro man himself.
That’s how they were able to build an iconic brand image and communicate the message very effectively and subtly even through print and magazine ads.
The sale skyrocketed because the rest of the brand were struggling to market their brands without showing their product.
Now more than a marketing lesson there’s a very important life lesson to learn from this iconic case study.
People just liked Marlboro in the 1960s even today what we fail to realise is that we are constantly being bombarded by lifestyle cigarette commercials that do not appear as ads but in the form of pop culture icons, movies, and entertainment.
Like in Peaky Blinders, James Bond wears a tuxedo smoking cigarette which tries to portray a gentleman kind of personality. Or Kabir Singh(Indian Movie) who is portrayed as an epitome of manliness.
Now regardless of how lucrative they look. What is important for us to understand is that they are basically tapping into your insecurities to convince you to do something which will give you an elevated feeling of yourself.
Life Style ads campaign
But the truth is because of your lack of self-awareness. You don’t realise your insecurities are putting money into their pocket.
Eventually making those companies into billion dollar valuation. But to turn you into a sick and miserable addict of either cigarettes or social validation depending on what you are buying into.
So keep your eyes open and do not fall into these traps.
And last but not the least my advice to you is. Always buying dumshit will never make you a happier or better version of yourself.
The only thing that will make you feel better is your acceptance of your insecurities and imperfections.
And at the end of the day if you don’t embrace your insecurities some billion dollar brand is waiting to dig into your misery and make a fortune out of it.
So if you think this blog makes sense and has really made you aware.
Please share it to the near and the farthest ones you know.
“The life journey of a little boy who went to work at a lunch home in Chennai as a cleaner, who later founded Adayar Ananda Bhavan in the 1970s which today boasts a turnover of about ₹800 crores and has multiple branches that dot the length and breadth of Chennai as well as its neighboring cities and franchise outlets in Singapore, Malaysia, in Dallas and New Jersey in the US.”
‘The baton of this sweet legacy was passed on by K.S Thirupathi Raja to his son, Mr K.T Venkatesan and Mr. K.T Srinivasa who now acts as The driving force behind A2B.’
It was in the early 1960s that KS Thirupathi Raja opened a small sweet shop, Guru Sweets, in Rajapalayam town near Madurai, Tamil Nadu. Hailing from a family of farmers, Thirupathi Raja, then chose to take the path less trodden. With the help of Raja’s wife Muthu Lakshmi, Guru Sweets dished out items like wheat halwa, laddu, Jahangir (a thicker version of jalebi), badusha, and the famous Mysore Pak. The store also sold a few savoury items, most notably Karasev, made of gram flour. The adventure, however, was short-lived as K.S. Thirupathi Raja, who passed away in 2001, shut down Guru Sweets within the decade and returned to farming.
Justifiably so, for this humble sweetmaker had clawed his way up in life, often coming precariously close to being broken by the various obstacles of fortune, before he could establish a business that began to yield returns and assure him a settled life. Adyar Ananda Bhavan, now a familiar presence in cities and towns across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and occupying prime locations on arterial highways, also achieved another milestone by opening its first overseas unit in Frisco, Texas, United States in 2017.
The chain owes its success to the perseverance and never-say-die attitude of the founder K. S. Thirupati Raja. At a very young age, he seemed to know that he wanted to go somewhere, achieve something big, even if he wasn’t entirely certain where or what that was when he set out.
Let’s get back to the root from where it all started and what inspired
K.S. Thirupathi Raja started his own sweet shop.
Everyone has a starting point and fate. It is up to them how they want to take their life’s journey forward.
But in the end, the message is all about to
“Do What You Love and Love What You Do.” Such is the story of K.S. Thirupathi Raja.
Life before starting Adayar Ananda Bhavan
In 1938, at the age of ten, he ran away from his home in Rajapalayam to escape the fate of being a farmer. In an era when child labour was not frowned upon, the little boy went to work at a lunch home in Chennai as a cleaner, literally working himself to the bone.
There, he formed a bond with the ‘master’, Achuthan Nair, a man he would remember through his life. It was from Nair that the young Raja learnt the basics and the nuances of cooking. The experience also impressed on him the important role the ‘master’ played in a food business. For Adyar Ananda Bhavan he would pick the ‘masters’ with care and train them personally.
The cleaning job took a toll on his health. After a brief spell recuperating at home in Rajapalayam, Raja went to Bombay, seeking his fortune there. He was employed as a mill hand, but a shut-down put paid to that career and he came upon the first of the many hurdles he would face.
Raja’s life was increasingly beginning to resemble the black and white Tamil tragedy films of the time. Interestingly, when he was frequenting the area around Filmistan in Bombay, he befriended a man working in the film industry who tried to convince him to join the movies. Raja was not tempted, though – his mind was set on being a businessman.
Growing With An Entrepreneurial Spirit
Unwilling to return to the farming life back in Rajapalayam, he became a dealer in books and vessels, targeting the Tamil community in Bombay. Marriage and the demands of starting a family required him to return home. Armed with the sweet-making skills he had learnt from a friend in Bombay, he opened his first shop in Ambala Puli Bazaar in 1965. It did reasonable business, but the profits weren’t big enough to keep Raja out of debt.
Can’t Hurt Me Spirit and Firm Determination
He then took a sugarcane farm on a lease, even experimenting with a sweet made from cane sugar and coconut oil. However, a cyclone in 1973 destroyed his farm and, therefore, his business. His sons say that was one of the lowest points in Raja’s life. A friend then suggested he open a sweet shop in Bangalore and Raja found a place in Srirampuram.
One by one, his two sons, Venkatesa Raja and Srinivasa Raja, discontinued their studies and joined their father, helping him source supplies and produce the sweets and savories Srinivasa Sweets came to be known for.
In Quest of that one particular location
In 1979, Raja moved to Chennai, finding a space in Old Washermenpet and called it Sri Ananda Bhavan. At last, his business seemed to be bringing him returns and he was able to settle debts and replace the family jewellery he had pawned and lost in the bad times. A deeply religious man, Raja made weekly trips to the Mangadu Kamakshi Amman temple outside Madras.
One day, he decided to go instead to the Ashtalakshmi temple in Adyar. Near the bus stand, he happened to see a shop that was available for lease. He spent days observing the place, counting the number of vehicles and people who passed that way. Then, Raja decided, would be a good place to open his next store. But fate was unkind, yet again – the property was embroiled in a sublease complication. It took him a year and a half to finally acquire the place and in 1988 it was inaugurated by KirubAnanda Variyar, the spiritual teacher Raja was devoted to, and Adyar Ananda Bhavan opened its doors to its first customers. Four years later, Raja opened an outlet in Purasawalkam, and the extra space allowed Raja to offer chaat, an arrangement he had observed in Bombay’s sweet shops. The Kolkata-style chaat won over Chennaiites.
Adayar Ananda Bhavan Bringing in the First Self-Service Restaurant
Later, the Raja family opened a store in Pondicherry, and encouraged by customer requests for hot food, decided to branch out from sweet stalls and opened Adyar Ananda Bhavan’s first self-service restaurant, marking their foray into the business. ‘There was a demand from customers, who enjoyed our sweets and savouries, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,’ Srinivasa Raja says.
The success of their first restaurant and the simultaneous surge in the sale of sweets because of the additional footfalls for the restaurant, convinced the Adayar Ananda Bhavan team that the ‘All-in’ model – large units with a sweet stall and a morning-to-night restaurant – was the way to go. The smart thing Adayar Ananda Bhavan did was to ensure that the sweets’ display was clearly visible from the seating area.
Even I have noticed and experienced myself that customers who keep seeing the sweets while they have their meals invariably make a confirm purchase. It makes them crave to try something sweet and snacky items.
(Which they made consistent since their inception.)
Traditionally, all Adayar Ananda Bhavan are quick-service restaurants, known for their speed, affordability, and convenience. The self-service areas are arranged so that customers see the food first and then buy, same as the set-up at the sweet counters. ‘This prompts customers to order items they would normally not buy off a printed menu, as they see the food and get excited,’ says Raja.
Also, the display counter model demands that the area is kept clean and hygienic. It’s easy for staff to simply pick up the food and serve customers without depending on the kitchen.
Keep on Innovating and bring something new- That what Adayar Ananda Bhavan brings on the table.
Later additions such as live counters for specials such as poli, kuzhi paniyaram and the highly-rated coffee have enhanced the customer experience. Besides, customers waiting by the live counters are unlikely to complain about delays in being served as they see the crowd ahead of them and the staff working at speed.
The Introduction of Air Conditioned Service
In the 2000s, an air-conditioned service section was added to the eateries, in addition to the self-service area. Realizing that customers, especially those who came in groups, found it difficult to go back and forth from the self-service counter and were willing to pay for service.
Well-Organized Service Offering:
Adayar Ananda Bhavan introduced an air-conditioned dining hall with table service at its outlets. These were well-integrated into the main unit and served by the same kitchen. At the dining hall, waiters do what customers do in the self-service section. After a customer places an order from the menu, the waiter generates the order token, picks up the food from the self-service counters and serves it at the table. More recently, Adayar Ananda Bhavan has implemented technology solutions and separated order-taking staff from the servers to speed up the process
We don’t follow any specific strategy: We follow our heart and intuition:
The expansion has happened apace and KT Srinivasa Raja says there is no specific strategy that they adopt. ‘People approach us, rather than the other way around,’ he says.
KT Srinivasa Raja says that customer keeps on writing to us about what they want. Expect that Adayar Ananda Bhavan will soon attract big investors to take the brand to the next level; at the current revenues of over Rs 600 crore, they will command a valuation upwards of Rs 1200 crore.
While there may be no formalized strategy document for their fast growth, we believe Adayar Ananda Bhavan has gone about expansion the instinctive way. The owners and management have evaluated and picked up high-footfall locations, executed rapidly, invested in multiple back-end food processing units to support the retail units and focused on expanding aggressively in states such as Tamil Nadu and Karnataka that can be serviced by the existing food processing units. It’s a nifty adaptation of the hub-and-spoke model. They have begun testing the waters in Delhi and the US and will use the same approach when they enter these markets.
The highway is the way of Adayar Ananda Bhavan
Adayar Ananda Bhavan is among the pioneers in the restaurants-on-highways segment. The first one came up in 2004 near Krishnagiri on the Chennai–Bengaluru highway;today nearly 25 percent of the chain’s outlets are located on highways. V. Vishnu Shankar, one of the directors, said in an interview.
‘We have tied up with Bharat Petroleum to set up outlets wherever it starts new pumps.’ On the southern highways, Adayar Ananda Bhavan has established itself as the best provider of quality and service. In the highway units, the dining areas are larger than in other locations and there are more restrooms that are reasonably clean. These are also preferred stops for various private bus operators.
The scaling up from a handful of sweet stalls to nearly a hundred eateries has necessitated ERP systems to be put in place and Srinivasa Raja says they are invaluable while managing a business as large as his.
Adayar Ananda Bhavan, which began as a family-run sweet store where father and sons produced most of the items they sold, has now invested in mechanization for many of the food-manufacturing processes.
At the Ambattur plant, machines imported from Belgium mix flour, press and fry it into the mixture, murukku and other savouries in massive temperature-controlled fryers. Rasagullas are rolled out by other contraptions and perfectly-cut burfis emerge from an assembly line. Sambar making and dosa batter production also happen at these mechanized units and are transported to restaurants in milk cans – another innovative solution. The branches upload their requirements on custom-built software every evening and in the morning, Adayar Ananda Bhavan vans speed toward them carrying their loads of sweets, savouries and base products.
But the current owners, trained by their diligent and hardworking father, believe that no SOP or machinery can quite make up for personal involvement and a hands-on approach, whether it’s conducting food audits, hiring or reviewing customer feedback;
Thirupati Raja was known to be gentle with his staff, carrying them with him and treating them like family. But these are different times and they call for different tactics. The Raja sons have been quick to adapt to the demands of business today.
This is how Adayar Ananda Bhavan started it’s humble journey from nothing to everything. And established itself as a well known brand. K.S. Thirupathi Raja’s never settle for less attitude and relentless hard work is the epitome of Adayar Ananda Bhavan success which still continues to grow.
If you dream of doing something great and want to create a dent in the universe, keep your spirit high and don’t compromise on your aspirations.
At nearly 4-5 times the price of the Dove, Lux and Pears can Sebamed balance pH with pricing?
HUL vs SEBAMED pH 5.5 Detailed Case Study
The brands which have got lesser PR budget must look after at the example of Sebamed. (Just Kidding).
It’s quite strange and hard-hitting campaign rolled out by Sebamed.
In just a few days, Sebamed, thanks to its ads, got written about by countless news outlets.
German skincare company Sebamed has seen more press coverage, social media coverage in the last four days than most brands tend to see in a few months, or even a quarter.
Sebamed is trying to put the giants in the soap category – Hindustan Unilever’s Lux, Dove and Pears – on a slippery slope with its marketing blitzkrieg. However, not many knew about Sebamed, which entered India in 2007, until last week.
According to Google Trends for India, on a scale of one to 100 (the latter being the highest), Sebamed was trending at five on January 1, 2021. But by January 10, it had scaled up to 100. The bullets fired by Sebamed have had more hits and fewer misses.
First, Sebamed compared Lux with Rin and said that both have the same pH value. Then came an attack on Dove, which HUL markets as a mild soap – healthy for the skin.
Sebamed also attacked Pears, a soap which is traditionally sold more during the ongoing winter season.
Skincare brand Sebamed names Dove, Lux, Pears, Santoor, and Rin in digital ads
In a series of posters, and TVCs Sebamed takes the comparative advertising route to show why it’s milder than rivals.
Sebamed, a German personal care brand has teamed up with agency The Womb to create an ad campaign that pulls up its competitors by name. The ad sees women lounging around in a bathing area setting in luxurious clothes (often seen in beauty soap ads).
They explain that beauty soaps such as Lux, Pears, and Santoor have the same pH levels as dishwashing soap bar Rin. They place a strip of litmus paper on all the soaps in question to illustrate their point.
The campaign is titled Filmstars kee Nahi, Science Kee Suno – a clear reference to Lux soap which has always been known as the ‘filmstars soap’ in the past.
Filmstars kee Nahi, Science Kee Suno
Sebamed Ads
Creative partner, The Womb said, “The Personal care industry has always been conditioned to follow standard beauty practices in order to make it appealing to the consumers“.
What I got to understand about Sebamed ad campaign- It communicates the product truth through this campaign, without any silver coating. Striking the right balance between the bandwagon fallacy and authenticity, the brand is building a connection with its consumers through demonstration-based advertising with an honest approach.
Bombay High court orders Sebamed to take down the campaign.
HUL vs Sebamed: Bombay HC to give main order on 19 January
Sebamed had earlier blamed rival Hindustan Unilever Limited for taking the matter to court without giving a prior notice
Sebamed’s comparative advertising both on mainstream and social media raised a Twitter storm and upset HUL, which had promised suitable action.
The court recorded the submissions by both the companies around the aggressive advertising campaign launched by Sebamed on 8 January, comparing HUL’s Lux and Dove to detergent brand Rin, and claiming that the beauty soaps did not maintain the optimal 5.5 pH level meant for sensitive skin.
This is what happens when your skin’s natural pH balance is disturbed.
pH value above 5.5 can cause skin irritation and dryness: And even if it is below the standard pH value of the acidic state and hence cause skin irritation and dryness problems.
Sebamed ads claimed that its cleansing bar has the perfect pH level of 5.5 for sensitive skin.
There are millions of consumers who ought to know (the pH values of soaps they use and what a healthy level is).
Comparative advertising:
The Sebamed campaign taking on Dove, Lux, Pears, on pH value is a classic example of ‘Comparative Advertising’ by a challenger brand. (underdog).
In my view, the best comparative ad campaign was done by Doyle Dane & Bernbach for AVIS (vs) HERTZ back in 1962.
What’s your view on the Sebamed campaign? And the AVIS one?
Avis vs. Hertz
“Sebamed is marketed in India by USV, a pharma company with a deep knowledge of the Indian healthcare system. It (USV) has been promoting Sebamed through the medical field force as an Rx brand. It must have decided (thought) that with the heightened awareness around health and immunity, skin health may also get a boost.
So, the idea was to take Sebamed from Rx to what is called OTx, to promote it directly both to the doctors and the consumers.”
However, the price of a 100-gram Sebamed soap bar is Rs 199, while that of other brands is less than Rs 50.
The soap segment in India is estimated to be around Rs 22,000 crore. Based on application, the market is segmented into
Beauty Soap,
Kitchen Soap,
Medicated Soap,
Laundry Soap,
Perfumed Soap,
Novelty Soap,
Personal Soap and others.
Beauty soap is the largest category and medicated soap is the fastest growing one, especially after the outbreak of the COVID pandemic.
“I admire its (Sebamed’s) courage. Taking on HUL is not easy and I wish it all the best in its battle,”
Reports suggest that HUL (Lux, Lifebuoy, Dove) has over 42 per cent of the market share and is the largest player in the category.
ITC (Vivel, Fiama Di Wills, Superia), Godrej Consumer Products (Cinthol, Godrej No.1), Reckitt Benckiser (Dettol), etc., are the other large players in the market.
Sebamed’s most affordable soap, a 100-gram bar, costs Rs 199. However, if an order is placed on the e-commerce platform Amazon, it costs Rs 99 (50 percent discount).
Nykaa also sells Sebamed bars at the same rate. There is, however, no such discount on the likes of Tata Cliq and Flipkart.
The obvious question, therefore, is, why is Sebamed selling soaps at Rs 199 and taking on soaps that are 4-5 times cheaper?
“Sebamed soap is mostly bought from a chemist shop through a dermatologist’s prescription and most of their customer live in metros and mini-metros,” says Konark Gaur, CMO, Sebamed India.
I don’t feel like however through marketing and communication disruption may not dent HUL’s pie, HUL straddles the segment across price points with multiple brands. It has the most extensive physical retail distribution, with prime dominance extending on e-commerce sites and modern trade as well.
And there is a meagre chance for the new players to make much headway in the FMCG and soap category to be particular. Most of the customers are loyalists and 9 out of 10 uses HUL products all over India catering to rural and urban areas as well.
Out of the 4P’s in this case the major factor which comes in to play is Price, Price, Price and only Price.
“The pricing of Dove soap is one-fifth of Sebamed. In India, the value proposition is paramount, most of the consumers over here are price sensitive.
Due to the virus, there is an increase in demand for protective personal care products like soap, sanitisers etc. This is an opportunity for beauty brands too, as 57% say that they are open to buying protective personal care products from beauty brands while 75% say that they are more likely to purchase a product with strong
Beauty products the Indian consumer will invest in
Hair Care: i.e 26%
Skin Care: i.e 59%
Body Care: i.e 15%
Natural products/ Clinical products:
Natural Brands: 81%
Clinical Brands: 19%
According to the report suggested by Schbang X.
81% of Indian consumers say that they will prefer tutorials from an – Influencer rather than a brand.
This is some of the insights shared by Schbang X in their research report.
Key actionable for the beauty/skincare brand is:
Natural products will trump over artificial products.
Word of mouth remains the best form of marketing and boosts confidence amongst the products.
Speak about health and safety in your communication.
Influencers remain a good bet for the brand as they trust them more than branded content.
Invest in 3D renders as customers would like to get that touch and feel experience digitally.
Sebamed has even properly integrated influencer marketing:
With a skincare expert to share some gyaan about skincare.
And most Indians will find a Sebamed soap very expensive. This issue may lead to better awareness of Sebamed among a section of consumers and retailers. But the question is, will a large consumer base shift just base on a few ads and pH proposition? We don’t think so.
Sebamed wants to penetrate deeper into the country while retaining its premiumness. This marketing blitzkrieg is to start a conversation around pH.
I think Sebamed have done an incomplete work over here. I think this was just a teaser, but they haven’t explained why the pH of soap is so important for sensitive skin. If it had given a few more nuggets, it would have built its case better.
All you need to know about skin pH 5.5:
First of all, let’s understand what is skin pH?
You know that the normal body temperature is 37 degrees, the normal blood pressure is 120/80 similarly the skin has a pH value of 5.5.
The pH is measured on the pH bar 0 indicating acidic and 14 indicating alkaline. The pH of water is 7 which is neutral. Normal, healthy skin has a pH of 5.5 which is slightly acidic.
pH 5.5 leads to soft and smooth skin, aids in skin removal and imparts a healthy glow to the skin and guards skin from infections.
What pH of soap is best for your skin?
Between 5 and 6.
Find the Best Products to Balance Skin pH Levels
To keep your skin healthy, stick to a pH-balanced soap like Puracy Natural Body Wash, with a pH of between 5 and 6.
It should be partially alkaline. pH 7 is neutral – Plain water. A pH value of 8 is good enough. If it’s too high, i.e. above 12 your skin will become dry, and cause skin irritation and other skin-related infections.
So no one uses soap with a pH value of 14.
But unfortunately, pH is not mentioned in the labels of many products.
What does pH value 5.5 mean?
The skin’s acid protection mantle protects against harmful environmental influences and pathogens. A neutral pH value harms this protective barrier function and can in the worst case even destroy the skin’s surface, i.e lead to dehydration, irritation and allergies. pH neutral- pH value 7- is not the right value to keep skin healthy.
Skin exposed to pH neutral products needs several hours in order to regenerate again.
With modern care substances, humidity can be regained and a protective barrier function restored. Nevertheless, with pH neutral products these effects are diminished and neutralized.
Optimal protection and compatibility with the skin are only achieved with a pH value of 5.5. Many consumers assume that pH neutral products are skin-compatible, i.e skin-friendly.
As a matter of fact, such products represent a wide variety of pH values, among them also very acidy or leachy ones that can severely damage sensitive skin.
Sometimes pH value can also change during storage time. All Sebamed products guarantee strict sustainability of the pH value 5.5.
The pH of the skin really matters:
Healthy skin pH is around 5.5, which is slightly acidic.
“When the skin’s pH is too high, your body produces excess sebum to fight back and restore its natural pH levels. However, the soap residue ensures the disruptive pH is maintained,” says independent beauty chemist David Pollack. “The end result is that skin can become too oily. If that isn’t bad enough, soap residue emulsifies or binds to the skin’s lipid matrix.”
How long it takes to damage our skin’s acid mantleTrusted Source?
There are a protective layer of oils, fatty acids, and amino acids) can vary, but signs of damage include increased dryness, itching, irritation, and inflammation. All this can also worsen skin conditions trusted Sources such as acne, eczema, dermatitis, and rosacea.
Tips for resilient skin: younger-looking skin for longer
Here I have got covered an interesting case study of Fiama Di Wills: Challenger To Game Changer.
Through this, you can get to know if you want something new, you have to stop doing something old. And you can get more clarity on how does one shake-up the market in something as ritualistic as a daily bath? What could be imparted to the tedious toilet soap tablet to transform the everyday bathing routine into an exotic sensorial experience that leaves the consumer humming all day?
A soap is a soap. Even thinking about product innovation as a strategic game-changer in this highly functional is considered sacrilegious.
But as they say, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
The Quest For Innovation Begins:
In the premium bath-space, the growth opportunity lay not in the market penetration or inter-brand movements but in garnering a sizeable share of the consumer upgrade pie, from both mid and popular segments.
In the early 2000s, the only attempts at innovation in the soap industry were the transparent glycerine bath soaps or the cream bathing bars introduced much later.
In the pursuit of differentiation, the first cue for ITC came from the Westen world, where consumers had mostly switched to liquid soaps for both convenience and hygiene reasons. ITC had developed shower gels in 2004 but they soon realized the product was ahead of its times and was limited to a very niche segment. However, the product formulation containing suspended encapsulated beads filled with moisturizing oils was a potential winner in the stable.
Most among those who had used shower gels at some point felt it did nice things to their skin and left a lingering sense of freshness long after they had stepped out of the shower and dried themselves. So the problem with shower gels lay more in attitudes, habits and water constraints and not with the experience.
The took the challenge in their hand and harness the positive perception of shower gels and present the product to the customer.
The insight that changed the game.
A curious thought popped in their mind:
If only all the natural goodness and sensorial appeal of the shower gel could be taken and transported to the convenient and familiar mould of a bathing bar.
So, while the objective makes shower gels was to become the brand of choice when consumers evolved to using shower gels and wanted to disrupt the innovative product which could deliver all the benefits of a shower gel in the ease of usage of a bathing bar format.
This is how they created a bigger opportunity for crafting a unique shower gel soap and thus began the success story of the Fiama Di Wills gel bathing bars.
A young scientist, from the R&D centre, simply froze shower gel in an ice tray to throw up a near-Eureka moment. However, this was just the beginning of the journey. It took a five-year-long journey to craft and perfect the gel bathing bar that would go on to transform the age old-category.
Challenge No. 1: The first challenge was to achieve stability of form:
The gel liquid upon freezing would change to solid state; but when exposed to normal ambient temperatures, would change back to liquid form.
After a plethora of experiments with solvents and processing technology were undertaken, before the R&D team hit upon a ‘liquid crystal freezing technology,’ which changed the crystalline structure of the product, making it stable in a solid-state even at room temperature.
Challenge No. 2: Aesthetic Appeal:
In this stage they faced the challenge in finding a right cooling process to retain product transparency.
Challenge No 3: Wear Rate
Wear rate was perhaps the biggest challenge as Indian consumers are culturally more inclined towards value-for-money products and which lasts long. Fiama Di Wills struck the right note by finding the right balance of texture. An overdose of ingredients to make it last longer would make the gel bar harsh, while it would wear too fast if made too wild. Reaching this optimal level was an iterative process demanding significant research.
ITC state-of-the-art facility in Haridwar, where an entire floor was dedicated to developing gel bars. The years of diligent effort and sheer detailing that went into the creation of this unique bathing accessory are mind-boggling. This is how you craft a product that would cut through the clutter and create a unique proposition.
Challenge No. 4: Differentiation:
The main key differentiator of the product is its shape of the gel bathing bar. For ages. soap bars had been either oval or square in shape. ITC decided to break the boundaries and introduced the Fiama Di Wills gel bar in a unique dewdrop shape.
A design was curated in a novel shape that fits snugly into the palm and enhanced grip in the water. The dewdrop shape has since been one of the strongest brand attributes of the Fiama Di Wills gel bar.
Challenge No. 5 Cue ‘premium’
To create the entire bathing experience more premium, luxurious, and pampering. Fiama Di Wills for the first time had come up with the concept of exotic ingredients and skin conditioners in soap was introduced. From patchouli, Brazilian orange, ginseng, seaweed, peach, and avocado to bearberry extracts, blackcurrant, lemongrass, macadamia nut, oats, and nutgrass.
Fiama Di Willi gel bars introduced exotic skincare ingredients from around the world in each of their variants.
Challenge No. 6: Building the aroma advantage
The most significant and next challenging task was to create a strong olfactory recall at every stage.
Fact: I have noticed some of my family members are always in the lookout for best fragrance soaps available which keeps skin clean & healthy. And also long-lasting.
From the first whiff on opening the product packaging to the actual in-use bathing experience and finally, the lingering fragrance long after one steps out of the shower, there had to be an olfactory wow at every bath. Some of the world’s finest fragrance houses were approached to develop winning fragrances for the innovative gel bars.
So, customization of the fragrances was needed to arrive at the right balance between subtle and strong- a formulation that would wow Indian users with distinctive notes.
Leading fragrance houses were brought on board to create a wide array of scents used in the gel bars- Fruity (peach and avocado), Citrus Fresh (Brazilian orange), Green Fresh (seaweed and lemongrass), Floral Beauty (patchouli), Gourmand (bearberry). This blend significantly enhanced the premium appeal and a winning product was ready.
Challenge No. 7: Manufacturing technology: Borrowing from unconventional sources
Getting the product right at the lab-scale is one thing, but commercial production to feed the market is a different ball game altogether. There wasn’t any existing soap manufacturing unit with the appropriate equipment available to handle its production. The conventional bar soap is usually manufactured together in the mold. That process wouldn’t hold the gel bar.
In search of an ideal solution, the company was forced to look at other domains. The study of manufacturing set-ups, mostly in the food segment like confectionery and candies, served as important learning, which again would require a lot of optimization to adjust to changing parameters, including the weather, besides ensuring all the special ingredients in the product retained their core qualities.
In the end, the technology solutions for gel bars production came from the manufacturing of hard-boiled candies where the liquid is converted into candies. Liquid shower gels were developed in large mixers and then poured into moulds and channelled through large freezing chambers to solidify the gel into a bathing bar format- a first of its kind in India and perhaps the world.
2009: A Star is born
The journey of Fiama Di Wills bar is one of relentless pursuit to innovate in an industry that, over many decades, had not experienced much novelty.
To go with the unique story of shower gels frozen into gel bathing bars, the heady mix of exotic ingredients in a refreshing new range of bright colours and the assortment of intoxicating fragrances combined made it as consumers favourite product.
A unique packaging solution added novelty to the product offering. Superior packaging, employing food-grade oil wrap, was used to keep the freshness alive in the gel bars over an extended period.
Telling the story
So how was the communication to do justice to the task of telling the story of this dramatic product to the consumer?
The launch of communication in 2009-10 centred around the theme of ‘Nature and Science’ an amalgamation of exotic ingredients depicting ‘nature’ and the advanced, patented liquid crystal freezing technology cueing ‘science’. But the campaign impacted only a small set of consumers, with most not able to relate to the message.
Next, Fiama Di Wills team tried the ‘skin benefits’ and the ‘sensorial experience’ route, which gave the brand a temporary boost before hitting a plateau again.
If it is unique and different, why not let it make headlines
‘Shower Gel in a Bathing Bar’ is what clicked with the consumers and the ‘Fima Di Wills gel bar saw a meteoric rise in demand, mindshare and consumer franchise. The communication helped in creating exclusivity and an intriguing value for consumers to try the bathing bar.
The experiential marketing initiatives emphasized gel skin conditioners as a special enhancing ingredient. Consumers were engaged through the application of gel skin conditioner, with a moisture test meter giving an instant reading to highlight the increased moisture levels.
A film showcased the innovative ‘liquid’ to ‘bar’ journey accompanied the consumer engagement activities in modern retail, multiplexes and other target rendezvous where premium consumers could be accessed.
Jewel in the crown
The many firsts Fiami Di Wills gel bar notched up- from its unique dewdrop shape to the first Indian patent in liquid crystal freezing technology to exotic ingredients and skin conditioners and even pure gold in it- earned it the ‘Product of the Year’ in 2010, within six months of its launch.
Fiama Di Wills extended its franchise to a premium range of personal care and also introduced a portfolio of products for men. The gel bathing bar, with its liquid shower in a bathing bar format, became the jewel in the line’s crown, catapulting Fiama Di Wills into the orbit of an exclusive club, hitherto represented by only large imported brands.
2012: Introduced high fashion in this commoditized category
Fiama Di Wills introduced the concept of designer series soaps in India, another first, collaborating with ace Indian fashion designer Wendell Rodricks, to create the first signature series of the couture range of gel bathing bars with pure gold. Launched with much fanfare in 2012, the signature series was a roaring success and served to accentuate the intrinsic ties with the fashion world Fiama Di Wills had from the outset.
To further cement the connection between beauty and fashion, Fima Di Wills associated with the high octane Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, a normal synergy with Wills Apparels- the lifestyle house brand of ITC.
Looking ahead
The focused on taking forward the gel story and offer a range of gel products across the multiple categories in the wash and care segment. The gel is the future and the Fiama Di Wills gel bar has simply delineated the path to the future.
It was a massive leap of faith that enabled a challenger brand to carve out a niche among well-entrenched toilet soap titians hoggin market shares. The project was fuelled by the desire to create a unique brand proposition through smart product innovation. I was a fresh bold approach with no cobwebs of the beaten path attached. And the end product not only stood out in a crowd, but it also provided a new dimension to the bath soap segment.
What I’ve observed during my research is that the number of discerning consumers, when it comes to skincare, is growing. It’s mostly the younger people – millennials and Gen Z. They’re at the age when the involvement with beauty, health, and lifestyle are at a high level.
For instance, there’s a trend that when the younger generation has a skincare problem, they go and see a dermatologist for cosmetics and skincare products.
Sebamed has been astute in pitching to these discerning customers, who are younger and, therefore, see Lux and Dove as brands for the older generation. And Sebamed is smart because it says, “Filmstars ki nahi, science ki suno.” Knowledge is a powerful currency today, especially with the younger people and those with access.
So, knowing something better about skincare could be exciting as a proposition, and draws them.
Also, another cultural trend Sebamed picks up on is authenticity. We’ve all heard from the consumers that they are tired of stars pretending to use something. It’s a very smart understanding of the culture and consumers. It’s a smart way to position itself by repositioning the leaders.
What I have noticed in the Sebamed’s latest print ad is that,
Sebamed offers free pH testing kit with its soap now. A front-page ad in major newspapers including Times of India offers users a free at-home pH testing kit on purchase of the soap from the website. They are intriguing the audience to test their soap’s pH level immediately and trust more on science, not on the influence of filmstars, and they have priced the soap at the price range of MRP Rs 99/- Only- (*Made in Germany).
Sebamed needs to think about disruption and bring in product innovation if they are taking on the market leader as it is always the way to go when you are a small player. They will face a legal challenge if they have not done their homework. If, however, it has a good legal case, it will be able to storm the citadel of HUL.
“If you want something new, you have to stop doing something old.” –Peter Drucker, management consultant and author.
How Barbeque Nation: Became the #1 buffet grill barbeque in India?
How Does Barbeque Nation Offer Unlimited Food And Still, Be Profitable?
How many outlets does Barbeque Nation run now?
What should be your strategy if you are planning to have a stomach-filling feast at Barbeque Nation…
Barbeque Nation Story: From Where It Started – The Making of a Family Biz
We have covered the most searched queries which people ask in Google about Barbeque Nation
Are you curious to know the answers to these questions?
Start reading this blog and find the answers. (We’ve tried our best to answer it all).
HowBarbeque Nation: Became the #1 buffet grill barbeque in India?
How many outlets does Barbeque Nation run now?
138 outlets: Barbeque Nation Hospitality owns and operates Barbeque Nation Restaurants, currently operating at 138 outlets across India and 7 outlets in the UAE, Oman, and Malaysia.
That’s how fast this chain has been growing. Bhasin attributes the pace of growth, above all, to the steady, trained focus on customer happiness. Then, of course, there’s the concept.
Barbeque Nation was the first restaurant to turn table-tops into live grills where customers can finish pre-marinated kebabs before helping themselves to an eat-all-you-can buffet.
How about getting ideas while serving grills to customers in a hotel in Indore?
Looks odd! But that is the story of one of your favorite food destination ‘Barbeque Nation’.
So, let’s know more about how did the inspiration arise from?
From Where It Started: The Making of a Family Biz
The inspiration came from two of the most unlikely cities: Indore and Baroda. Barbeque Nation was the brainchild of the late Sajid Dhanani, whose family owned and operated the chain Sayaji Hotels in Indore, Baroda, and Pune.
The Sayaji Hotel in Baroda set up India’s first buffet restaurant, Buffet Junction, in the 1960s.
Dhanani was surprised and pleased by the steady flow of customers over the decades and knew what attracted them was the value-for-money offering catering especially to families who made up most of the clientele.
He noticed that it made family outings for meals quite easy since it did away with the need to choose from a menu, and instead allowed people with different preferences to dine happily at one place.
Demand for something new on offer:
The group also operates the Kebabsville restaurant at the Sayaji Hotel in Indore and the Sayaji Hotel in Baroda. At this restaurant, the kebabs would get cold on their trip from the kitchen to the table, particularly in winter.
Sometimes the customers would complain, but they kept coming back for the kebabs, since they couldn’t be easily made at home.
Why not, then, have them cooked at the table?
Live Barbeque: An Instant Hit With Customers!
Sajid dreamed up a combination restaurant, one that would marry the value-for-money buffet model and the customer’s love for kebabs. Breaking away from conventional thinking, he came up with the idea of live grills at the table.
It would be unique and give customers an enjoyable experience. At the first outlet, Sajid wanted to replicate the exceptional customer service Buffet Junction was known for; the waiters spoke in Gujarati and weren’t the most sophisticated, but diners were treated warmly and made to feel like guests rather than customers.
They enjoyed top quality service in a place that didn’t overwhelm with its style or formality.
Comfort is the key!!!
Sajid believed that ‘happy customers’ – a concept that Barbeque Nation now puts a premium on – would have to be at the heart of his new restaurant, enhancing the live grill concept and the fixed price buffet.
Barbeque Nation is Born
When was first Barbeque Nation Opened?
Barbeque Nation started its first outlet in January 2006 on Mumbai.
Thus was born Barbeque Nation in 2006 in Mumbai’s upscale Pali Hill. Later, it shifted to Hill Road, Bandra. Other outlets opened, first in metro cities and in other big cities. The initial success paved the way for super-fast growth in the metros.
When they reached a certain saturation point – Bangalore has seven outlets as does Delhi – the expansions moved to Tier II and Tier III cities.
Barbeque Nation even has an outlet in Madurai, a town whose eating out landscape is dominated by parotta–salna eateries.
Barbeque Nation has found a demand for its offerings even in towns with the most conservative eating habits.
According to Sameer Bhasin, former Chief Executive Officer, this demand stems from people who have eaten at their outlets on several occasions in the big cities and now want to access it more easily, closer home.
People are craving for Barbeque Nation unlimited food and most of the consumers fell in love at the first sight for good customer service and they love the new concept.
High Tempation
Given its high visibility, Barbeque Nation spawns many imitations – at least one hundred of them exist, according to Bhasin. Even veteran restaurateurs could not resist the temptation.
The Specialty Group opened Sigree Global Grill and Barbeque Nation’s CEO, Prosenjit Roy Choudhury quit to start Absolute Barbeques. The rise of imitations is another factor that prompts the brand to look at new geographies.
‘After all, what they can do, we can do better,’ Bhasin says.
Barbeque Nation’s impetus to grow and scale comes from its belief that it has mastered the art of keeping customers happy to a very large extent.
Barbeque Nation adds a nominal 4 percent service charge to the bill that is distributed among the staff, forbids waiters or even the valets to accept tips, and fires employees caught taking tips. This is something for leading and luxurious hotels to take inspiration from.
Aren’t your impressed by this?
Each waiter is given only two-three tables to attend to and their key performance measures are clear: be prompt, make customers as comfortable as possible, treat them like you would important guests at home. Waiters are authorized to request the kitchen staff to make special dishes when customers ask for them. The waiter can ask the kitchen to send out a personalized cake for a table celebrating a birthday or to cater to a special request from a child.
Sajid Dhananiwanted to prove that Indian restaurants could alsodeliver international quality customer service and Barbeque Nation has certainly managed to do that.
Happy customers mean good word-of-mouth publicity.
Traditionally shy of big spending on marketing and advertising, it’s the positive publicity that has helped grow this business. Even at the store level, customer satisfaction is both the prime focus and the target. This approach sets Barbeque Nation apart from most other restaurant companies have fixed growth trajectories and number-of-outlets targets to meet.
I personally have never seen any barbeque nation TV Commercials neither. I didn’t even knew that Barbeque Nation are active on social media, which is good to know.
Bhasin believes that Barbeque Nation’s dynamic, rather than theoretical model, which involves day-to-day detailing and tweaking based on customer feedback, that distinguishes them from the competition. This is why collecting customer feedback goes way beyond giving out forms with boxes to tick. Instead, they have used the approach hotel chains and premium retail chains use to gather customer feedback.
There’s a full-fledged call centre that calls 20 per cent of the database of nearly ten lakh customers every day. They are asked open-ended questions and keywords are picked up.
Achieving good customer ratings is one of the main incentivized targets for the team, rather than sales figures or revenue. Achieving customer satisfaction is a challenging task though, especially given the peculiar nature of the Indian restaurant business.
Barbeque Nation sees itself functioning in a third-world market paying first-world costs. The Barbeque Nation customer, as does every other restaurant-goer, wants top quality but is reluctant to pay for it, with some markets such as Bengaluru and Chennai being particularly price-sensitive.
Barbeque Nation thought process before they open a new outlet:
What are the variables they consider?
Is it just the location?
Is it the average revenue?
The Locality, competition?
Barbeque Nation’s: The Rent to Revenue has to be 10% that’s how they select their site.
Real estate costs make pricing especially fraught; all Barbeque Nation outlets function in leased spaces, and their choice of location has frequently gone against conventional wisdom.
You will, for instance, find them on the first floors and in buildings without the best frontage. Also, malls, given their high rental costs are not entirely favoured, and Barbeque Nation is often not in malls where several top food brands are present.
Profitability Quotient of Barbeque Nation:
India’s Largest and Most Favourite Restaurant Chain – MPP
Since the inception, they have not yet shut a single restaurant for lack of business.
Weekend to Weekday Business is about 49%:51% Cover Sales of Lunch Business is about 45%
What is the seating capacity at Barbeque Nation:
Seating Capacity- 140 average At Metro Cities.
Seating Capacity- 110 average At Tier ⅔
What is the seating capacity at Barbeque Nation:
Seating Capacity- 140 average At Metro Cities.
Seating Capacity- 110 average At Tier ⅔
It becomes all the more crucial for the restaurants offering unlimited food as a lot is at stake here. Since the minimum spend of customers is also high, it gets even more difficult to gather footfall in such restaurants. This is why these restaurants spend a lot in marketing their brand. From offering cuisines from different countries on specific days to celebrating certain festivals at their restaurants. These restaurants have always improved their marketing game.
In Spite of the challenges, Barbeque Nation seems to have found the sweet spot, and the value-for-money perception is one of the strongest pulls to its restaurants across the country. The chain has perfected the art of flexible pricing, having differential rates for weekday lunches, weekday dinners, weekends, a lower price for vegetarians and for kids, with the waiters allowed the discretion to decide who qualifies.
To increase the ticket size beyond the fixed price, the chain threw an alcoholic drink into the package and then kept the pricing for additional drinks are very reasonable. You could get a pint of beer for Rs 100. Once customers were hooked, the complimentary drink was done away with. Customers didn’t complain and kept buying the attractively priced drinks and the bar in business.
Treat the customer as you would a guest in your home
Barbeque Nation also makes investments in staff training and welfare. The brand adopts a unique approach when initiating service staff. They are simply told ‘Treat the customer as you would a guest in your home’. This may sound like an Indian cliché, but it encourages staff to engage with customers in a genuinely warm way, often coaxing them to eat a little more of this or that; which, given Barbeque Nation’s fixed price model, doesn’t amount to up-selling either.
There is no training module or routine to follow and that prevents service from seeming staged or insincere. Staff members are also encouraged to speak in the language they are most comfortable with.
Staff welfare measures are aplenty and include the Swarambh initiative, created especially to support and enable new staff, most of whom move to the city from villages.
A buddy trainer, known at Barbeque Nation as Bada Bhai, is assigned to every recruit to show him the ropes and help him settle down – right from directing him to an ATM or bank, teaching him Western toilet use, and checking if he has called home.
VOE (Voice of Employee) is a program that allows all employees, irrespective of rank, to voice their opinions, and through Prayaas, employees can make specific suggestions for improving Customer Experience.
Every Store Pacing Towards Profitability:
Confident that it’s doing everything right at home, with a business clocking Rs 400 crore in revenues and a 10 percent profit margin in FY 2015-16, Barbeque Nation made its first foray abroad, to Dubai in November 2016.
The response has been encouraging, though every market has its challenges. Barbeque Nation will, in its steady way, go to other locations abroad.
After all, as Sameer Bhasin says, there are Indians everywhere and the world is our market. Barbeque Nation attracted private equity funding in 2011 and got CX Partners to invest Rs 100 crore for a small stake, to propel their growth further.
“As our stores grow old they turn more profitable, Newer stores are following in the footsteps of the older one.”
Barbeque Nation has taught the Indian restaurant industry a vital lesson: Value-For-Money does not have to mean low prices. The focus has been to ensure that customers visiting any Barbeque Nation will always feel that they’ve got their money’s worth in terms of experience, customer service, and unlimited food.
How much is per head in Barbeque Nation? Approx. Rs. 900/- per Head – Veg or Non-Veg
Are drinks available in Barbeque Nation? Yes, Drinks are not free at Barbeque Nation.
Note: You can get a Complimentary Beverage- You can get to enjoy the cheer-o-clock. Enjoy a round of complimentary drinks during lunch (Wed-Sun)
Is Barbeque Nation open after lockdown? Barbeque Nation stands as one of the major Barbeque restaurants across the country. This is not the first time I am going to Barbeque Nation but after almost 4 months of Lockdown in India, In Mumbai, the outlets are finally open from August onwards.
How long can we stay in Barbeque Nation? They assume that a complete meal takes up to a max of 2 hours but most guests wind up within 90 minutes.
Is there any discount or coupon code available at Barbeque Nation: Barbeque Nation has launched a new loyalty program called Smile Club: Eat Unlimited and Keep Earning. With this, users get 5% points (called smiles) on the amount spent with each booking. These points can be utilized on your next visit to get extra discounts. Each Smile is equal to 1 Rupee. Users can also choose to give smiles to other users.
What is the Smiles program all about BBQN? Smile is a first of its kind loyalty program at BBQN. It is complementary and allows you to earn smiles every time you dine with Barbeque Nation. You can redeem these smiles on your next visit to any of the BBQN outlets.
Why should you join the BBQN Smiles Loyalty Program? All Barbeque Nation customers are auto-enrolled into the Smiles program. You just need to download the Barbeque Nation app or login to www.Barbequenation.com using your mobile number to know further about your smiles!
How to earn Smiles? Reserve a table with the same number you used to create an account for Barbeque Nation. Enjoy a lovely meal, lunch or dinner with delicious grills, main course and desserts. Pay your bill as you like, either online through app or at the outlet and you will automatically be credited with smiles in your account. These smiles can be redeemed on your next visit. As simple as that!
How many smiles do I earn on every visit? You will earn 5% of the billing amount before taxes and they will be auto-credited to you. Smiles earned can be redeemed on your next visit. Each Smile is equivalent to a rupee! That means 500 Smiles = 500 rupees!
Where can you get Barbeque Nation coupons?
You can get Barbeque Nation coupons from online stores like TalkCharge. Visit the website or mobile app and go to the Barbeque Nation store page and browse through all the latest coupons and offers available.
The cost differentiation is nothing much, but a meager difference of a few 100 bucks or something and now because of the Barbeque Nation Loyalty program called Smile initiative, you can even avail discount through the website/app.
Mostly they open their outlets in IT Hub localities, Malls and most crowded places where there are more footfalls of college students, office goers and where bachelors live.
Why do people keep on visiting Barbeque Nation?
BBQN fixed price ‘all you can eat’ concept at Barbeque Nation Restaurants offers the customers a varying spread of consistently delicious food at a value-oriented price in a pleasant and casual dining environment.
Barbeque cuisine is distinctively attractive as compared with other dining options due to its DIY and cooked-at-the-table nature and the flexibility and fun of mixing and matching a wide variety of meats, vegetables, sauces, and condiments to create dishes according to each diner’s individual tastes and preferences.
BBQN dining is very popular amongst relatively larger groups, due to customers’ perception of value for money, ambience, and the comfort of certainty over the bill amount irrespective of varying individual appetites and consumption.
Barbeque Nation Restaurants typically offer customers at least five vegetarian and five non-vegetarian largely pre-cooked appetizers they can season and barbeque on a grill embedded in their table, and they have even got covered in the main course buffet and a selection of desserts.
How to book and reserve a table? You can pre-book and reserve your table through the Barbeque Nation Website or App. It is more feasible and you can easily go to the place and start filling your hunger pangs.
Barbeque in Box- Now that’s a new thing! Experience your favorite Barbeque meal in a box. As BBQN tailor the food to your taste.
Last but not least.
What should be your strategy if you are planning to have a stomach-filling feast at Barbeque Nation| BBQN
If you want to make the most out of the hefty sum you pay as a bill: Arrive early. I mean by the time they start.
As delicious and buttery food is a feast for our eyes! All the dishes look great immediately after they are prepared. If you arrive for lunch at 2:30 pm or dinner at 9 pm, it would have already been a couple of hours. The food might be simmering in the vessels (not the live counter & starters).
Do not ever go for a welcome drink. It’s a strategy by restaurants that offer these buffets. When you drink a sugary, masala welcome drink on an empty stomach, it slows down your hunger.
If you are going there, go on an empty stomach. Try not to have breakfast if for lunch or have an extremely light one.
Usually, fish or prawns are the costliest food items there. If you observe, the serving guys won’t bring seafood items as easily as they bring chicken. Chicken is cheaper and fills your stomach early. So, wait patiently for prawns or seafood options.
If you are not a seafood fan, then mutton is the best option.
If you are going for a non-veg buffet, try and avoid veg starters.
And for starters, they bring a smaller spoon. This way, they make you feel embarrassed to ask them to serve again/some more.
Avoid chat counters. You get better chaat taste outside. This is a trap to fill your stomach with cheap items and try to squeeze as much margin out of each customer as possible.
Look for exquisite menus like live non-veg counters. They serve some good dishes.
Check out some good main course items and grab them. You will have enough capacity to try the main course if you follow the points above.
Out of desserts, try Kulfi as much as you can. Try to avoid easily available items outside like Jalebi, Gulab Jamun which are full of sugar. Go for Rabdi, Firni, Brownie, Mousse, Pie, etc. Sweet Tooth audience please ensure to keep a place in your stomach at the end.
Tell them prior about spiciness level. They initially do not ask for your preference in terms of spiciness and serve relatively spicy starters. If you love spicy food then go for it!
If they ask if there is any special occasion they will serve you a complimentary cake. Mostly they don’t even ask for any proof for it, but it’s a trap don’t fall for it. (*Better ask them to parcel and take it home and eat) The cake will fill your stomach and you will not be able to even start your main course.
The reason for so many check-points is, restaurants like Barbeque Nation try to make as much profit as possible from every customer. The items like Welcome Drink, Chaat, Jalebi, Gulabjamun are not worth 900 rupees.
However, they are strategically placed to lure the customer and distract them from the main items.
Barbeque Nation also launched UBQ through its existing kitchen infrastructure, in November 2018 to provide a la carte Indian cuisine in the value segment, which is also being availed by delivery across 71 cities in India.
Let’s wait and see what 2021 has got for BBQN:
The chain is 14-years old and has been fairly popular throughout its existence. However, the overall gloom in the restaurant industry may cap the potential value that could be unlocked through this IPO. “The restaurant & hospitality sector, despite being amongst the worst hit due to COVID 19 has tremendous potential in a growing economy like India.
With the rise of nuclear families, changing habits, increasing urban population with higher disposable income coupled with strong growth of food-related e-commerce platforms, a strong branded player like Barbeque Nation stands to gain in the future.
Barbeque Nation looking to raise ₹1,000-1,200 crore from IPO, file.
If you love reading such more inspiring and insightful stories of Great Indian Restaurants keep visiting our space Mumbaipuneportal for more lip-smacking content.
Meet the Mumbai Based Two young guns who are digitally awakening the brands | Django Digital
Several digital agencies have sprung up in India over the past few years. With internet businesses mushrooming simultaneously, digital agencies and social media consultancies are having a field day.
The year 2020 has experienced an immense boost in the digitization of businesses. The digital revolution continues to be at its prime and is growing everyday.
In these challenging times, we can find many businesses, whether big or small, adapting to digital marketing and it’s operations.
Indians are currently basking in the success of the ‘Digital India‘ initiative promoted by the government to leverage the internet across different parts of the country.
At the advent, the initiative has accelerated the homogenization of various businesses, industries, and communities to foster a digital ecosystem. Access to helpful digital tools and services in abundance has backed the rise of digital entrepreneurship.
Two such young guns in the block have catalogued exponential growth in the last one year are Aashay Shah, Founder of Django Digital, and the Co-Founder – Shivang Shah based out of Mumbai.
“We are celebrating our one year mark of our partnership with Schbang, as they have officially announced the launch of The Schbang Network.”
Who are we?
Founded on 1st August 2019, today, we are a team of 20+ young and adept professionals. We are here to digitally awaken the brands and strive to deliver promising work with a super cool work environment. Average age of employees is 25.
It’s just a deadly combo of young & experienced professionals.
We are a design-first company. We work with owner-led brands like Open Secret, Society Tea, toothsi, skinnsi, Sunburn, India Grooming Club, White Owl, and many more. What’s one thing in common here? The owners love their brand! They are extremely involved in the decision making and with the various other aspects of marketing. These partnerships help with a lot of knowledge sharing and learning for our brands from the brand owners directly. We have also worked on a project basis with Aditya Birla Health Insurance, BookMyShow, etc. These varied and extensive experiences and learnings have given us unparalleled insight into all major target audiences which in turn help us to empathize with anyone for any given brands.
We’ve got wings – Django Digital Influencer Network
The last few years have seen the rise of influencer marketing. The concept, which re-invents the idea of celebrity endorsement, taps online-social media influencers for modern, content-driven marketing campaigns. Companies across the world have woken up to the power of influencer marketing. So, we have built another wing called Django Influencers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEXIiHKjsFV/
We manage the entire gamut of influencers from the top of the pyramid, right from the celebrities like Virat Kholi, Vidya Balan to grassroot level individuals.
“Influencers are not just about the big follower’s base. It’s all about the influence they have and how their audience/fans get influenced by their message.“
We help brands identify the perfect creators for their product/service and provide authentic and cost-effective services for modern advertising strategies.
“IT NOT ABOUT THE FOLLOWING ANY INDIVIDUAL CAN IMPACT A HANDFUL OF AN AUDIENCE POSITIVELY IF THE THE RELEVANCE TO BRAND/CATEGORY IS HIGH”
Django in Romany means ”I awake.” Romany is the language of the Gypsies. And the fun fact is that Django is derived from Hindi. So the way we thought about it was simple. The D stands for Digital and We digitally awaken our brands through social, e-commerce, and influencer networks.
Adding our own twist to the phrase, we’re here to digitally awaken our brands.
We love what we do:
The majority of us at Django Digital have been in the industry for several years, and are still here as we’re passionate about what the creative and digital world has to offer.
With a history of long-standing relations with prestigious brands from industries nationwide, We strive to create a place that delivers the quality and output that all brands deserve; a place that delivers performance while building a fun environment.
How we are evolving as a team during this COVID-19 pandemic:
We keep on evolving and adapting to the environment through regular activities that fit in with this new normal norm and with our open work culture.
To keep our clients abreast of new developments, we educate them to master their brands and scale their business digitally by creating an impact through social, e-commerce and influencer networks.
What is the need of the hour for brands?
Everything is shifting to digital. Events and music concerts are going digital. They are trying to adapt to live shows and virtual concerts, focusing on the digital landscape by the day.
Education is the most critical to brands, to consumers, to digital marketers. Educating the brand, making them trust, making them believe that you can do it, is the way to move forward during this time.
“Driving education and clarity for brands. So that the retentionship for new customers and brands on digital is higher is what the focus has been” – Shivang Shah
Many new brands and legacy brands which used to follow traditional methods of marketing are coming on to digital. The only driving factor that keeps them holding is having their trust in digital marketing. When you educate them and when they learn more. And when things get clarified for them in a much easy to understand format.
Our Clients:
Let’s take a moment to thank our dear clients:
It’s our pleasure to have partnered with prestigious and legacy brands across different industries, including Society Tea, White Owl, Society Tea, Aditya Birla Capital to name a few.
Our-Clients Django Digital
Right now we have also expanded into international markets. We have got clients from the USA, Belgium and also a South African brand that is launching in India soon.
Lastly, are you hiring?
We’re always on the lookout for enthusiastic, young individuals to join our team. One thing to note is our scanning for talent for the core team currently is happening at the highest level. The easiest way to please them is if you go in with the ‘I will make it happen’ attitude. Reach out to team@djangodigital.com if you think you have got it in you.
We at MumbaiPunePortal.com will be keenly following the progress of Django Digital and we wish them the best.
