Hear the crunch
Though Kurkure created a new space in the market, the larger challenge for the company was to get the customers hooked to its unusually shape and crunchy texture. "In fact the brand name Kurkure was the outcome of a group discussion in which consumers sampled the brand and repeatedly said that it was nice and 'kurkura' (crunchy)," says Dr T.S.R Murali, Head of R&D, PepsiCo India. The first objective was to start consumer trials. "We stuck to the consumer feedbacks and used the advertising line Kya Karen Control Nahi Hota," says Warrier.
However, advertising was not the only strategy that the company relied on. While consumer trials were on, the sales team also launched an orange parade. "I remember being in Chandigarh, which was one of our first launch markets," says an industry veteran. All the three-wheelers carrying the product were painted orange. Almost the entire sales team had assembled in Chandigarh to ensure 100 per cent coverage of outlets in 10 days. Its success led to it being repeated in other regions too. "It was perhaps one of our fastest market placements ever. We knew in the first 30 days itself that there was no looking back," says a former PepsiCo India employee.