August 16-31, 2019 Volume 8, Issue 4 `100 14 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TIKTOK The Chinese app already has 120 million monthly active users in India. RAHUL JAUHARI JOINT PRESIDENT REDIFFUSION 8 20 PLUS MOST-VIEWED ADS Best Creatives 21 MOVEMENTS/APPOINTMENTS Who’s Where 22 FUNFOODS LAY’S Repositioning Mayonnaise Snack on ‘Papad’ Chips A new ad campaign makes a case for You can choose from two flavours: ‘Salt ‘mayo’ in the urban Indian kitchen. with Pepper’ or ‘Sundried Chilli’. EDITORIAL This fortnight... Volume 8, Issue 4 ver the past year, I’ve been guiding the teenage daughter of my house help, EDITOR Sreekant Khandekar O academically. She comes over to study every evening, and, much to her PUBLISHER August 16-31, 2019 Volume 8, Issue 4 `100 irritation, I hover around her intermittently, to ensure she isn’t cyber-slacking Sreekant Khandekar 14 too much. When I see her looking at her phone, instead of her anatomy textbook EXECUTIVE EDITOR ALL YOU NEED – she’s studying medicine – I reprimand her gently. Now, here’s the thing... Ashwini Gangal TO KNOW previously, every now and then I’d see her checking messages on WhatsApp or PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE Andrias Kisku ABOUT TIKTOK photos on Facebook. Of late, though, I see her on neither of these apps. Instead, The Chinese app already ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES has 120 million monthly she sneaks off to a new platform... easily the hottest new online video platform Shubham Garg active users in India. today. She’s not alone; it’s an app the rest of India is collectively obsessed with. 81301 66777 (M) RAHUL JAUHARI JOINT PRESIDENT REDIFFUSION TikTok. Apoorv Kulshrestha 9873824700 (M) The popularity of TikTok is very telling. Beyond doubt, short form video, Noida designed for the mobile screen, is the next big thing. Also, it blurs the lines between Nikhil Jhunjhunwala 8 20 PLUS MOST-VIEWED ADS the consumers and the creators of this content. 9833371393 (M) Best Creatives 21 Mumbai MOVEMENTS/APPOINTMENTS Who’s Where 22 Recently, Sameer Singh, CEO of GroupM, South Asia, the largest media FUNFOODS LAY’S Vijayalaxmi Yadav Repositioning Mayonnaise Snack on ‘Papad’ Chips A new ad campaign makes a case for You can choose from two flavours: ‘Salt buying agency there is, moved to TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance as head of ‘mayo’ in the urban Indian kitchen. with Pepper’ or ‘Sundried Chilli’. 9930547767 (M) monetisation for India and Indonesia. This unconventional high profile move sums Mumbai up the potential of this platform and the kind of content it represents. [email protected] For this cover story, though, we spoke to Sachin Sharma, director, sales and MARKETING OFFICE B 3, Ground Floor, Sector 4, partnerships at ByteDance India. He insists that contrary to common perception, Noida-201301 Uttar Pradesh. TikTok is not a ‘small town’ app or ‘gareebon ka YouTube’ as someone crudely put MUMBAI it. TikTok is patronised by people from all kinds of backgrounds, and, interestingly, 302, Makani Center, 3rd Floor, ages. Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai-400050. How the platform leverages its burgeoning popularity and how brands make the most of it remains to be seen. For now, TikTok is everywhere. Importantly, it’s a SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES verb (“Why do people TikTok?”). Just as I was about to hit ‘Send’ on this note, [email protected] I discovered a new email nestled on top my unread messages: ‘Uttarakhand Police Owned by Banyan Netfaqs Pvt Ltd and joins TikTok’. Printed and Published by Sreekant Khandekar, Nuff said. at 7-A/13, Ch. Ratan Singh Complex, Jawala Heri Market, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi-110063. Printed at Artz and Printz 208 DSIDC Sheds, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase 1, New Delhi-110020. Ashwini Gangal [email protected] CONTENTS 10 12 BHARATPE Wooing Retailers While existing fintech brands are busy targeting shoppers, BharatPe is eyeing retailers. AVINASH KAUL 19 POINTS OF VIEW Custodian of Meme News Bouquet Marketing Avinash Kaul, recently Four industry elevated as CEO, Network18, experts weigh and MD, A+E Networks in on whether | TV18, spoke with afaqs! it has reached a Reporter on a wide variety stage of overkill. of topics. Edited excerpts. afaqs! Reporter, August 16-31, 2 0 1 9 5 ADVERTISING FUNFOODS Repositioning Mayonnaise EXPERTS SPEAK FunFoods’ latest ad Kiran Khalap, co-founder and managing director of Chlorophyll campaign makes a case brand & communications for ‘mayo’ in the urban consultancy, says, “... FunFoods is clearly about ‘outside food’ versus Indian kitchen. ‘homemade food’. It is staying clear By Aishwarya Ramesh of ‘home-cooked’ and focusing on the product’s diverse applications.” Aditya Kilpady, national planning director at Dentsu Impact, pointed out that mayonnaise penetration in urban India is still low and hasn’t yet reached the same acceptance as sauce or ketchup, which have almost become a must-have with every meal. “People are still not sure of the role and usage of mayo.” Some queries that a user might have about the product, according to Kilpady, could include questions like: Is it only to be applied on bread? unFoods by Dr. Oetker, a lives. The insight for the campaign a bowl of rajma rice and aloo sabzi Is it a dip? Is it used only during company that specialises in has come from extensive consumer are transformed into bean burrito snacking or between meals? Or can F‘western sauces and spreads’, research, which helped us shortlist and aloo panini respectively,” he said. it be added to home cooked food? launched an ad ‘Iska Taste Mile, a new copy platform. We tested “We believe that food delivery According to him, the new ad is Toh Sab Milein’. In a press release, various routes for the new platform apps are helping popularise western trying to communicate many things: Oliver Mirza, managing director (Qualitative Consumer Research) food. In the TVC, we are showing 1. That mayo is convenient. and CEO, Dr. Oetker India, said, and arrived at the idea.” a mom and kids returning from a 2. That using mayo is a better “Mayonnaise is one of the fastest- Ganguly told us that the vacation and as one would expect in option than “bahar ka khana”. growing categories in India owing company attempted to combine that moment, the mom’s preference 3. That mayo can bring a twist to to its versatility. It has been our the role of mayonnaise with the for having home prepared food ordinary food. endeavour to drive penetration and consumer insight that in most urban is natural. This is the reason, we 4. That a dad rustling up dishes grow mayonnaise into a thousand households, there is home-cooked showed the father quickly transform in the kitchen is ‘cool’ (as against the crore category.” food available – and mayonnaise can food which is available at home into previous use of actress Sonali Bendre The new campaign sees the transform it into something exciting. exciting dishes, using mayonnaise,” as the chief protagonist). introduction of Dia Mirza as brand “This is reflected in the TVC, where Ganguly added. “Mayo, even today, is more ambassador and also features Anand of a conduit to make food more Tiwari, the actor who was seen in interesting and unique. It isn’t Tata Tea’s initial Jaago Re campaign. ‘complete food’. Since it is not FunFoods’ campaign is led by TV FunFoods’ campaign is led by TV and digital, competition to outside food, I don’t and digital, supported by path to supported by path to purchase media in select think it’s taking a dig at food delivery purchase media in select markets - apps. Today, F&B brands have to OOH and in-store activations. TV markets - OOH and in-store activations. TV is accept the reality of food delivery is around 80 per cent of the media, apps and ride on it. Mother’s Recipe while 20 per cent is for rest of the around 80 per cent of the media, while 20 per did that very well. Instead of taking activations. cent is for rest of the activations. a dig, it rode on the current trend Sridharan Iyer, EVP, Publicis of ordering from out and smartly Capital, said, “The insight for the integrated the role of the product,” new campaign comes from the fact Kilpady stated. that homemakers today are under He went on to point out that constant pressure to cook something there is more to the FunFoods which is not just interesting, but also portfolio than just mayo. appeals to varying taste preferences “They also have peanut butter, of family members.” sandwich spreads, sauces and Devarshy R Ganguly, salad dressings. As a consumer, I vice president, marketing, would also be keen to know more Dr. Oetker India, told afaqs! about the role and usage of other Reporter over email, “In our products in their portfolio, besides journey to drive penetration and mayo. If the task is to open up the grow the mayonnaise category, usage of mayo, I feel the previous we are moving from functional promise of ‘Creativity to ordinary communication to emotional food’ could have been extended in an storytelling by showcasing our interesting manner.” n product’s role in consumers’ [email protected] 8 afaqs! Reporter, August 16-31, 2 0 1 9 INTERVIEW AVINASH KAUL Custodian of News Bouquet n May this year, Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance the TV space? out of India. It is not a question of the availability Industries-owned media network announced the Our show ‘OMG! Yeh Mera India’ travels of talent, the question actually is how much Ielevation of Avinash Kaul as CEO, Network18, all across the digital medium and has actually money we are willing to spend.