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From “ 2pm Time Honey” to “So Smooth, So Delicious”
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Resham Chhetri |
By Resham Chhetri
When 2PM instant noodles were launched in 100 gram packs on the 18 th of December 2002 with the multimedia campaign “Hunger…No Longer!” the initial focus was on capturing the Kathmandu market. Initially it was targeted at working professionals, and was positioned as a premium brand as well as a healthy and fulfilling meal in two flavours with all the necessary nutritional values. The name 2PM itself was thought of as a representation of “lunch time” for working people. The first advertising campaign was designed to introduce the 2PM pack bringing out the distinct pack design and attributes. The company organised a contest campaign to make the consumers aware of the difference in the price and the net weight of the 2PM pack compared to other brands in the market.
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The package colouring of 2PM, the hygienic product connotation and the refreshingly youthful image of the brand, helped create a niche for it in an already saturated market. The thematic advertising campaign, which followed the pack introduction, was designed to consolidate on the brand image. The premium quality of the product was also highlighted with the “Online Purchase” campaign through print media advertisements. However, despite the product’s well-accepted position as a premium product, the pack size and price of 2PM had to be reduced making it a product for the masses. It was in order to help the company to obtain the volume it desired. Hence, it was made available in three pack sizes: 75gms pack, the family pack and the cup pack, the last one available in the major department and provisional stores in the major cities of the country.
Its taste and qualitative edge earned it the reputation of a quality product within a short time span. It slowly started registering an increment in its sales volume with the assistance of a focused communication. Considering the hype the product gained in the premium market segment, it became absolutely imperative for the company to start thinking of innovative ways to retain its product’s position.
The Marketing and Sales Strategy
To increase the sales volume of the product, the company introduced the first scheme “The Valentine Offer” which was a runaway success. The consumers scrambled to get the love song CDs, which were freely distributed with the purchase of special Valentine packs of 10 packets. Due to the huge success of this campaign, this was further extended to the “Free Cassette Offer” scheme where a free love song cassette was offered in exchange of 10 2PM wrappers.
Furthering the efforts to increase the sales volumes, the company came up with its first consumer scheme for 2PM, the “WIN” campaign, which was again designed to meet the needs of the product’s target audience. Under this, the company gave away mobile phones and other gadgets as prizes to the winners. Though the scheme was a hit among the target audience, this segment was not large enough.
Thus came the “2PM Jackpot” scheme in April 2004. The scheme was designed with all the ingredients that was required by the market but with one major difference – the use of the Super Star Rajesh Hamal as the brand ambassador. After analysing the previous schemes and the ongoing trend of consumer schemes (which were largely based on cash incentives – undoubtedly the most influencing factor in changing the purchase behaviour of consumers in this product segment), it was realised that even though providing cash incentives is crucial in influencing purchase, the scheme for 2PM had to offer something completely new in addition to the cash prizes as it was a completely different type of product in this category.
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The “Jackpot” idea itself was derived from the slot machine games in which one inserts coins and immediately gets to know whether he has won or not. The “2PM Jackpot” scheme gained popularity because of its simplicity and the advantage it gives the consumers to immediately get something on a single coupon, instead of having to combine a number of coupons as in the case of other brands.
Changing the Trend
For a brand with USP of being totally different from others, it had to break away from the monotony of the regular consumer schemes. So, the company launched “2PM Jackpot” scratch and win scheme. Though this scheme retained Rajesh Hamal as the brand ambassador, the difference in the scheme was that Hamal himself went to the winners’ homes and presented them with the prizes. The scheme thus did not only offer attractive cash prizes but it actually gave consumers the opportunity to meet their superstar in their own homes, amidst thousands of people from the neighbourhood.
The current scheme’s popularity amongst the masses in conjunction with the brand’s image as a quality product and its unique presentation have added a new perspective to noodle marketing and at the same time initiated a newfound enthusiasm amongst the consumers. As a result, 2PM has become a household name in a short period of time by overtaking established brands in the market in terms of the sales volume.
(Chhetri is Brand Manager, 2PM Noodles)
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