Mars Wrigley’s Varun Kandhari decodes consumer trends, rural market demands, and more

In 2022, the chocolate market in India was worth around $2.4 billion, according to the IMARC Group (International Market Analysis Research and Consulting Services Private Limited, a market research company). It is likely to touch $4.1 billion by 2028.

Galaxy, which is one of the core brands of Mars Wrigley, a confectionery company, followed by Snickers and Boomer, was launched in India via import route in 2013. Galaxy chocolate was first launched in the United Kingdom in 1960. The brand began to manufacture in India only in 2021.

In 2023, Mars Wrigley’s portfolio got wider and Galaxy Fusions, a dark chocolate, was introduced. Recently, the company unveiled a campaign on Galaxy and announced Bollywood actor Kiara Advani as the brand ambassador.

Varun Kandhari, director marketing and customer marketing, Mars Wrigley in a conversation with Storyboard18 says, “In many markets, it (Galaxy) stands Number 1 or Number 2. Since Galaxy chocolate’s launch in India, it has been growing at a very high-double digit. Hence, we needed a brand ambassador who could have the same persona that Galaxy has. Kiara, in that sense, brings her charm and elegance and helps us connect with a wider set of audience for Galaxy.”

Edited excerpts:

What are the marketing strategies that have been implemented in India to position the brands in Mars Wrigley's vast portfolio?

We have three core brands - Snickers, Galaxy and Boomer. We are very clear that these are the three brands through which we will reach out to a mass audience, whether it is through a media-driving mass reach, by expanding our physical reach through distribution, or through a product portfolio which is relevant across all key price points as well as for key channels where these products are available. That is the broadest strategy we have.

In line with this strategy, we launched Galaxy chocolate in India in 2021. Now, we have launched a new campaign. This new campaign is going to take the brand further to a wider audience.

What is your take on personalised marketing? What's the effectiveness of it?

With the evolution of a multitude of mediums, it has become very important for brands to connect with the right cohorts. I look at personalised campaigns from two aspects.

First, are we present in the right media, whether it is television, Instagram, Facebook or print, and where is our target audience? Secondly, do we customise our content for those audiences? These are the two stages for any brand that is looking at personalised or addressable content. This is one measure which we also follow very closely.

A better measure of personalisation is having an addressable content which is specific to the medium. Gone are the days when there would be one content and some versions of those content would be replicated on different mediums. Now, I think the true personalisation or addressable media would mean that you have content which is specific to the medium you are choosing.

Who is the main target audience for Mars Wrigley?

As far as the consumption category is concerned, we look at a wider audience which consumes our category. Specifically, we focus a lot more on GenZ and millennials from the standpoint of content. That is the strategy we have across brands -- whether it is for Snickers, for Galaxy's new campaign or for Boomer.

Depending upon the physical reach of each of these brands, our parameters change. For example, Boomer is available in 1.5 million outlets. Similarly, Snickers and Galaxy are available in wider outlets. Our target audience takes that also into account.

Could you tell us about the campaign in detail?

The new campaign has been conceived and developed by DDB Tribal. In the film, Kiara is in a playful sort of hide and seek with the moonlight. As the moon catches a glance of Galaxy chocolate, it throws a spotlight on her. The idea behind the campaign is how a mundane or a simple moment is uplifted with the smooth experience of Galaxy chocolate.

Could you speak in detail about the advertising strategies for Mars Wrigley and its core brands in India?

In terms of the digital and television medium, Mars Wrigley is increasing its investment, year on year, coming up to 25-30 percent by majorly focusing on digital campaigns to maximise the reach and drive awareness. The brand also introduced two new TV commercials, with the characters of Alexander and Einstein showcasing dramatic reactions of GenZs and millennials when hunger strikes.

Our brand evaluates how different media platforms are being consumed by our audiences and makes changes accordingly. That is why some of our campaigns are only focused on influencers and social media, while others use the 360-degree gamut of choices that are available.

First, our focus is on core brands and you will see that a lot of activities are guided towards our core brands. Secondly, we are looking at our marketing and portfolio strategies to ensure that, yes, we do have a portfolio which is relevant for India. For example, in the case of Snickers, we had launched a heat robust chocolate for India at a price point of Rs 10. We also launched flavours such as almond and kesar pista.

In Galaxy too, we have taken the same approach by latching onto the premium experience trend which we see in the market. Within Galaxy, we widened the portfolio with the launch of dark chocolate. Our portfolio strategy has to be in sync with what our consumers are looking for.

What are the marketing strategies that Mars Wrigley has implemented in India to position its key brands?

In marketing, we are guided by a responsible marketing core, which ensures that we are not advertising to children who are younger than a particular age.

We are not using celebrities and licensed characters that appeal specifically to children, and we are displaying the right nutritional information in line with the law. We follow all those practices which are in line with how we do business in India.

How profitable have rural areas proven to be for Mars Wrigley?

We have a portfolio across price points. For example, Boomer gum is available at a price point of Re 1. Snickers is available for Rs 10. What is important for us is that we give the right quality, right value to all our consumers, whether they are in urban or rural areas.

We drive our expansion to a larger set of audiences since we have the right portfolio and the right price point. Our products are available in more than 1,000 towns. On the profitability aspect, we don’t look at it as rural versus urban. The idea is to have the right portfolio and to service consumers in a way that is driving value for them as well as for us.

What are the changes you are witnessing in the FMCG industry?

One of the key themes is that people are looking for better products and better product experiences. This was also our intention while launching Galaxy in India. In the last few years, we have seen a larger presence of digital commerce and that has become a key channel for all FMCG players including us, to focus on.

Along with that, in-home consumption for many categories, like Impulse, has been increasing and larger packs become very important apart from having entry price points like Rs 10. For Galaxy as well as Snickers, we have packs which provide the right consumer experience and the right packaging solutions for consumers to take our brands to their homes.