Kurkure is a brand of corn puffs produced by Pepsico India and launched in 1999. Named after the Hindi word for 'crunchy', it was the first snack developed entirely in India. It has become a INR 1000 crore brand that is exported to Nepal and Bangladesh and will soon be manufactured and sold in more countries. Kurkure offers a variety of products, including its core collet range of flavors and solid masti twisteez. It has a wide distribution network in India through Frito Lay and leverages Juhi Chawla and Parineeti Chopra in its brand communications to portray itself as a fun, family-oriented snack.

1. Strategic Brand Management
assignment
Surabhi Goswami
20130120073

2. Kurkure
BRAND AUDIT

3. the history

4. •Kurkure is a brand of corn puffs produced by Pepsico India, the Indian division of PepsiCo
•Named after the Hindi word for ‘crunchy’, it was the first snack to be developed entirely in India & was launched in 1999
•An INR 1000 crore+ brand, the brand has created a demand which transcends borders
•Currently being exported to Nepal & Bangladesh, it will soon be manufactured and sold in Canada, UAE and the Gulf countries
•Its growing popularity has also spurred demand for the product in Indian communities abroad, leading to manufacturing & sales operations in many countries like Pakistan

5. the product attributes

6. “An indigenously developed innovation product with a twist on traditional namkeens”
•It portrays itself as the ‘crunchy tea-time snack’- with a distinct shape & flavour range
•It’s a 100% vegetarian product made with trusted kitchen ingredients
•All the raw materials used in Kurkure comply with The Food Safety & Standards Act & Regulations 2006 and rules that govern the manufacture, distribution and sale of Kurkure
•Made in automated plants at three locations – Channo (Punjab), Kolkata and Pune

7. the product portfolio

8. Today, Kurkure is a megabrand with a portfolio that straddles three distinct snack formats
The Core Collet Range – 5 flavours
23 g – Rs. 5
52 g – Rs. 10
102 g – Rs. 20

9. Solid Masti Twisteez – 3 flavours 22 g – Rs. 5 50 g – Rs. 10

10. Puffed Snack Range – 5 variants
38 g pack - Rs. 10

11. Other products in the market

12. the distribution

13. General Trade
General trade consists of the thousands of independent retail and wholesale outlets across the country
CFA – Distributor – Wholesaler – Retailer
Modern Trade
Modern trade, or retail chains, is characterized by standardized store formats, air-conditioned ambience, and a variety of goods and typically lower pricing. Retail chains such as Big Bazaar and Reliance Fresh fall under this category
CFA – Retailer
Frito Lay has a very good distribution network across India for Lay’s, and the same is leveraged by Kurkure
Rs. 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 – price of various SKUs nationwide

14. the brand equity

15. •Kurkure has constantly re-invented itself to sustain its relevance to Indian culture and the Indian ethos
•Not only does Kurkure provide an inimitable taste and superior quality, but it has also journeyed effortlessly from being a snack with a twist to becoming an integral part of India’s teatime menu and an embodiment of endearing human ‘imperfections’ or ‘tedhapan’
•Its ‘hatke’ shape & its positioning in between western chips & desi namkeens form its USP
•Easy availability owing to Frito Lay’s all-India distribution has added to its popularity

16. the brand pyramid

17. SALIENCE
Easily accessible, Indian snack brand, PepsiCo association
IMAGERY
Juhi Chawla, Parineeti Chopra, quirky & crooked
PERFORMANCE
Affordable, tasty, crunchy, filling, good quality
FEELINGS
Exciting, fun, family, sharing
JUDGEMENT
Popular snack, mass appeal
RESONANCE Fun-loving, family- oriented, crazy, imperfect

18. the brand communication

19. •From the ‘TEDHI MUMMY’ to the ‘STAR-STUDDED FAMILY’
•First, the bubbly actress Juhi Chawla added to the eccentricity attached with the brand
•Now, the humour is brought alive by a mad family of Kunal Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Farida Jalal, Boman Irani, Ramya Krishnan and child actor Shivansh
•The positioning has stayed the same, but the communication strategy has been changed to address the brand’s expanding product portfolio and widening target audience
•360 degrees marketing around launches: TV, print, radio, digital, on- ground

20. some recommendations

21. •As Kurkure has diversified into so many different sub- brands and flavours, some of those just get lost in the clutter
•Instead of wasting the good innovation they did, they should properly promote those sub-brands
•Institutional sales can also be leveraged better
•Kurkure could probably tie-up with cineplexes & offer a replacement to popcorn as its puffed snack line goes really well with soft-drinks