Cornitos

Client
Cornitos

Services
TVCs
Packaging Design
Print
Social Media
Website Development

The Case of the Indian International

From brand name to product category, Cornitos Nachos sounds international. The reality is that it is very much Indian in origin. This worked to the brand’s advantage, and yet it needed to endear itself to an even wider Indian audience without losing its international persona.

This wasn’t exactly the brief that was presented to Water Communications when they took over the communication and advertising needs of Cornitos. However, this remained the undercurrent in everything we did for the brand. Still, the real case study here was how we helped Cornitos negotiate the crippling lockdown period that could have meant curtains for a brand that relied heavily on traditional physical sales channels. Within that intriguing tale lies several sub-plots. Let’s dive straight in…

We revolved the overarching strategy around three key pillars:

1. Continued positioning as an international brand

2. Mass appeal via pop culture and Bollywood

3. Justifying premium pricing through quality and health benefits.

Here’s how we broke it all down…

Rather than downplay the international flavour, we further enhanced it through premium packaging and marketing communications that resonated with a global (or global-leaning) audience. In doing so, we raised Cornitos to the level of the popular international brand, Doritos. The Indian international was competing with a global giant!

However, the Indian consumer being what they are, there was simply no alienating them from their local roots. Even the well-travelled global Indian is passionate about his Indianness – and so, we widened our customer base by associating the brand with mainstream entertainment, notably Bollywood. The rub-off was that Cornitos got established as a fun, trendy, premium and socially-engaging snack brand.

The perceptibly premium pricing threatened to limit the degree to which the brand could expand its customer base. There exists after all, a broader price-conscious domestic audience. To balance out the perception of a somewhat expensive brand, we positioned it as a quality, quantity and healthier snacking option – a wholesome, guilt-free indulgence for the health-conscious consumer.

All of this helped differentiate Cornitos in the competitive snack market – broadening its appeal to both urban youth and families looking for premium, healthy and international-style snacks.

Then, of course, came the big marketing challenge – one which the world had never experienced before in living memory. The extended lockdown came like death knell especially for business like Cornitos that depended almost entirely on traditional physical sales channels.

In one fell swoop, business threatened to dry up completely. Something drastic had to be done – the brand was literally confronted with an existential crisis, a fight for its very survival. Water Communications once again rose to the challenge. Read about it in the upcoming segments of this case study.

Overall – be it in regular time or lockdown – our communications stance and strategy remained consistent through every media… Film, Social, Digital, Print… even Packaging. Cornitos is a case where we helped it not only survive, but converted a challenge into a big opportunity that helped the brand grow even further.

A Chip of the Old Block…

In India, you simply can’t go wrong with Bollywood! We developed a film that cleverly used iconic Bollywood dialogues and related them with nachos. Picking out filmi dialogues from blockbusters of yore – among others, Deewar (Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor) and Mr. India (Amrish Puri) – we spoofed them to add contextual humour to the product and brand, thus endearing them to the audience. Another was the parodying of the popular catchy song, Apna Time Aayega.

The rub-off of all these humorous Bollywood spoofs was that we engaged and entertained the audience, especially in grim and trying times like lockdown.

The Bollywood connection gave Cornitos the perception of being a fun, with-it and trendy brand.

Our ‘Cornitos khao, boriyat bhagao’ film went to the heart of the prevailing sentiment during lockdown – helpless isolation and boredom; but, treated in a humorous manner, it instantly connected especially with the younger audience, and brought a smile to many a face.

We also leveraged the film medium to convey how the brand was scrupulously serious about matters of hygiene and safety – aspects that had become extremely high-priority to the consumer in the time of lockdown.

It’s Got the Look!

Water Communications pulled another rabbit out of the hat for Cornitos, in the form of Packaging Design. Being the product that it is, we knew the packaging had to meet a certain standard and provide certain cues for a certain demographic. Essentially a global-like audience, or at least an aspirational global-leaning one.

Cornitos is Indian, but the product is aspirational and international – carrying appeal mainly for urban youth and families seeking a healthy snack option. The packaging had to embody a premium, modern and international look. It needed to have smart eye-catching design that stands out on retail shelves and immediately resonates with contemporary consumer sensibilities.

In addition to all these (that we successfully achieved), we also delivered several design innovations and value-adds.

For instance… for the Salsa Dip Packaging, we added a unique round cut that ensured instant recognition as a salsa dip. Likewise, for Cornitos Flavoured Variants (Spinach, Beetroot, Quinoa, Melange), we paired fun, peppy fonts with vibrant illustrations to deliver youthful energy. Each flavour was clearly represented by an illustration and a concise description that provided an immediate cue to what flavour it was.

In case of the Nachos Fiesta – Party and Gift Packs, we mapped each to the occasion they would be used for (Diwali, Christmas, birthdays, corporate gifting, etc), and made the design reflect the festive and celebratory mood. Under the ‘Box of Joy’ umbrella, we conceptualised three variants to suit different festive and celebratory occasions – Festive Blast, Party Pack and Nachos Fiesta.

From design innovation to mechanical innovation too – we suggested a zip-lock feature to help preserve taste and freshness.

In all of these, we ensured the packaging followed a contemporary international aesthetic, with premium appeal and functionality. All in all, visual excellence that reflected the quality of the product within.

A Focused Print Strategy

We were very selective about the use of Print communications. We limited this media mainly to product launches (of which Cornitos had many), and routed them into food magazines and exhibition directories. For example, Wrap N Roll launch ads went into publications such as NUFFOODS Spectrum magazine, Dairy Times magazine, IndiFoodBev magazine.

Part of the launch and Print strategy was also conceptualising and designing special edition box packs. We branded them ‘Box of Joy’, and they comprised three variants – Festive Blast (for Indian festivals), Party Pack (for parties and similar celebratory occasions), and Nachos Fiesta (a more universal pack suited to both festivals and general celebrations). These were evocatively conveyed to the audience through vibrant double spreads.

A Chip of the New Block!

Social Media extended the film idea (Bollywood spoof), carrying it into Instagram and Facebook stills, as well. It worked excellently – the entire thing packaged as the Bollywood Nachos Mix.

And of course, the parody films mentioned in the film segment featured in Social Media channels too, with further spoofs that mimicked famous SRK and Kangana Ranaut dialogues, all going down very well with online audiences.

The use of Bollywood as a route was strategically and socially astute. We released it during lockdown, when general morale and spirit were at an all-time low. People, especially youth, who only knew freedom and liberty, were suddenly restricted, isolated and emotionally broken.

The need of the moment was entertainment and hope – and our Bollywood campaign helped achieve just that.

It brought immense customer goodwill to the brand, which bore itself out in increased online sales – something, again, which we had a hand to play in via website development (see Website section).

An Overnight Miracle in Crunch Time!

Lockdown was crippling for most businesses, but retail businesses that relied chiefly on traditional, physical and customer-facing sales channels were severely hit. For most, it was a case of innovate or perish.

This unprecedented situation posed significant challenges for Cornitos. Its offline operations were completely shut down. It did not have an alternative channel. The urgent need was to immediately shift to online platforms to sustain business. And do so on a war footing!

Cornitos approached Water Communications in SOS mode. A website had to be built overnight, and be up and running ASAP. Appreciating the urgency, we diverted all hands to the pump in a kind of ‘mission impossible’ situation.

And we delivered! In super quick time, Cornitos’ e-commerce website went live, and yet that was only half the job done. The customer had to made aware about the new development, and know that their favourite snack would now even be delivered to their doorstep.

The pandemic had also created a different issue. Suddenly, hygiene and safety were prime concerns for everyone. Customers needed to be reassured in as transparent a manner that these concerns were being diligently and effectively addressed.

Through the website and social media, we communicated all the hygiene and safety practices Cornitos had put in place right through its supply chain – down to the last mile home-delivery. It did the trick. The dual reassurance of a hygienic, safe product delivered to the doorstep while satisfying every lockdown protocol, saw Cornitos’ online business pick up gradually… and then with pace.

Furthermore, after lockdown had lifted and it was business as usual, this online channel became a significant and sustainable sales channel for the brand.