Quaker Oats beckons millennials through its 'Real Fit' campaign

Think fitness and the first image that usually comes to the mind would be of a well-muscled person working out in the gym. But that would be a very myopic view. Fitness comes in all shapes and sizes and that is what Quaker Oats has tried to portray through its new ‘Real Fit’ campaign.

Conceptualised by BBDO, the campaign celebrates young Indians doing regular jobs like that of a teacher or a doctor, who effortlessly multi-tasks each day, and establishes Quaker as the fuel that empowers them to find the energy to keep doing more.

The first film features a playschool teacher who does countless sit-ups, squats, and even weight-lifting while taking care of a class full of energetic kids. The second film is about a young doctor working in an emergency room. It recognises and celebrates the mental and physical strength of doctors who often work in 24-hour shifts dealing with medical emergencies as well as providing emotional support to patients and their families, without showing any signs of fatigue. In both the films, the protagonists are shown using Quaker Oats as the fuel for their fitness. Both films also feature chef Vikas Khanna, who introduces each of these ‘real life ambassadors of real fitness’

Nobel Dhingra

Speaking about the insight, Nobel Dhingra, Associate Director, Marketing, PepsiCo, said, “According to PepsiCo’s overall sustainability agenda of performance with purpose, we are trying to make a healthier portfolio and Quaker, as a brand, is the flag bearer of the transition towards that. We have been in India for the past 10-11 years and we have built the brand over these 10 years on functional benefit of heart health and cholesterol management. But, what we are now seeing is that as India is getting younger, the needs of the consumers are changing. Their concern is not about heart health or cholesterol management, they are seeking more pro-active health and wellness.”

“Our target audience are the millennials and we met a lot of consumers to understand what their needs are and what we found is that they are looking for constant nutrition targeted at them. We realised they are the go-getter set who are really passionate about the work that they do and want to go the extra mile in the career or passion that they follow. When we sat and thought about the campaign, we realised that when we talk about fitness, the person that comes to mind is someone with a 6-pack and bulging biceps. We wanted to show a unique take on this in which we talk about young Indians who do their regular jobs and are real, fit, ordinary individuals who lead an extraordinary life,” added Dhingra.

According to Josy Paul, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, BBDO, the growing emotional equity of Quaker Oats in India is what is being leveraged with the new film.

“‘Real fit’ is not about superficial fitness or fancy six-pack abs. 'Real fit' is about the boundless purposeful energy and the inner resilience of everyday people, not just sportspersons. It’s about today’s tireless youth who drum up the strength and determination to outperform themselves. In our films, we salute the spirit of teachers and doctors who go through intense physical strain and mental stress, more than most sportspeople so that they can do more for society. The films convey the ‘real fit’ philosophy and showcase Quaker Oats as the fuel that keeps them going,” said Paul.

Because the target audience are the millennials, the campaign will be digital heavy. They have specific plans for specific parts of the country.

“We will dial up the campaign in the South on television. Apart from the normal TV commercials we are also partnering in the SIIMA Awards.”

Quaker Oats was the first brand to enter the market and introduce Indians to a new grain. They have been present in the market for a decade. Speaking about the challenges of marketing in a category like this, Dhingra, said, “We faced a double-edged issue with this category. First is that oats was an alien grain. So, establishing oats was a challenge we faced initially. Though we got very good response, the challenge continues. Penetration is still very low and now is the time to take it to the next level. That is where our strategy of targeting the millennials, who constitute almost 65 per cent of our population, comes into play.”

“Another challenge we faced was that oats was not something that Indians were familiar with. We have tried to solve that problem by launching flavour oats in India. We are launching Quaker ready-to-cook mixes of idli, dosa, upma and khichdi, which are the typical Indian breakfast that the consumer consumes,” said Dhingra.

The USP of this particular range of ready-to-cook mixes is that the percentage of oats content in the range is 40-56 which, according to Quaker, no other brand can claim to provide.

The southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are Quaker’s biggest markets. An interesting reason for their popularity down south is the fact that many people in these southern states, having migrated to the gulf countries, were exposed to Quaker Oats long before the product even entered the Indian market.

Dhingra feels that their biggest challenge is to grow the brand.

“Our biggest challenge is to build Quaker as the credible nutrition brand in the country and grow the category. The objective right now is not to take share from the pie but to grow the pie itself,” said Dhingra.

Credits

Client: Quaker Oats

Creative Agency: BBDO

Chairman and Chief Creative Officer: Josy Paul

Chief Executive Officer: Ajai Jhala

President: Rajesh Sikroria

Sr Executive Creative Director: Ritu Sharda

Creative Team: Josy Paul, Ritu Sharda, Anunay Rai, Rishi Pande, Jagpal Singh, Varun Kumar

Account Management: Gireesh Gupta, Proteek Dey, Radheyshyam Keshari

Account Planning: Ninad Satpute, Rashi Jain

Agency Producer: K V Krishnam Raju

Production house: SeeOn

Director: Neeraj Ghaywan

Producers: Akshay Donde and Annie Sukheswala

DOP: Mithun Gangopadhyay

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