Cricket has been at the forefront of marketing plans for all brands that want to make it big in India. The sport, which runs like blood in the veins of its fans, has seldom disappointed brands putting in money behind it. In yet another success story, Hell Energy India Country Head Unnikannan Gangadharan shares how the World Cup campaign pushed the brand to the top of the canned energy drink category.
Q] Tell us about Hell Energy’s ICC Cricket World Cup campaign.
We signed Shardul Thakur as our brand ambassador in India in October 2023 and launched a special edition can – Cricket Crazy – just for the World Cup. We had it in the market for two or three months during the season. Simultaneously, we also ran a social media contest wherein we asked fans to share pictures with the can while cheering for Team India. For a few selected winners, we had gifts like signed merchandise, kits, cricket equipment, etc. The top prize was a personal meet and greet with Shardul Thakur wherein the fans got a chance to interact with him and click photos.
Q]What traction did this campaign bring to your brand's popularity and sales?
We were already performing quite well in the energy drinks cans category and were the second biggest player in terms of several units sold at the end of the first half last year. During the second half, we went big on cricket. We were advertising on Hotstar during Asia Cup 2023 and then launched this World Cup campaign as well. This, along with other marketing activities made us the market leader in the category.
Q] What were the other marketing activities that you focused largely on?
We continued our association with grassroots cricket. We had our social media and digital ad campaigns. We also did a TV campaign in June-July for the HSM market. All of this combined delivered great results.
Q] How much have you spent on marketing to become the category leader within just five years of your launch in the Indian market?
We did not spend a lot in the initial three years because of Covid-19. However, we picked one from 2022. Currently, we keep around three-four per cent of our revenue for marketing spends.
Along with marketing, we have worked extensively on our distribution network. You will find us on all major e-retail channels and shelves in every corner of the country – be it in the South or the North East India as well.
Q] What are your marketing plans for this year?
We have a new global brand ambassador, actor & singer Michele Moronne. We are currently filming for our campaign with him which shall be ready in the next couple of weeks. After that, we will come up with a plan for India. Apart from that, we are going big on football globally and will be launching a special edition can for the Euro Cup as well.
For India, we will be going big on cricket again. We are also planning to increase visibility on mass media along with digital media. So, last year we spent almost 50-50 on both mediums, this time we want to make the mainstream’s portion bigger. We will also work on a lot of BTL activities that we do like brand activations in colleges.
Q] There are some jitters in the government sector too and expected increased scrutiny over the energy drinks sector. Is that going to impact your brand?
We follow all the regulations and guidelines issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). We are already mentioning all our ingredients in the pack. And we will also welcome any changes that will benefit the consumer.
Q] What are your top three goals for the year 2024, considering you are already number one in the canned energy drinks category?
We want to continue building on that. First of all, we want to further improve and scale our distribution network since the energy drink segment in India is very big. We want to be present everywhere a person is looking for Hell Energy. Secondly, we want to increase our presence on traditional media platforms and be more visible to reach more potential customers. And lastly, we will continue to focus on sports as a (marketing) vehicle.
