With the FMCG landscape in India underscoring the importance of agility to understand and swiftly adapt to consumers’ evolving needs and expectations in the past few years, Somasree Bode Awasthi, Chief Marketing Officer, Marico, emphasised that in contemporary times, modern consumers value personalised experiences, and increasingly seek brands that resonate with their values and lifestyles.
Reflecting on the past one year and sharing her outlook for the coming year, she stated that the FMCG landscape in India has underscored the importance of agility to understand and swiftly adapt to consumers’ evolving needs and expectations.
“As a result brands should place more emphasis on seamless omnichannel marketing strategies that create a unified CX, regardless of where the consumer is interacting with the brand,” she said.
Furthermore, she also elaborated on how Marico has recognised the aforementioned trends and evolved to focus more on cultural relevance and tapping into local trends to cultivate a deeper sense of loyalty among consumers.
“Through campaigns like #IssDiwaliChamakUtho, and #PujoReadyWithNihar, our brands were instrumental in fostering authentic connections with consumers,” she said.
With this, she also went on to point out that in contemporary times, aligning a brand with a clear purpose creates a further deeper emotional connection with consumers, making the brand a significant part of their lives.
This purpose-driven approach of Marico, in Awasthi’s opinion, helps the FMCG major in fostering loyalty and long-term relationships by resonating with consumers’ shared values and a recent example of the same is the brand’s ‘Step-Up For Your Heart’ campaign which was rolled out on World Heart Day.
As for 2024, she highlighted that one of the most significant changes that she has noted in the FMCG landscape in India is the increasing emphasis on digital transformation.
“With growing internet penetration and the rise of e-commerce and social media platforms, advanced digital tools and data-driven insights were central to curate customised and engaging campaigns,” she said.
Concludingly, Awasthi also pointed out that having a blend of physical stores and online platforms is something that has enabled consumers to engage with brands across a variety of platforms digitally, whether in-store, on e-commerce sites, or on social media.
