– Ayshwaria Lakshmi
APIS India, one of the leading exporters in India by supplying honey to more than 20 countries across the world. Embracing the technological advancements in the e-commerce sector, APIS India is also present over all the major modern trade channels and is one of the fastest-selling brands on the top e-commerce platforms, especially on Amazon, Flipkart and Big Basket. The Indian brand had recently partnered with the ‘Rajasthan Royals’ for the recent edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020).
In an exclusive interaction with MediaNews4U, Pankaj Mishra, CEO, APIS India, speaks on the new marketing initiatives and how IPL has helped them to reach out to the target crowd.
What are the new marketing initiatives your company has taken? What regions have you focused on?
Apis believes that an omnichannel presence is necessary to build a strong brand persona. Reaching out to various groups through strategic targeting is very important. Hence, the company’s primary focus is to promote its brand through digital promotion. The company is also sponsoring some major events such as its association with Indian Premier League (IPL). It has also launched a TVC, which communicates the purity of the company’s flagship brand – Apis Himalaya Honey through a subtle conversation between the mother and the child.
Of late, the company has been keen on digital promotion and has invested aggressively to strengthen distribution reach by being present on the e-commerce platforms and executing digital influencer marketing campaigns for brand building of Apis India. The company is aggressively present on Amazon, Big Basket, Flipkart, etc. For the brand-building exercise, it has associated with influencers such as Master Chef Ranveer Brar, comedian Zakir Khan, Fitness Enthusiasts, Mom bloggers, and many others.
Apis has, for the first time associated with Indian Premier League (IPL) for this season, by sponsoring Team Rajasthan Royals as a headgear partner. The regional market has been the company’s focus where it has been sponsoring regional content, especially in the times of Bihar Elections, Celebrating Musical nights in remembrance of Late singer SP Balasubramaniam and the likes.
Apis has also rolled out a TVC, which subtly brings out the communication on the purity of Apis Honey. As the peak season of winters is starting, the company would focus more on honey and dates. The key focus regions include Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Karnataka in South India, Uttar Pradesh in North India, Bihar & Jharkhand in Central India and Maharashtra in the Western part of the country.
What is your preferred mode of advertisement and key focus points of the same?
Executing digital marketing campaigns are working really well for Apis India. The company has reached out to the right set of audiences. The influencer marketing campaigns are also an alternative way of promoting the brand which has given the company a good mileage not only amongst the targeted audiences but the social network of the influencers.
How has COVID changed the company’s marketing strategies? How has it challenged your campaign?
The COVID times have taught all of us to go virtually. Digital space has seen tremendous momentum over the last few years and COVID has made its use even more prominent across all sectors and FMCG is no stranger to this. Apis’ management understood this early and has been investing consistently in digital marketing and e-commerce particularly. Apis runs digital promotions on the e-commerce portals to create strong affinity around the brand. Not only this, there have been many ongoing influence campaigns wherein Apis has roped in celebrity chefs, fitness enthusiasts, Mom influencers among others to try to share their views about the products. The strategy is very clear; the company has aggressive budgets which are more skewed towards online platforms. Apart from traditional tools like banners and ads in digital space, Apis keeps on trying new things in terms of digital promotions, and yes, they work well for it. Recently, Apis has, for the 1st time, entered IPL branding by sponsoring headgear for Rajasthan Royals which gave a lot of digital mileage in terms of brand mentions and digital content which is having high reach organically.
The company’s association with IPL, how has it helped your target group reach?
Being a consumer brand, IPL with its mass reach is an excellent platform. IPL has now become an attractive proposition for brands to promote their range of different products as it offers an opportunity to employ various communication strategies. Thus, advertising during the IPL is helpful as the brand attracts maximum attention and eyeballs. Hence, the goal of the collaboration is to strengthen brand value and recall by engaging with a vast consumer base at the biggest cricketing league in the world. The association amplified with a 360-degree campaign on various mediums – Television, Print, Digital Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and others.
