As ice-cream brands emerge from their winter hiatus, Omoré kick-started the season with the first campaign for its kulfi brand – rebranded and re-launched as Omoré Desi (the brand was previously called Kulfi and was not advertised).

For context, the volume share of the branded ice-cream and frozen desserts category is estimated to be in the region of 80 million litres and according to an article in Aurora, (Ice, ice baby, May-June 2011) the ice-cream market is worth approximately Rs 12 billion.

The biggest players within the branded segment are Wall’s, leading with a 71% market share and Omoré with a 20% share (Source: MEMRB Retail Audit 2011). Although there are three more players in the branded ice-cream category, Hico, Igloo and Yummy, their strength is regional.

In terms of the kulfi sub-category, the two brands most widely available are Wall’s Badami (launched in 2010) and Omoré Desi. However, the majority of the market is dominated by unbranded kulfis which include those sold on thelas and in ice-cream parlours.

The widespread availability of kulfi is what makes it an impulse driven product.

Of greater significance is the fact that kulfi is an essential part of Pakistani traditional festivities and is served at weddings and on special occasions. Research has shown that most consumers have strong loyalties to the unbranded kulfi they buy from a particular shop or thela and are often unable to find the same sort of flavour in a branded product.

Although Haseebullah Zahur, General Manager Marketing, Engro Foods, agrees that there may be some differences between a branded and unbranded kulfi, he points out that “we have tried to keep the product experience of Omoré Desi as close to the traditional kulfi as possible.”

Zahur adds that the brand is targeted at everyone and like unbranded kulfis, Desi is available in stick format and comes in two flavours: Kulfi (regular) and Krunch Kulfi (caramel crunch), but unlike Wall’s Badami which is also available in a multi-serve tub, Zahur believes “a tub would not be in the spirit of the positioning of the product.”

Priced at Rs 25 (same as the Wall’s Badami stick), Omoré Desi may seem on the steep side given it is aiming at all consumer segments. However, according to Zahur, the price is “competitive because unbranded kulfis can range from Rs 10 to up to Rs 40.”

Building on the kulfi’s festive associations, Omoré Desi’s packaging uses motifs and patterns found on shamianas (marquees). (In contrast, Wall’s Badami had a truck art theme.)

Desi’s TVC is the most talked about part of the campaign, portraying, says Zahur, “happy moments in a traditional setting.”

The jingle, performed by Indian pop singer and rapper Mika Singh and widely shared on social media, captures these sentiments, ending with the lyrics ‘jaisay doodh nay mavay sey chakkar chalaya’.

Beyond television, Omoré Desi’s media campaign has extended to print and out-of-home. Digital, however, has deliberately been excluded because, says Zahur, “Omoré is targeted towards the general public; it is for everyone.”

As with all food products, Omoré Desi’s success will depend on its quality and taste. Desi’s communication and positioning is similar to Wall’s Badami but it is too early to tell whether this will be an advantage or not. The real competition, however, will come from the unbranded kulfi market where flavours abound and availability is widespread. Ultimately it will boil down to whether consumers can get the same flavour and experience from a mass-produced, packaged, branded kulfi as they would from an unbranded one, made from the freshest ingredients.