In September, Bisconni (by Ismail Industries) unveiled Eclipse, a dark-shelled, cream sandwich cookie, as part of its premium Prime portfolio range, launched last year. Distinguished by a black label (the regular range is identified by a red label), the Prime range is positioned for its superior and indulgent taste at a target audience in the upper SECs.

Before launching Eclipse, Bisconni already had a dark sandwich cookie in its regular range called Rite, positioned as a direct competitor to Continental Biscuits’ Oreo. However, Bisconni saw a gap in the premium biscuit – hence, Eclipse.

After conducting several R&D runs, Bisconni created what it terms a “new, unique formulation consisting of a creamy centre and a smooth, textured shell.” According to Nigah-e-Hasnain, Senior Brand Manager, Bisconni, Eclipse has no direct competitor in the local market, as its taste profile is unique. “Eclipse may have some parallels in the global market but none in Pakistan, and one of our objectives was to introduce globally available biscuit flavours in the local market. The inspiration behind Eclipse is a packaged macaroon with a twist.” Hasnain adds, “It was this unique flavour that gave the name Eclipse; an eclipse is a rare natural phenomenon and we wanted to position the biscuit as a rare innovation in the market.”

The ad campaign was released on OOH and digital media at the end of September, starting with a teaser: ‘Eclipse is coming’, to leverage the (real) lunar eclipse that was scheduled for October 2. Following the teaser, the campaign announced the arrival of the new biscuit with the hashtag #EclipseIsHere and the tagline ‘A Rich and Creamy Blackout’. The campaign was handled digitally by Digitz Digitas and on other media by Synergy and Manhattan Communications.

Speaking about the reasons for launching the Prime range, Hasnain says that post-Covid-19, the confectioneries segment was at the receiving end of the increased costs of raw materials and imports overall, due to the rupee depreciation. At the same time, consumers, at the receiving end of inflation, were in no mood to accept price increases. “Given these realities, we took the step of launching a prime range. It was not an economic proposition; rather, it was a proposition of premium quality at a premium price.” Hasnain clarifies that the Prime range caters to consumers looking for alternatives to imported biscuits.

Bisconni’s Prime portfolio consists of Chip Hop (chocolate chip cookie), Divine (chocolate wafers), Mi Amor (chocolate centre-filled cookie), Day Dream (coffee and chocolate-filled cookie) and Perfetto (egg and milk cookie). So far, Bisconni has not dedicated any marketing efforts to the launch of the overall Prime range, mainly because the range has experienced significant sales results just by being on the shelves of major retail outlets. “Consumer feedback suggests that our Prime range brands are compared favourably with international biscuit brands and sales have grown by word-of-mouth,” says Hasnain. “In fact, when the teaser for Eclipse was released, retailers reported shortages of the product and placed orders in higher quantities.”

Eclipse has been introduced in two SKUs: a Rs 30 pack (two biscuits; for context, Bisconni’s regular biscuits are priced at Rs 10 for two biscuits) and a Rs 250 tray pack. “Having a tray pack makes it easy for the biscuit to fall in the snack category and can be ordered via e-commerce platforms such as PandaMart,” says Ali Azfar, Senior Media Manager, Ismail Industries.

When asked if the price of the tray was too high, given the current economic scenario, Usama Ahmed, Brand Manager, Bisconni, says that “to our surprise, we found a niche audience willing to pay Rs 250 for a tray pack (often referred to as a ‘family serve’) in exchange for better quality ingredients. With our Prime range, we have witnessed an evolution in consumer taste profiles and purchasing decisions.”

Another shift in consumer behaviour Bisconni has noted is that consumers want to experience different products. They are no longer as brand loyal as they used to be, says Azfar, and “this calls for an extra effort on our part to keep consumers engaged with our brands, be it through a new campaign, on-ground activities or an innovation. Marketing is now about brand survival.”

Ahmed adds that in the current economic scenario, “no brand can afford a consumer switching to another alternative, which is why we are seeing a lot of marketing efforts conducted within the biscuit industry.” With these insights in mind, Bisconni intends to release a 360-degree ad campaign for the entire Prime range.