Munch & Luv – Will Opa! become the fry everyone loves?

According to Datamonitor, the market for frozen food (non ice-cream segment) in Pakistan increased at an annual growth rate of 6.6% between 2004 and 2009. In retail volume, the value of frozen processed food reached sales of Rs 755 million in 2010 (source: Euromonitor).

Despite this booming growth, no local players have ventured into offering frozen vegetables, especially frozen fries, even though, according to the International Growth Centre Report (January 2012), the import and sale of frozen fries alone to Pakistan by McCain (a Canadian frozen foods company) was valued at four million rupees or 120 containers per annum.

Keeping in mind this untapped market, Fauji FreshnFreeze (the new subsidiary of the Fauji Fertiliser Company) which began operation in 2016, recently launched a frozen potato fries brand named Opa!; a 100% Pakistani product made from locally-grown potatoes.

These par-fried fries contain no artificial flavourings, colours or preservatives and specifically target schoolgoing children (the direct consumers) and their mothers (the key family decision makers).

According to Adeela Khan, Head of Marketing, Fauji FreshnFreeze, “fries form an essential part of a child’s lunch box. They can be a midday snack or a fun complement to a boring meal. However, making them can be a tedious task for a mother.”

The intention, says Khan, was to save mothers from a thankless hour or more in the kitchen, thus giving them more quality time to spend with their children.

Adcom Leo Burnett (the creative and media agency for Opa!) created the brand identity, ranging from coining the name, logo, packaging, brand personality, and communication which included a TVC and its execution.

Opa! is currently available in two SKUs: a one kilogram pack for Rs 200 and 400g for Rs 95. For the time being, Fauji FreshnFreeze has only launched plain frozen potato fries, although they plan to expand their portfolio to include more flavours.

Keeping in mind the brand promise of ‘keeping love simple’, a good amount of thought was given to the packaging in order to make it stand out from the rest of the frozen food labels and yet depict its value of simplicity and authenticity. “We wanted the packaging to talk to the customer right off the shelf or the kitchen cabinet. We wanted to speak to mums like a friend through the packaging,” explains Khan.

Opa! is currently available in two SKUs: a one kilogram pack for Rs 200 and 400g for Rs 95. For the time being, Fauji FreshnFreeze has only launched plain frozen potato fries, although they plan to expand their portfolio to include more flavours.

The marketing campaign began in December 2016 with a TVC. OOH was also used to create impact in the top three metropolitan cities where Opa! is currently available (Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad).

The concept behind the TVC was an extension of the idea of ‘keeping love simple’ and was aimed at mothers and children. It focussed on communicating to mums the fact that they should not let extraordinary expectations dictate their happiness and instead look for joy in the simple things in life by cherishing every moment with their children.

The narrative was built around moments that had the potential to become beautiful memories; music was chosen as the medium instead of words to highlight innocence, and a naughty spirit, and yet reinforce the brand name for recall.

“Children will be children forever, so this period of childhood, full of wonder, discovery, and delight should be cherished by mums,” says Laila Ali, Creative Director, Adcom Leo Burnett, while explaining the message the agency tried to convey. She added that it was not so much about developing a TVC as it was about giving birth to a brand and ensuring that the communication quality should be comparable to any international brand. “We wanted to avoid a direct call to action or a preachy tone.”

‘Opa!’ is a Greek celebratory expression used when excited or happy. It is an exclamation of joy, high spirits, and celebration of life. In Spanish, Aupa (pronounced Opa), translates into ‘get up and celebrate!’ In Spain, it is also used by children when they want to be lifted into an elder’s arms, meaning ‘up!’

‘Opa!’ is a Greek celebratory expression used when excited or happy. It is an exclamation of joy, high spirits, and celebration of life.

Khan said the name is easy and simple – something that defines Opa!’s functional values as well. It not only denotes attributes of fun, excitement and love, but it is also easy on the tongue. Hence ‘Opa’ was coined from the letters in the word POTATO.

As for the launch time, there were no deliberations in terms of season, children’s holidays or a particular month; it was entirely based on internal readiness. The TVC was filmed in Italy and since the agency was working with an Italian director (an expert in making children-based ads), the operational challenges required the selection of faces from there as well. Another reason why the TVC was shot in Europe was that the agency wanted to use ‘bolt technology’ for the food shots and this is only available in Europe.

“Of course Pakistani faces are always the preferred choice, but the deadlines and visa requirements of taking a large cast along, especially kids that required chaperones, was not feasible,” says Ali.

Going forward, Khan said conversion from home-made fries to packaged fries is critical for category growth.

Given that no local company is into making frozen fries, Opa! has no direct competitor locally, yet the brand will compete with all ‘convenience foods’ that target children, which may include frozen as well as ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat snacks. Fauji’s immediate priority is now to increase Opa!’s distribution and availability.

“As the first local brand in frozen fries, Opa! will have to take the onus of building the category through conversion, and by ensuring a consistent quality at the right price.

Additionally, it would have to establish itself as the preferred brand through frequent innovations,” concludes Khan.