What Made Snack-major Balaji Wafers To Opt For a Startup Ad Agency?

Nowadays many startups scales to get gulped up into MNCs, here’s a home-grown brand, that’s wearing its independence and entrepreneurial spirit on its sleeve. Chandubhai Virani, the 60-year-old founder, and director of Balaji Wafers has candidly said in many media reports about how companies like PepsiCo and General Mills have approached him with offers to buy out his snack venture, which according to sources had a Rs 1,800 crore turnover in 2017.
Virani knows it is difficult to stand against these international marketers but he is certain his model is for the long run.
Starting in 1982, the Balaji empire has been a family enterprise and the support team is not the sort who drift from job to job. Jay Sachdev, currently marketing manager at Balaji Wafers, has been with the company since 2002. He has worn several hats and has also had a ringside view of the changes in the industry.
Image Credits:iioegroup.com
Which explains why Balaji decided to go for a makeover in packaging after eight years. Sachdev strongly believes, with time you need to embrace change. Helping Balaji in this process is start-up agency, three bags full. When asked why Balaji chose a young agency without the reassurance of size that marketers typically seek, Sachdev says, “When Balaji Wafers started off in the early 80s, we were very much a startup. Over the years, we have learned the challenges of being on that side of the business When three bags full approached us, we liked their work. We thought of giving them a push, to support their vision.”
Smaller setups work just fine according to marketing consultant Harish Bijoor: “Small and nifty agencies are able to understand the local better. Big regional brands must work with the small agencies for sure. Small is still beautiful in this space.”
Besides, industry experts believe a packaging makeover was the need of the hour. Bijoor for one contends a packaging refresh is necessary every few years for FMCGs that cater to the young and the young at heart. “For Balaji, this was even more necessary as I guess it needed to jump out of its imagery as a regional player onto the national space of play. A huge dependence on product visual is also important for the category as it leaves the space of see-through polythene packaging into tri-lamina that hide more than they show,” he says.
Currently, the brand is present in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Goa. It recently ventured into Uttar Pradesh and will be very soon seen on shelves in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana.
With a huge presence in the snack category, one product that Balaji thought was lacking in its line-up was a range of instant noodles. As per the company’s R&D team, over the years, Balaji Wafers has become a complete family brand, informs Sachdev. And so, Balaji has introduced Gippi noodles.
“A company like Balaji has managed to build a strong business. They understand volume, and they should stick to their core. In fact, it will be interesting to see how they disrupt newer categories like noodles,” says Shripad Nadkarni, founder director of food startup Maverix Platforms.
According to KV Sridhar, founder and chief creative officer, HyperCollective, it is the simple yet effective practices of companies like Balaji that make regional brands popular and successful. Sridhar hopes these brands stay focused, and go deeper in unexplored markets. Pure regional play even in terms of communication is critical too, he concludes. A task that would leave its communication partner three bags full with two hands full.For more such stories stay tuned with inventiva.co.in.Featured Image Credits:slideshare.net.