How India Inc continued to invest in the country’s growth story in 2021 – Part 2

While 2020 was nothing short of a tumultuous ride, the year 2021 has been a year of Recovery and Resilience. We witnessed growth in almost every industry. From reopening of offices to reopening of Theatres, to the beginning of on ground events and the major developments that happened in the A&M sector, we watched everything returning back to normal and cheerfulness coming back to life.

As the year 2021 draws to a close, it is time to recap the major developments across the industry. Adgully reached out to various leaders of different sectors to know about the developments and changes in their sector.

Parag Kulkarni, Managing Director, A. O. Smith India:

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created a fundamental shift in the relationship between consumers and products and with more people spending time at home, the consumer products industry is expected to see a sustained growth in 2022. The real estate sector has also witnessed green shoots of recovery in 2021 and is expected to experience additional growth, which will also drive demand among ancillary industries. The pandemic, while having had insufferable consequences for many, has also opened doors for opportunities and innovation for the consumer durables industry. People are now investing in value-based, smart and meaningful products that help them lead a healthier life, including water purifiers and water heaters. We are seeing good traction for our products not only in the metros, but also in tier-2 and tier-3 cities across the country driven by traditional channels and Ecommerce.

We believe that product innovation, product upgrades and service excellence will be key to successfully engaging the market. Consumer centricity has always been our key focus and our current communication strategy is to be relevant and contextual, emphasizing health and hygiene. We believe brands need to understand customer sentiments now more than ever and communication must resonate that. At A. O. Smith India, we will continue to remain optimistic and observant in 2022 and will continue to focus on our ambitions with resilience.”

Ankit Gaur, General Manager Marketing at Livpure:

“The digital transformation has continued in the past year and most of the companies have leaned on digital technology to promote their products and services. Although we have been locked in front of our screens for almost two years now, the digital space has been growing rapidly and ads work more in those areas.

Influencer marketing saw rapid growth and is going to be bigger in time to come. With Instagram Reels, the content is rapidly being shared and seen by multiple people across the world. With the evolving technology, people are getting everything at the convenience of their fingertips. Mobile search saw a huge increase in number in the past year, and accounts to almost half the website traffic globally. Content marketing, blogging also saw an increase in the last year and even podcasts.”

Varun Duggirala, Content Creator, Podcaster, an Entrepreneur, and the Co-Founder, The Glitch:

“2021 has been a year of refining what I stand for as an individual, entrepreneur and creator.

The last two years have been a defining moment of reflection and reassessment of how we operate as industries, professionals and as human beings, and 2021 has been a period of building towards action and restarting. On a personal front, I've been able to refine what I genuinely want to build towards and project the same through how I create and communicate with the world around me as a Creator and entrepreneur. We've moved towards a hybrid existence with life purpose at the centre, and that's become essential to operating.

In 2022, I see this trend grow even further and a movement from more of everything to a deeper focus on a few things being the mantra for the future. We've realised the excesses of our existence. In many ways, the business and creator landscape will move towards a more focussed approach of not doing too much and spreading wide and instead focus on clear focussed ways to grow, monetise and live.”

Akshaara Lalwani, Founder, Communicate India:

“2021 was in many ways a continuation of the rapid transformation that was set in motion by the onset of the pandemic. Brands and their PR & Marketing agencies continued to realise the importance of moving away from traditional silo-based styles of working and embracing integrated digital-forward communication models. In 2022, digital communication will continue to dominate and become a non-negotiable fixture in the communication strategy ecosystem. Digital Communication provides myriad opportunities for PR professionals and communication specialists to tell stories through multiple channels in the most creative ways possible, and therein lies its magic. It allows for further proliferation of a holistic approach to communication wherein PR, Advertising and Marketing professionals realise that they are part of the same tapestry and must work together in synergy.

The new year will bring greater adoption of technology such as AI and ML that can lend valuable insights into how well a brand’s messaging is resonating with its target audience. Furthermore, technology will also help create more personalised and customised engagement for brands, making the consumer experience as unique as possible.  In 2022, communication experts will need to hone their agility to leverage the power of digital communication and tech to create more relevant and authentic content that can truly connect with people at a personal level. It is an exciting yet challenging time to be operating in this industry, but we must power through and adapt to all the changes that come our way or risk becoming irrelevant.”

Tarandeep Singh Sekhon, Marketing Director at KidZania India:

“2021 came with its own set of challenges – the amusement and theme park industry was hit with uncertainty and affected adversely due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, we at KidZania were constantly aligning and re-aligning strategies in tandem with the situation. We worked with faster turnaround time with lean teams – our resilience, agility and dynamism helping us sail through these times.

After a long wait, in March 2021, we finally opened our facilities, only to cease operations soon after due to the 2nd wave and consequent lockdown. Post that, in July 2021, we reopened our Delhi NCR park on weekdays as per local government protocols, while the Mumbai park reopened in October 2021. Generally, weekends garner substantial audiences while weekdays usually see parents working and children attending e-schools. However, our scepticism was put at ease – as we received an encouraging response, leading us to quickly onboarding more activity staff. Eventually, with operations permitted during the weekends, too, we soon marked 10k visitors in a month, and gradually beat our pre-COVID 2019 numbers on several fronts like Family Footfalls and Birthday Parties. Yet, footfalls from school visits have been affected due to the time it will take for schools to bounce back to normalcy. Additionally, our Brand Partnership vertical has been steadily growing. We have signed four leading brands during the pandemic and have been working with them to create unprecedented branded, immersive and interactive role-play experiences - that we will be launching soon in Mumbai and Delhi NCR.”

Kausshal Dugarr, Founder and CEO of Teabox:

“The year 2021 turned out really well for Teabox, widening our horizons than ever before and more than meeting our expectations. The changes around the world impacted both – the palate and mindset of tea-drinkers, which led us to hit the ‘refresh’ button by rebranding with this changing culture. So far, Teabox was positioned as a premium luxury tea brand, targeting a specific demographic with a developed taste for premium Indian Single Estate teas. However, the onset of the pandemic and 2021 has enabled us to learn much more about the market. With the market being unlike what it used to be five years ago, tea-drinking culture has shifted from merely functional to a more experiential form. Growing awareness about the varieties and offerings of the Indian tea gardens has encouraged people to gravitate towards experimenting with tea and finding their niche. Not only that, but the next-gen millennials are eager to try out newer tea types, branching out to savour-white teas, herbal blends, caffeine-free alternatives, and fruity-floral tisanes, which can make great cold tea. Plus, given the meditative quality of tea, people are rediscovering tea as a moment of pause.

Furthermore, our environmental-conscious consumers seeking sustainability are switching to loose-leaf teas, which are better for both the cup and the planet. Teabox, in turn, too, has a deep commitment to the environment and community – driving us to pledge to reduce 80% of our plastic consumption by 2024.

While the pandemic has already changed much in regards to operations, we intend to maintain a steady relationship with our tea drinkers in face of the new variant. Moving forward to 2022, we want to elevate the tea-drinking experience for a regular tea-drinker and want our tea-loving community to grow by creating awareness of the rich world of fresh India teas, a holistic platform, a one-stop sustainable solution where every need of a tea aficionado is met.”

Advait Gupt, Co-Founder & CEO, Kulfi Collective:

“In the year 2021, our three verticals – Supari Studios, Post Office, and Keeda Media – officially launched as Kulfi Collective. We've seen an increase in demand for online video across the board, and as an united network, we're now able to tap into shared talent and technology to create high-quality online video content at scale. It's been a year full of ups and downs. While it exceeded our business goals in many ways, it was also a year that put many of us to the test in more ways than one. We had the good fortune to generate some of our best work to date. Nonetheless, it was a year in which we learned the value of self-care and mental wellness.

We are quite optimistic and looking forward to the new year.

As the world becomes more open, our top priority at Kulfi is to create a productive, healthy, and happy work environment for everyone. We're working on a hybrid working model that provides employees the flexibility of remote work while also allowing for the collaborative environment of in-person encounters. We're ecstatic about the potential and opportunity that web3 is presenting. There will be a greater emphasis on community building and engagement, particularly in areas such as gaming, cryptocurrency, music, gender, and sustainability.”

Anupam Bokey, Chief Marketing Officer, Allied Blenders & Distillers:

"The significant increase in time spent online has demonstrated the heightened relevance of digital media while also presenting an opportunity to do relevant functional communication for alcobev category, which is not possible on TV.  At ABD, we have been extensively innovating in the digital space, from content marketing activations like the Sterling Reserve Projects on music, comedy, gaming,  to community engagement on OC Blue through the IPL Dugout 2020 on Facebook. We have used mass reach platforms like Facebook and Instagram to build reach for our high conviction product stories which aided large trials. We managed to build a stronger consumer franchise for our brands, and our quality of work also received several accolades at international and domestic levels. The rapid adoption of online payment channels across all sections of Indian society has provoked marketers to re-think the rules of the game. There is need for more personalized communication with seamless call-to-action journeys, and we see this fast becoming a trend in our category."

Sneh Jain, Managing Director and Co-Founder, The Baker’s Dozen:

“2021 has surely been a dynamic year for The Baker’s Dozen (TBD). Our brand has achieved greater heights with a 250 % yoy growth with an ARR of Rs 30 crore. It has also been a gracious year for enhancing customer loyalty and expanding our base too, as we successfully launched across 10 new cities with our retail partners, did impactful digital campaigns such as ‘The Dose We Knead’ and ‘India’s first Virtual Sourdough Summit’, opened 2 experiential brand stores and 15 + micro fulfillment centers (delivery only outlets) pan India. We also adapted to the new normal and with the help of our entire team we were able to make our 25,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility pandemic ready by following the GMP & GHP to the T. Our future plans for 2022 includes expanding to Tier-II cities in India, exports to markets like Dubai & Singapore, and make TBD India's largest D2C bakery brand with 100 brand stores and 1000 retail touch points across 25 cities in India.”

Pradeep Krishnakumar, Co-Founder and COO, Zouk:

“We came out very strong from the pandemic, having grown 10x from pre-Covid levels. The shift to online and the love for Made in India products really helped take our Proudly Indian bags and wallets to a larger base. We crossed over 1 lakh customers as well who have bought Zouk products. We also raised two rounds of funding, which puts us in a comfortable position from a capital standpoint. D2C went from being an unknown to becoming the most popular thing. 2022 will be a test to see if consumer behaviour continues to be online or not. Personally, I expect an even bigger shift towards online, given a consumer will have access to high-quality, branded products across India. They no longer have to adjust to what's available in their local shop. This will be a game-changer for online D2C brands. Also, just like India-SAAS, I expect many D2C brands selling their products globally from India.”

Samta Datta, General Manager - Marketing, Soothe Healthcare:

“For Paree, 2021 was instrumental from a ‘consumer centricity’ perspective. Be it the launch of our double feather product that led to the cradle of innovation within the sanitary category or with young and popular voices like Janhvi Kapoor joining our journey. This year we have solidified and consolidated our entire Paree portfolio to cater to our core TG. Keeping the same strategic intent, our initiatives like welcome back Paree with top colleges and association with MobiKwik, Reliance Milkbasket have further supported us in our growth.  

While Modern marketing will be the buzzword, thanks to Mckinsey, we at Soothe Healthcare believe that customer centricity never goes out of trend, so for 2022 our focus will be to find the cultural pulse and engage with consumers.”

Punit Chotia, Head of Growth and Marketing, Vahak:

“Transporters often end up paying a lot of penalties and costs due to lack of compliance or inability to produce the right documentation. In the paper documentation scenario, trucks end up waiting for long hours due to lack of documents, delaying the shipments and incurring costs. This is where digital documentation such as PDF shipment papers or images licenses and permits are becoming increasingly popular. These documents can be shared online in real-time and wastage of time and cost is prevented.

Market trends are ever-changing and the operations are defined by these changes. Hence, the best foot forward for the logistics companies is to use digital technology to streamline their operations. Disruptions or changes in regulations can come any time, but when there is a resilient tech-based operational platform in place, it becomes easier and faster to absorb any changes without the breakdown of the supply chain.

To succeed in 2022, it is imperative that the most suitable tech combinations from the above trends are adopted. This will ensure consistent business growth even when change is the only constant.”

Abhayanand Singh, Group CEO and Co-Founder of Vistas Media Capital:  

“Digital platforms are growing at an exponential pace and the push has primarily been due to the current situation. OTT platforms are looking at expanding original content and talented actors not a part of mainstream media are gaining popularity. As a country we love masala, hence mainstream cinema will continue to do well. Both OTT and cinema will grow hand in glove as India has a sizable number of niche audiences.

On the other hand, NFTs have the potential to become a massive opportunity to digitally collect and trade in a world that is inclined towards digitisation. They represent a variety of options and appeal to a wide population of investors, thus NFT trading can be the next big thing in investing.

Vidya Narayanan, CEO & CO-Founder of Rizzle:

“In 2021, Rizzle built a brand that stood for world class original content in short videos. With an AI-based camera that makes it easy to make exceptional content, Rizzle became the top Indian platform for new content.

Filmi, an AI-driven automated visual effects feature, allows everyone to make professional-looking videos with a single touch. Thousands of templates allow for easy content creation. In 2021, Rizzle was recognized as one of the Top 10 innovators to watch by the Variety magazine. The audience enthusiastically created content and engaged with creators.

In 2022, Rizzle will be the place where Desi Trends emerge. Trends on the platform already generate 100k+ videos daily. With unique content ranging from all the usual genres to short series, Rizzle will play a key role in shaping the short video landscape.”

Milind Pingle, CEO, Allana Consumer Products Pvt. Ltd.:

“The FMCG industry in India has witnessed significant growth both in rural as well as urban markets in 2021. Inspite of the second wave of COVID-19 in the first quarter of FY22, the growth momentum in India’s FMCG industry was not stalled and continued to build up as the year progressed. Since the onset of the pandemic, we have seen consumers becoming increasingly health conscious and digitally more active than ever before and brands are also becoming digitally-first in their approach to cater to this ever evolving consumer behaviour.

Organised retail witnessed an upswing and consumer expenditure largely remained focused on essentials, especially food services. There also has been a shift in the buying behaviour during pandemic that resulted in a quicker adoption of the E-Commerce channel. The shift means that brands are trying to build a robust E-Commerce capability. Many brands also are accelerating the development of Direct-To-Consumer channels to cater to consumers by offering customised experiences.

For the year 2022, we are preparing ourselves to cater to a wider range of customer base with a focus on consumer insights, quality, innovation and sustainability. Young Indian consumers, too, are becoming increasingly brand conscious which has led to a significant shift in their behaviours and buying patterns. This shift indicates the need for brands to immediately adapt & cater, to meet the fast changing consumer buying patterns.  We are looking to the future with optimism and are confident that the FMCG industry will continue its growth trajectory well into the New Year.”

Yashash Agarwal, CEO and Co-Founder of Gamezop:

"Blockchain gaming is shaping up to be a very interesting space. We are already seeing very interesting games emerge with blockchain and NFTs at the heart of all the action. Games like Axie Infinity have popularized the Play to Earn mechanic and they have been able to scale engagement as well as monetization to huge numbers.
 
Take it one step further and we see that decentralization is fundamentally changing how companies operate: all the way from raising money, to day-to-day governance. This is most notable in DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations), which follow a bottom-up, community-driven management style. We are excited to see the blockchain gaming projects that emerge from India!"