Kartik Mohindra on why Pernod Ricard is going green

Pernod Ricard India (PRI) has unveiled its #OneForOurPlanet campaign, which sets in motion the elimination of 100% permanent mono-cartons from its packaging by June 2023. The campaign aims to bring together ‘responsible consumption’ practices and nudge today’s purpose-driven consumers to make eco-conscious decisions.

Since 2020, Pernod Ricard India has been working on a pilot project to test consumer acceptance of the removal of permanent mono-cartons from its packaging, taking a step and evaluating its contribution to the overflowing landfills. The #OneForOurPlanet campaign film showcases the company’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of secondary packaging and the waste generated across each step of its value chain.

The campaign film highlights Pernod Ricard India’s step towards a greener tomorrow by reducing carbon emission every year by 7,310 tonnes, saving 2.5 lakh trees, and reducing landfill by 18,745 tonnes.

In conversation with Agully, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India, elaborates on the #OneForOurPlanet campaign, the current scenario in the alcobev industry, how this industry performed in 2022, the road ahead, and more.

What was the idea behind the campaign – ‘One for Our Planet’?

We do enough things for ourselves. But I think the call to action behind this is that it’s time that we all start doing something as small or as large as it could be for the planet. So, that’s the whole underlying thinking behind one for our planet, because anything that any one of us does impacts everybody positively or negatively. And in the film, we tried to showcase all the efforts and all the initiatives that Pernod Ricard India has been doing over the years, keeping in mind the four pillars of sustainability that we spoke about.

What is the media mix of this campaign?

Well, it’s not broken yet. We are actually sharing it with Adgully for the first time. Of course, it’s going to be a digital-first campaign. We are already doing a lot of initiatives on the ground, at the point of sale, for advocacy with our consumers. Now you get to see the centerline of this film across all media vehicles, but mainly digital and social media.

Talking about the liquor industry in particular, what does the current scenario for the alcobev industry look like?

I think, COVID broke down a lot of social barriers and social tools. It almost democratised consumption, people who were earlier reluctant to bring it home with their family, they did not have a choice. The family started to sit together. Husbands and wives sat together at mixology, home parties. So, I think, people realised that there are many things beyond control. They started indulging in more experimention. The last few years after the initial COVID lockdown, I think the business has shown a very strong rebound and grown very rapidly.

What are the other marketing strategies that Pernod Richard has implemented to promote its products and engage more with the audience?

We are very active with all our brands. We believe in meeting and building strong bonds, which by design keep pace with the evolving trends, and that’s really the fundamental nature of our brands. Virtually every year our brands come out with various activations and more campaigns that appeal to the younger consumer sentiment so that they are not only consumers, but consume them responsibly.

How was the year 2022 overall for the liquor industry and for Pernod Ricard?

People are indulging in festivals, so the liquor industry is doing very well. I must admit that our brands garner the major share for it. The industry is booming, consumers are consuming, and the government is coming into good shape.