Over the decade, Fortune had firmly imprinted itself as an Oil that takes care of your heart. So, it was doubly unfortunate for the brand when their ambassador, Sourav Ganguly, suffered a mild heart attack. But the attack from the troll is probably what stung even more. And as a rapid response, Fortune pulled back all ads featuring Dada, only to face more of the internet ire. But given the delicate situation what could Fortune have done to safeguard their brand, as well as appear empathetic and caring? And more importantly, now that the damage is done, what else could be done to rebuild their brand image? Is there a strategic framework for handling these kinds of situations?
What happened?
After the news of Dada’s heart attack hit the street, people took to ridiculing the ad. Many, like this tweet, insisting to not listen to Celebrity Endorsers but Doctors.
https://twitter.com/kpsselhi/status/1346422337487347712?s=20
https://twitter.com/PrashanthKB8/status/1345589646709776387?s=20
Others cautioning users!
https://twitter.com/mdismailkhan/status/1346822325312712704?s=20
But this was enough for Adanis to get uncomfortable enough to recall the ads from being played on national television, as well as pulling them down from Youtube. But the misfortunes of Fortune were only about keep mounting, with many LinkedIn power users, Like Chinmoy and myself included, questioned the move as being motivated by pure corporate greed. But Karthik Srinivasan believes that this was the logical move to make as he explains here. While others believe retaliating with banter could;ve helped create a viral marketing opportunity. Much like how PhonePe’s snub to PayTM during the Yes Bank outage, resulted in people cheering them on. And of course showed that the brand cared for their long term partner, not kick them to the curb when they’re down!
https://twitter.com/PaytmBank/status/1235842741898100736?s=20
https://twitter.com/PhonePe_/status/1235852536545865729?s=20
But in a situation where it’s a matter of life and death, given the number of people who die due to heart attacks in the country, could they have afforded to take the situation lightly?
Cooking Oil: A brief history
Cooking in India has always been about making a sumptuous and delectable meal. Something that leaves you licking your fingers. And as a result of that, we would often use the oil that tasted the best, and not necessarily one which was a healthy variant. And any one who has gone on a diet will vouch for the saying "Anything healthy can not necessarily be too tasty". So, the challenge in front of brands such as Fortune Rice Bran wasn’t just to get people to talk about its health benefits but do so without compromising on the taste.
Infact, if you remember the old ads of Fortune, they were all centred around the health benefits of the ad. An irate lady shooting for the ad, only to be interrupted by our nosy neighbour aunt, who then proceeds to rant by narrating the health benefits of fortune. See here But lets be honest, the only memorable thing about the ad was the classic neighbour aunty role played.
Then they tried the same message but in a different format. Instead of the shopping isle, they now moved into the kitchen of a young couple. Where an amused husband asks his wife the need to change to a new oil. And the loving wife responds with, ”why only be healthy, when we can be the healthiest?” Again the play was on the health benefits, but less on the utility. But lets admit, it was at least a welcome break from Saffola’s tactic of using fear as a motivator in their ads. Remember the Ambulance taking away a middle-aged slightly overweight man, while his wife and children watched on, mortified and helpless! But despite their best efforts, the adoption for the category remained muted.
Then about 5 years ago, we saw a shift in their messaging. This was the time, thanks to the increasing availability of information off the internet, young urban India was adopting a few healthy eating practices. Like incorporating Broccoli,Zucchini, Baby corn and other types of western salads in their meals. The visiting father, is already feeling out of place in a big city, and questions his daughters choices of above salads, as well as what he believes is “tainted”oil. Fortune rice bran oil. This did indeed help in changing the perception around the oil, because Indians were used to translucent oil. Anything which was not was perceived to be adulterated. We also were educated about good versus bad cholesterol for the first time. Aaaaaand, finally, the father tastes the food and acknowledges it! So Fortune managed to address 2 pain points with this ad.
Welcome Sourav Da!
As the brand evolved, their focus moved away from simply focusing on the health benefits and taste of their oil, to overall focussing on making the heart healthier. Enter Sourav Ganguly. He was the beloved and well respected sportsman, who was known for his tenacity on the field. And not only that, he fit their target group perfectly. Mid forties is when most men start growing the waistline, get lax with exercising, and in general are more prone to heart attacks.
And a classic way most people combat this is by reducing “Oily” food. But like I said before, oily is generally yummy. Dada’s ads showed your typical man shying away from samosas and Loochis, while Sourav Dada eggs them on. Not only that the ad also showed the small things he would do for his heart. Like taking the stairs instead of the lift, a short brief walk when possible. All this was their subtle push towards a healthy lifestyle, which would help protect their hearts. The message clear. Greying hair is no reason to be afraid for your heart, if you follow a healthy lifestyle.
And then the unfortunate incident, where Sourav Ganguly had to undergo an angioplast for a mild heart attack!
So while the jury is out on whether Adani’s should have continued their support for their brand ambassador leaving aside what Netizens said, lets discuss what they can do now.
Next course, Please!
Fortune had been building up towards a healthy lifestyle. Their next course could be to bring that Brand Association to life. And for that we shall use Aaker’s framework for developing Customer Sweet spots for brand assets
Customer Sweet Spots
Remember the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty? Now that hit a very powerful sweet spot. That women mostly only perceive their flaws, while to the outside world they are much more beautiful. For Adani’s to bring back their good Fortune, pun intended, they too will need to identify and hit that sweet spot.
Now what are the benefits of having a brand sweet spots :
Being the relevant brand of choice all along the customer's journey
Create brand energy and interest
Enhance brand Likeability and Credibility (this is the big problem we will need to solve in this particular case)
Form a Friend/Colleague/Mentor Brand Relationship
Aaker's Framework for Brands to Build on Customer Sweet Spot:
And for Fortune I would suggest going with "Finding a Natural Fit", which in this case is fairly easy to guess. Focus on building good health and immunity. Especially in these times. Everyone is searching for ways to lead a healthier life, build a better immune system, and in general stay happy. So what better than a virtual workshop, probably tied up with the fitness brands that have a cult like following. Like Cult.Fit. These sessions / workshops, would focus on the various aspect of healthy living. Yoga in the morning. Exercise/Zumba in the evening. And for the meals you have through the day, come cook with Fortune.
But remember the deal here shouldn’t be an over the top push for the brand. But subtly insert them into the narrative. Like for example, when the appointed nutritionist is demonstrating how you can make your daily poha a bit more healthy, show her using oil from the distinctive Golden Heart shaped Fortune Rice Bran oil carton. When making a lunch of Stir fried vegetables, again mention rice bran oil. While also mentioning why rice bran makes a better choice than regular cooking oil.
But you know what will really make the whole experience more memorable? Wait for Sourav Ganguly’s speedy recovery and have the same thing but instead brand it as a day with Sourav Ganguly. Have your community wake up with him, go for their morning run with him. Enter the kitchen and cook with him. It could all be unscripted and natural. And while doing so, reinforce the benefits of Rice Bran oil. And through the session, encourage attendees to ask questions. The agenda for this format of immersion would be to earn the trust of your consumers. The way to do it will be to ensure transparency.
And for a brand that promises to strengthen your hearts, this would also be a show of strength of character!