EatSure’s Brand Head, Addarsh Barathi talks about the strategic move by the brand to position itself as the curator of the entire food experience for Royal Challengers Bangalore and cricket fans this IPL season.
While IPL has always been an advertising gala, in the last couple of years startups have started entering the ecosystem. Especially FoodTech, FinTech, and e-learning. Some of the biggest spenders in the last few years have been CRED, Swiggy, and more. First-time investor EatSure is counting on this visibility and reach IPL offers to woo consumers. It has associated with the team Royal Challengers Bangalore as the Official Food Delivery Partner.
The brand has launched a Foodcourt on an app, which is coming directly to the stadiums.
EatSure’s Addarsh Barathi mentioned it as a strategic move to position the brand as a pioneer in curating the entire food experience and bring multiple brands to a huge audience where an odd 30,000 fans get to experience the food live.
He said, “Our objective is to enhance our brand visibility and drive consumption during the ongoing cricket season. Through this partnership, we want to showcase our ability to be a true omnichannel player capable of delivering an exceptional food experience both in the offline stadium space as well as the online food delivery space.”
Building Emotional Connect
This association, according to Addarsh, is to leverage the popularity of IPL and the love people share for both the tournament and food by extending their brand reach in Bangalore to acquire more customers by the end of the season.
Talking about their Return on Investment (ROI) expectations from this season, he said the brand is largely focusing on key metrics such as brand visibility, awareness, revenues and customer acquisition. However, the aim is to become a ‘one-stop hunger killer’ for RCB and T20 fans, whether they are watching the match from the comfort of their homes or in the stadium.
“While direct ROI is important, we also recognise that cricket and entertainment are two big activities that unite India. By creating a memorable food experience for cricket fans, we hope to build a strong emotional connection with our target audience, which can lead to higher customer engagement and loyalty in the long run.”
The Digital Mix
Alongside the extensive F&B experience the brand has curated for the audience through its foodcourt, they would be using digital mediums to building connect with cricket fans.
Addarsh said, “Our media mix for IPL promotions focuses primarily on digital platforms, including social media. In addition to this, we will be doing a high-impact outdoor campaign in Bangalore including offer-led communications along with the key message that we are the official food delivery partners for RCB.”
The brand has also associated itself with the RCB podcast, featuring the teams’ cricketers including Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Dinesh Karthik, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, and others. He commented how this has turned out to be a great opportunity to connect with cricket-loving audiences and promote the brand.
They are also optimising other channels such as local outreach, influencer marketing, in-app marketing, and discounts to maximise reach and engagement with its target audience.
Addarsh believes EatSure’s proposition of curating the entire food experience and delivering it to cricket fans sets it apart from the competition.
The brand's campaigns also focuses on the convenience it offers consumers through this proposition, adding a touch of humour to it.
Outside of IPL, the brand actively brings pop culture and movies into its marketing strategy to connect with the youth and deepen its relevance in their lives. Last year, it roped in the Drishyam 2 stars into the mix.
Addarsh said, “Our objective with partnerships is to create a seamless integration with the content and to become the gateway to a specific and rewarding part of the cinema-going experience.”
Adding a mix of giveaways, influencer campaigns and moment marketing trends to its social media strategy, the brand has managed to gain a social currency of 162K followers on Instagram.
D2C has emerged as a preferred retail model, giving consumers direct access to the products they desire. However, Addarsh believes that merely building a D2C platform is not enough to stand out in the highly competitive market. Creating a thoughtful approach by identifying gaps in the market or solving customer problems will segue into success.
“Adopting a thoughtful D2C approach allows brands to form a deeper and more authentic connection with their customers, leading to increased brand loyalty.”
When it comes to EatSure, the brand solves a critical customer pain point of ordering multiple cuisines in a single order without having to pay extra delivery charges or wait for food from multiple restaurants to come.
Addarsh said this approach enables the brand to provide seamless and personalised experiences that cater to individual customer preferences.
Reimagining the traditional F&B experience, EatSure has entered the dine-in segment by launching Smart Foodcourt in Pune and the brand seems to be steadily growing in 2023 as per Addarsh.
The brand plans to increase its focus more on offline stores and will aim at creating reasons for customers to come back through properties and events. EatSure aims to go big on digital throughout the year by leveraging its food court on an app proposition.
“The biggest focus would be new customer acquisitions, especially during the summer IPL season and the festive season. We will be focusing on our food court on an app proposition and going big on digital as a channel throughout the year,” says Addarsh.
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