July 7, 2021
Bangladeshi food brand – Pran’s wafer-thin biscuit called Potata, is being loved in India and has earned media coverage. This unique biscuit is a hybrid between a biscuit and a potato chip and has potato as a key ingredient and has the taste profile of spicy potato wafers.
And now in a similar format, ITC has launched ‘All Rounder’, its own version of Potata for the Indian market, last week. Not just product-wise, All Rounder also resembles Potata when it comes to the packaging.
All Rounder has been launched under ITC’s Sunfeast line of baked products, and not Bingo, it’s a brand of spicy packaged chips and snacks. ITC might have had a fair amount of conversation around whether to put the product under Sunfeast or Bingo. Format-wise, it fits well with Sunfeast, and product profile-wise, it is closer to Bingo.
While Potata sells at Rs 25 for a 100 gm pack, All Rounder is available in SKUs of 33 gms and 75 gms, which are priced at Rs 10 and Rs 20, respectively.
Now, considering Pran’s food business, it does intersect at a few spots with ITC’s. Pran’s Potato Cracker is in Bingo’s space, Roma is in Dark Fantasy’s space, Aamrosh is in Candyman’s space, etc.
However, Pran’s products are mostly manufactured in Bangladesh and imported to India. Most of it is distributed in the eastern markets, given the geographical proximity to Bangladesh. It is yet to build a truly national presence.
Pran has also been running brand campaigns for Potata in India. The ad builds on the ‘biscuit-or-chips’ debate and urges trials. It also positions the brand as a healthy snack
Potata is an outstanding product, but distribution is critical for success. If ITC gets the pricing, taste, and texture parameters right, it could be a blockbuster product. It (ITC) has a robust distribution network across cities, small towns, and villages,” he adds.
Apart from distribution, ITC knows how to build successful brands. It has great brand architecture. Now, it is one of those infrequent occasions when a very large player gets inspired by a product from a smaller brand. It is usually the other way around in the food and snacking business.
Given ITC’s distribution prowess, many consumers across the country, who aren’t aware of Potata, would be exposed to the new format as a novel innovation from ITC Sunfeast. That’s where ITC wins. Although Potata has had the first-mover advantage, ITC’s distribution might across the country, coupled with its dominant share of voice in media gives Sunfeast All Rounder an edge.