How Parle has topped the popularity charts

‘Brand Footprint’, Kantar Worldpanel’s annual ranking of the most chosen consumer brands in India, recently revealed that Parle, owned by Parle Products, continues to be India's top FMCG brand.

Parle Products leads this year's rankings as the most-chosen FMCG brand, based on Consumer Reach Points (CRPs), Kantar India said in a statement. CRPs consider the actual purchase made by consumers and the frequency at which these purchases are made in a calendar year.

Parle reportedly holds the top spot for a record 9th year in a row with a CRP score of 5,715 (million).

Parle Products, Amul and Britannia were among the top in the list of India's Most Chosen FMCG Brands based on Consumer Reach Points, according to Kantar India's Brand Footprint report. The top three brands are followed by Clinic Plus and Tata Consumer Products.

With a CRP score of 5715 (Mn), Parle holds the top spot for a record 9th year in a row. The Kantar report adds that the pandemic impacted the frequency of purchases as average trips made to purchase groceries reduced, but more purchases per trip were recorded in 2020.

So what has contributed to Parle’s success?  Besides friendly pricing, here are some other factors that have worked in the brand’s favour over the years:

Reach and distribution

One of the main factors for Parle’s success would appear to be its reach and presence across the vast retail network of India, including MT and GT trade, covering remote rural areas.  According to the Business Inside report, market penetration remains the driving force for the CRP Growth of brands. CRP growth of 3% while high penetrated brands show a 4.5 % growth, it says.

The report also talks about how the brand prepared itself ahead of the lockdown last year, scaled up production to meet market needs and ensured that Parle-G was available in shops across the country, even as other brands struggled with disruption in production and supply chain.

As K Ramakrishnan, Managing Director-South Asia (World Panel Division) at Kantar, has said, traditional leaders held their positions in brand footprint in 2020 by ensuring penetration growths even during the pandemic.

Brand positioning

Another factor has been the brand’s positioning as a truly ‘Desi’ brand and, in public perception, as the common man’s choice. The brand’s focus on the greater good, its socially responsible approach particularly during the pandemic, etc., also contributed much to the goodwill it holds.

Socially relevant brand narratives

Much of the brand’s philosophy and marketing also translates into meaningful social narratives. For example, the brand recently launched a social media campaign focused on mental healthcare. It featured the image of a Parle-G biscuit holding a telescope and the caption, “Zoom in for a Genius fact!’". On zooming, one could read the text, “You’re doing great so be proud of yourself," written on the biscuit. With hashtags like #SelfLove, #SelfCare and #MentalHealth, etc, the initiative aimed at encouraging conversations around mental healthcare and created quite a buzz on media. 

Smart innovation and adaptation

Many of the brand’s initiatives also show its agility and capability to move with time through relevant strategies.  The same approach has seen the brand’s foray into new product segments, whether it is chocolates, premium biscuits or atta

In pandemic-ridden and the post-pandemic world, consumer-facing brands will indeed have to be very nimble and socially rooted in their strategies - particularly in the way they make their presence in the consumer mind space.