Magical mayonnaise

Dr Oetker’s takeover of Fun Foods may have happened seven years ago, but the common man might not have noticed that till its TVCs hit the small screen earlier this month. Starring Sonali Bendre in the lead as a mother confused about feeding her children easy-to-prepare delicious meals. Dr Oetker’s TVCs for its mayonnaise line tries to position itself as a solution for the urban working mother who wants to serve quick and sumptuous meals.

Oliver Mirza, managing director, says, “We have not advertised any of our products in India after the Fun Foods takeover. Now, after having refined our line to suit the Indian palette, we want to make the emotional connect and television is the best medium to do that.” For an internationally renowned that spent seven years building its base, Dr Oetker decided to promote its mayonnaise line first. Mirza explains, “Mayonnaise, unlike a sauce is not self-explanatory. While it is a prominent category globally, in India, it’s only one-tenth the size of the ketchup industry. We want to change that.”

Arunava Sengupta, co-founder, Scarecrow Communications says, “The usage of mayonnaise as a category is not well-documented in India. We needed a campaign that will impact sales and also show people ways in which they can incorporate mayonnaise in their cooking.” Sengupta continues, “We chose Sonali Bendre to lead the campaign because we needed a confident homemaker on the lookout for quick solutions to cooking that this brand can offer.”