‘Freedom’ is the flagship brand of Gemini Edibles and Fats India Ltd. (GEF India). Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils is available as Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil, Freedom Physically Refined Rice Bran Oil and Freedom Mustard Oil, and Freedom Groundnut Oil. Freedom Healthy Cooking oils promotes ‘guilt-free eating’ and its brand promise is captured by its tagline ‘Freedom to eat, Freedom to enjoy. It is a range of premium quality healthy edible oils available at what the company says is a competitive price point.
Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil was launched in April 2010 in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. It is a leading brand of Sunflower oil and currently ranks No. 1 by market share in the Sunflower Oil category in India. (Source: Nielsen MAT March 2022). Freedom Refined Sunflower Oil is clear and lite. It has been fortified with Vitamins A & D. It is also rich in naturally occurring Vitamin E. It is thus a healthier choice for the entire family. Freedom Physically Refined Rice Bran Oil was launched in Oct-15, a fairly new entrant that has started creating a niche amongst health-conscious consumers with its strong proposition of 10,000 ppm Oryzanol and balanced fat profile.
Freedom Kachi Ghani Mustard Oil the company explains has a pure and strong pungency salience. It has been launched to cater to the Odisha Market. Freedom has recently added Freedom Groundnut Oil to its product basket. Its superior product packaging and aggressive marketing it said have made the brand a favorite among consumers. The brand claims that today it enjoys 85% awareness among housewives and excellent patronage in the trade.
Freedom is available in 200ml, 500ml pouches, 1-liter pouches, 2-liter PET bottles, 5-liter HDPE jars, 15 kg tin, and 15-liter HDPE jars.
Medianews4u.com caught up with P Chandra Shekhara Reddy, Senior VP Sales and Marketing at Gemini Edibles & Fats India.
Q. Could you shed light on the 360-degree brand strategy that has been employed to get to a market-leading position?
Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil has adopted a comprehensive 360-degree brand strategy to secure its market-leading position. This strategy integrates multiple facets, including product quality, packaging, marketing, and customer engagement. At its core, Freedom focuses on delivering exceptional value to consumers by offering high-quality ingredients, meticulously processed to retain nutritional benefits.
The brand’s packaging is designed to stand out on shelves and usage convenience, conveying a message of health and quality. Through strategic marketing initiatives across various channels, Freedom consistently communicates its core values of taste, health, and culinary innovation.
Additionally, the brand actively engages with consumers through social media, recipe contests, and educational campaigns, fostering a loyal community of health-conscious food enthusiasts. This holistic approach ensures that Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil maintains its market-leading position by delivering excellence at every touchpoint.
Q. The right price points and providing value are very important. How does Freedom Healthy Cooking Oils accomplish this?
Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil prioritises offering the right price points and value to consumers through a combination of factors. Firstly, the brand leverages efficient sourcing and manufacturing processes to optimise production costs without compromising on quality. By investing in high-quality ingredients and streamlined operations, Freedom ensures that its products provide exceptional value for money. Secondly, the brand carefully monitors market trends and competitor pricing to offer competitive price points that resonate with consumers.
Additionally, Freedom emphasizes transparency in its pricing strategy, clearly communicating the value proposition of its products through marketing and packaging. Freedom strives to make its healthy cooking oils accessible to a wide range of consumers without sacrificing quality or nutritional benefits. This commitment to provide a value for money products highlights Freedom’s dedication to making healthy cooking accessible to all.
Q. In 2024 which markets represent the whitespace for growth?
The whitespace for Freedom Oil involves discovering untapped or under-served markets i.e. Geographic Expansion beyond Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, and Karnataka.
Tamil Nadu: Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai as these cities have large, health-conscious populations and strong retail infrastructure. Targeting smaller towns and rural regions with growing disposable income.
West Bengal-Kolkata: A large urban market with diverse culinary practices where sunflower oil can be promoted as a healthy cooking alternative.
Maharastra: Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur: Cities with a large, educated, and health-conscious population. Rapidly urbanizing with potential for growth.
Delhi-NCR: A large urban market with diverse culinary practices where sunflower oil can be promoted as a healthy cooking alternative.
Partnering with major e-commerce and quick commerce platforms can help us to tap a wider audience, especially tech-savvy and younger consumers.
Supermarkets and Hypermarkets: Ensuring strong presence and promotional activities in retail chains like Reliance Fresh, D-Mart, More and Spencer’s.
Q. How did the idea for the campaign series ‘Rice Bran Oil Kare Andar Se Safai’ come about?
The ‘Rice Bran Oil Kare Andar Se Safai’ campaign series was inspired by a deep understanding of rice bran oil’s health benefits, aiming to educate consumers amidst rising concerns about cholesterol-related health issues. By spotlighting Freedom Rice Bran oil’s unique attributes, such as 10000+ ppm of Oryzanol and natural antioxidants, the campaign effectively advocated for heart health. Through the relatable analogy of specialists cleaning stubborn stains, the message resonated with audiences, making it easy to understand and remember. Overall, the campaign emerged as a strategic response to health concerns, urging individuals to make the switch to rice bran oil for a healthier lifestyle.
The campaign aims to inform the public about the importance of using Freedom Rice Bran oil for daily cooking, given it has 10000+ ppm of Oryzanol and natural antioxidants. These components not only improve heart health but also actively promote an increase in good cholesterol while effectively reducing levels of bad cholesterol, offering consumers a pathway to elevate their well-being.
Q. Are you using an omnichannel strategy encompassing both traditional and digital media? Kindly elaborate.
Yes, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil uses an omnichannel strategy that seamlessly integrates both traditional and digital media channels to maximize reach and engagement. On the traditional front, the brand utilises television commercials, print advertisements, and collaborations with cooking shows to target a broad audience. These channels offer widespread visibility and credibility within established consumer demographics.
Simultaneously, Freedom uses the power of digital media platforms such as social media, websites, and influencer collaboration to connect with modern, digitally savvy consumers. Through engaging content, recipe videos, and interactive quizzes, the brand cultivates a vibrant online community centered around healthy cooking and lifestyle choices.
By combining both traditional and digital media, Freedom ensures a cohesive brand presence across multiple touchpoints, catering to diverse consumer preferences and effectively driving awareness, engagement, and loyalty in today’s dynamic marketing landscape.
Q. The company uses digital a lot. Is using digital about brand building or increasing sales?
For Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil, digital utilisation serves a dual purpose: brand building and sales amplification. While the company harnesses digital platforms for branding initiatives like engaging social media content, influencer collaborations, and educational campaigns, it also strategically employs these channels to drive sales through targeted advertising, e-commerce promotions, and online customer engagement.
Thus, digital endeavors not only bolster brand presence but also directly contribute to revenue generation by facilitating consumer interactions and purchase opportunities in the digital realm. This balanced approach ensures that Freedom maximizes the benefits of digital marketing, utilising it as a multifaceted tool to strengthen both brand equity and sales performance in today’s increasingly digital marketplace.
Q. When it comes to digital marketing new video formats are coming up. Does the company experiment in this area to surprise the young TG?
Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil recognizes the importance of staying ahead of digital marketing trends, especially in engaging the younger target demographic. The company actively experiments with new video formats to captivate and surprise this audience segment. Whether it’s short-form content optimized for platforms like Instagram Reels, or interactive videos that allow for user participation.
Freedom continually explores innovative ways to connect with young consumers in the digital space. By embracing emerging video formats, the brand not only stays relevant but also demonstrates its commitment to creativity and innovation, effectively capturing the attention and loyalty of the younger audience, who are increasingly drawn to novel and engaging content experiences.
Q. We are moving towards a cookieless world. How will the company adapt its strategy?
As we are moving towards the cookieless world, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil is committed to adapting its strategy to maintain effective engagement with consumers. The company recognizes the importance of personalized marketing efforts while respecting user privacy and data protection regulations. Freedom will focus on building direct relationships with its audience through first-party data collection.
This includes leveraging its website, social media platforms, and email marketing to gather insights directly from consumers. By understanding their preferences, behaviors, and interests, Freedom can create tailored content and experiences that resonate with its audience without relying on third-party cookies.
Overall, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil is committed to embracing the changes brought about by the cookie less world by prioritizing transparency, consumer trust, and personalized engagement strategies to continue delivering value to its audience.
Q. Do you also do brand integration of the product in shows on TV and OTT?
Yes, Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil actively engages in brand integration by featuring its product in popular TV shows and OTT platforms. The brand strategically collaborates with shows such as “Bigg Boss Kannada/Telugu” and “Bombat Bhojana” to seamlessly integrate its cooking oil into the content.
By incorporating the product into kitchen segments, Freedom not only increases brand visibility but also showcases its usage and benefits in real-life scenarios. These integrations allow the brand to connect with a wide audience, including viewers who are passionate about cooking and health-conscious individuals seeking quality ingredients.
Moreover, aligning with popular shows fosters positive brand perceptions and potentially drives consumer engagement and loyalty. Through strategic brand integrations, Freedom effectively leverages the power of platforms to reinforce its brand messaging and reach diverse audience segments.
Q. Is using Bollywood brand ambassadors in the marketing strategy about building reach?
Currently our brand Freedom is limited to the states. Our brand is penetrated deep down to villages here. Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil doesn’t rely on Bollywood celebrities as brand ambassadors. Instead, the brand opts for regional stars like Yash and Radhika, prominent figures in Kannada cinema. This choice isn’t merely about extending reach; it’s about establishing a genuine connection with specific target demographics.
We have our operations primarily in the states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, so the choice of the brand ambassadors (The Rocking Couple) of Kannada film industry resonates well with the target audience. This approach cultivates a stronger emotional bond and credibility among the regional audience, aligning well with Freedom’s localised marketing strategy.
Q. What role does AI play for the company from product development to marketing?
AI plays a vital role for the company from product development to marketing.
Our manufacturing process is completely automated. In today’s environment, it is essential for all companies, including Freedom Healthy Cooking Oil, to adopt AI to succeed. It plays a crucial role in various aspects of our company operations, ranging from product development to marketing.
By utilising AI and Machine Learning, natural language processing, and predictive analytics, we can gain valuable insights into consumer preferences, streamlining processes across various departments, and encouraging innovation in our products and services. AI enables us to optimise production efficiency, anticipate market trends, and personalise marketing campaigns, ensuring that we deliver exceptional products and experiences to our customers.
