Nestlé re-launches Bar One after six years

The product, packaging and communication have been revamped. The re-launch campaign, which has the tagline, 'Kaafi Hai', targets college-goers

After a lengthy hiatus of six years, Nestlé has re-launched its chocolate brand, Bar One. During this period, Nestlé Bar One has been available in the market, but was not advertised at all.

B Kannan, general manager, chocolates and confectionery, Nestlé India, informs, "Rigorous work with the technology centres has enabled us to develop taste superiority in Bar One, which is supported by consumer research. We have, therefore, re-launched it as the companion for the confident young Indian. This re-launch campaign goes beyond the product benefit and strengthens the emotional experience of the consumer."

Nestlé Bar One is available at price points of Rs 5 and Rs 10, and this new thrust is further strengthened by revamped packaging which is fresh, youthful and premium.

Regarding the chocolate and confectionery category, Kannan continues, "This category is an evolving one. Nestlé India has grown steadily and has created new segments that are more relevant to emerging consumer needs and wellness preferences. It is now the leader in the chocolaty wafer segment for 'lighter eating' and 'whites'. It continued to innovate and renovate for portion control in its brands, including KitKat, Munch, Milky Bar and Bar One."

Bar One has now returned from the back-burner with a campaign titled 'Kaafi Hai'. The catch-phrase bears a double meaning. At the surface level, the message is that the chocolate is loaded with caramel and nougat, and is, hence, filling enough. At a deeper level, the brand encourages youngsters to be themselves, as that would be enough (kaafi hai) to impress the opposite gender.

The target group thus comprises young, college-going boys and girls. There are three TVCs in all, two of which focus on a guy impressing girls; and one where guys are at the receiving end of female attention. The common thread in all is the product that urges attention-seekers to be themselves, instead of desperately donning the wannabe hat.

The creative duties for the brand lie with JWT, Delhi. Anuja Chauhan, former executive creative director and vice-president, JWT Delhi, who has worked on the campaign, elucidates, "It was like working on a clean slate; pretty much like launching the brand than re-launching it."

In the first TVC, which is currently on-air, a young boy tries to impress a couple of trendily dressed girls by riding past them on his fast bike. The VO states that at that speed, he would not be able to see their faces clearly; nor will the girls be able to catch a glimpse of his. A calm, composed guy, munching a Bar One, then opens the back door of a truck, into which the guy on the bike crashes. The girls gravitate towards the boy eating the chocolate.

The execution is noteworthy, with its splash of colours, comic-book style static images, and styled text superimposed on the images.

This 'Use the product; get the girl' positioning is usually seen in ads for deodorants, bikes or cars. About its use in a chocolate brand, Chauhan reasons, "This is a high-involvement category and the youth believe in being themselves; in fact, they admire people who are always themselves. Thus, this kind of positioning works."

Internationally, over time, the brand has been positioned as a product that makes the consumer develop a hard-to-miss aura of 'The Bar One Man'. "No special efforts were taken to maintain sync with this global positioning of Bar One; this campaign is very India-centric," Chauhan states. She goes on to inform that the chocolate is very popular down South, especially in Kerala. Kannan concurs, telling afaqs! that the brand position could be similar across countries; but the positioning is kept in sync with local consumer insights.

The campaign will be primarily TV, outdoor and digital-led and will not be continuous; it will be rolled out in bursts. More specifically, the second TVC for the brand will be aired after a few weeks, and the third one will be released in November. Following that, the plan is to air all three films simultaneously for a while. Besides TV, below-the-line activation in colleges and point of sales branding is on the cards.

Campaign kaafi hai?

The positioning doesn't seem to have gone down too well with industry experts.

Amit Akali, national creative director, Grey, opines, "The ad seemed a bit confused. They say "Upari tashan kyon?" which is somehow like the Sprite positioning. Then, they show the guy getting the girls. So, what are they trying to say? If you eat Bar One, you'll get women? If so, it's an extremely done route. Chicklets did it fabulously 10 years ago with 'Chicklets - It works'."

"Some great work has been released in this category recently, including Cadbury's Shubh Aarambh campaign and the Kit Kat Squirrel commercial. This one just doesn't match up," he adds.

Shivanand Mohanty, aka Doc, national creative director, Dentsu Communications, enthuses, "It is great to see Bar One back in action. Visually, the film has a lot of energy and is striking; even the graphics feel fresh."

He, however, adds that the idea could have been fresher as 'Use the product; get the girl' is a much used and abused formula for many categories. "When done well, with wit and style, this formula works. In this Bar One execution, though, it seems a bit forced," he concludes.