Zespri teaches Indians how to eat kiwifruit in its first-ever TVC

The campaign features Bollywood child actor Harshaali Malhotra, brand ambassador for Zespri Kiwifruit.

The New Zealand-based Zespri International launched its first ever 360-degree advertisement campaign across multiple channels in India on July 7. Targetting India as a key growth market for 2016, the campaign revolves around its Green and SunGold variants.

Keeping 'taste' as the core message of its communication, the television ad campaign attempts to educate Indian consumers on 'How to eat kiwifruit.'

Speaking about the new campaign, Ritesh Bhimani, markets manager, Zespri India, says, "Since the demand and awareness for Zespri Kiwifruits is on the rise, the objective of our new and first-ever 360 degree campaign is to reach out to end-consumers, educate them about the taste and how to eat the fruit, as well as induce trials."

Although, the brand Zespri International forayed into the Indian market a few years ago with its kiwifruit, it never attempted to advertise its key product at such a strategic level. Until now, the brand has advertised only through social media platforms such as Facebook, which failed to grab the attention of the consumers.

Therefore, for Zespri International, the impetus is now on its marketing efforts in India in order to educate consumers about the wonders of the kiwifruit. "The campaign is a huge leap for us in terms of experimenting with unique marketing strategies coupled with off-ground events and activities," explains Bhimani.

In a first for any fruit brand to advertise itself on national media in such a quirky and unique manner, the brand has roped in Bollywood child actor Harshaali Malhotra, Zespri's brand ambassador for India's 2016 season, for the ad campaign. Created by Zero:Zero Creative Solutions, the multi-media campaign conveys the message through Malhotra, who in the role of a squad commandant, leads an army that breaks into a dance after eating the Zespri Kiwifruit.

Speaking about the campaign, Kaushik Roy, partner, Zero:Zero, says, "When we took the first bite of the fruit, we realised we hadn't tasted anything like this ever! And we thought, the experience deserved a new word -- Zurprised. This led us to launch the TVC, in which a battalion of hardened soldiers discover the zurprising effect of Zespri Kiwifruits."

According to Roy, the idea was to educate consumers about the way the kiwifruit is eaten. "In India, whenever people get a fruit, they just peel it off and eat. But, a kiwifruit is not eaten in this manner. Rather, it is cut into two halves and then using a tablespoon, scoops are taken out and eaten," informs Roy.

This novel and playful way of eating the kiwifruit, which is so different from the way consumers eat any other fruit, piques their curiosity.

"To achieve quick-branded cut-through communication, we used Malhotra not just as a cute prop, but in a totally unexpected way -- as an army commander, who urges her battalion to cut, scoop, and be zurprised," explains, Kumar Subramaniam, partner, Zero:Zero.

So, at the end of the TVC, the soldiers are shown dancing, after relishing the taste of the kiwifruit.

The campaign also touches upon different aspects of Zespri Kiwifruit such as its taste, health benefits, how and when to eat the fruits, and recipes. The brand uses various platforms such as television, print, radio, OOH, and the digital media to encourage purchase and acceptability.