Rebel Foods appoints Essence as its integrated media agency in India

Essence will be responsible for the growth of brands like Behrouz Biryani, Faasos, Oven Story Pizza, Wendy’s and EatSure.

Essence, a global data and measurement-driven media agency that is part of WPP’s GroupM, today announced that it has been appointed as the integrated media agency of record by Rebel Foods in India. Led out of its Mumbai office, Essence’s scope of work includes strategy, analytics, media planning and media activation for the internet restaurant company’s brand marketing activities.

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Mumbai, Rebel Foods is home to brands such as Faasos, Behrouz Biryani, Oven Story Pizza, Lunch Box, Mandarin Oak, The Good Bowl, SLAY Coffee, Sweet Truth and Wendy’s. With a network of over 4,000 restaurants across over 450 kitchens in more than 70 cities spanning 10 countries worldwide, the company has developed its own operating system of culinary innovation, robust supply chain and full-stack technology, through which food brands are launched and scaled up in a very short period of time. Rebel Foods currently operates over 45 own and partner brands, ranging from startups to global majors, to cater to consumers’ different food missions.

As part of the partnership, Essence’s first few activities for Rebel Foods include campaigns for Faasos targeting fast food lovers and Sweet Truth celebrating midnight cravings, along with integrated communications plans for Behrouz Biryani and the company’s food court on an app experience, EatSure, in key markets.

Commenting on the partnership, Ankush Grover, Co-Founder and India CEO, Rebel Foods, said, “We are on a journey to build the world’s most exciting and delightful food company, serving the highest quality of brands across customer food missions in every neighbourhood in the world. Keeping our vision in mind, it is inevitable for our brands to have a communication strategy that focuses on customer-first offerings, while complementing our brand promise. Over the years, our communication has been authentic, relatable, creative, innovative, and at the same time, has reflected the brand’s core value. We believe Essence is an ideal partner to help us in our journey with an insight-led analytical approach, while bringing a unique style of creativity and innovation. We are looking forward to collaborating with Essence on some exciting campaigns and strategies.”

“Rebel Foods is a revolutionary, fast-growing cloud kitchen operator with multiple food brands in its portfolio. With our data-driven approach to strategy, analytics and media, focused on delivering value to brands and consumers through innovation, we see opportunities to help Rebel Foods drive greater synergies and efficiencies across its brands, while defining bespoke growth paths for each brand,” said Sonali Malaviya, Managing Director, India, Essence. “We are thrilled to collaborate with Rebel Foods on its exciting growth journey and become its ally in achieving its growth goals.”

Rebel Foods joins Essence’s diverse portfolio of clients across its Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai offices, covering a mix of high-growth, technology-driven startups as well as established local and global companies. Since Essence’s entry into India in 2016, the agency has seen an increasing demand by companies for its transformational data-driven approach to marketing, use of media and creativity to deepen relationships with consumers, and expertise in accelerating brand and business growth.