Vadilal on wheels

The ice-cream maker has put around 10 fridges on wheels (VOWs) which are going around the city during the night, as people come out of their homes to celebrate Navaratri.

In a bid to celebrate the festival of Navaratri in style, Vadilal's ice-cream division has kicked off a mobile branding initiative in Ahmedabad called VOWS: Vadilal on Wheels.

The ice-cream maker has put on the road around 10 fridges on wheels (FOWs), which are going around the city during the night as people come out of their homes to celebrate the festival. People can buy Vadilal ice-cream from these VOWs/FOWs, without paying any extra money.

Talking about the objective behind VOWs, Devanshu Gandhi, managing director, Vadilal Industries, says, "On-ground visibility is a vital factor for driving sales. Studies have revealed that more consumers prefer to have food on the go. Thereby, we are trying to tap into the 'on-the-go consumption' segment through this initiative. Additionally, we will like to bring Vadilal within easy reach of consumers, which will help enhance brand recall."

Gandhi further adds, "The below the line (BTL) activity will also make the brand's cool treats available to the weary festive revellers and refresh them. Customer delight and service at no extra cost will be the activity's mantra."

VOWs, which is being executed by an Ahmedabad-based BTL agency called Awoke Entertainment, will help Vadilal reach out to at least five lakh consumers by the end of the festival. The FOWs will move around frequent colleges, popular youth hangout zones, and public gardens in the city.

The entire concept has been developed by the in-house marketing team of Vadilal Industries. Gandhi explains, "We wanted to make eating ice-cream more convenient and within easy reach of the consumer, without compromising on the hygiene and quality."

There have been some challenges while executing the activity. "No other organised ice-cream maker has ever sold ice-cream on wheels before in Gujarat. Ice-creams are mostly sold through pushcarts by local ice-cream vendors, and people do not trust the quality. We have, hence, tried to create trust among consumers by maintaining the hygiene and the quality of the ice-cream, to maintain sales."

Once the activity concludes, Vadilal may carry it out on a regular basis in the other cities of Gujarat.

Other than this, Vadilal has also started an online contest called 'Spot VOW contest' on Facebook. People will have to click pictures of the VOWs/FOWs and post them on the Vadilal wall. Vadilal will pick five winners each day, through the eight days of Navaratri.