The 5-second rule: Does it apply to ice-creams?

While the jury is out on that one, with solid resistance from kids and popsicle-lovers, one thing is for sure- it surely applies to all the data around your ice-cream today. It cannot be dropped on the floors of ignorance or delays. IT and marketing teams have to eat it in real-time, before it melts.

Why and where is technology an important ingredient for the marketing teams in your company?

Our brand is a long-standing one with a strong presence in the Southern region. It has been nurtured on the essence of ‘goodness’. Our latest campaigns have also endeavoured to tap that theme – we just celebrated May Day by encouraging people to pause for a moment and express gratitude to the people who make their lives easier every day by giving a Dairy Day ice cream to delivery partners for free. Doing small things right has been our mantra. It’s important, then, that we understand what customers think, how they interpret and act on our brand image and how we engage them better. That’s where technology plays a crucial role.

All that we heard about shortages of eggs and ketchup in foreign department stores- raises new questions about the agility of data and forecasting for food companies. What’s your take?

Physical distribution has always been a strong point for us. We are close to our planned geographies with inventory management done in a well-equipped way. That confidence holds us in good stead. We have a tight grip on distribution. The capabilities that our Quick Commerce partners bring have added to it, too. Technology helps to add a lot of visibility with on-ground monitoring and deployment at scale. Data helps as a crucial lever.

How?

Our product is a seasonal product. Managing inventories and variety is also a big part of what our market needs. We have a very wide assortment with a different kind of supply-chain complexity. Data helps to predict, understand and deliver on demand.

With the Kedaara Capital strategic change and production expansion on your radar – what impact, and role, trickle towards IT?

We have a strong history and have been maximising our physical presence. We are rapidly expanding in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. From its beginnings in 2002, Dairy Day has grown well as a strong ice cream brand across South & West India, with over 150 products in 30+ flavours, equipped with a production capacity of 4 lakh litres per day. We are trying to complement all that scale, product strength and footprint with a strong mental imagery. Getting to the top 4-5 league, nationally, is our next destination. It helps to have technology that connects all departments seamlessly and helps us to understand the customer better. All functions have to be in a good rhythm to get it all right. IT plays a strong part there. Every single day, we have a lot of data to learn from, bring it in-house and leverage it for deepening a strong brand. There is a lot of data, social media and digital engagement happening today. Data is a good lever for a lot of decision-making.

What changes with Quick Commerce? Especially when swiping, scrolling and picking what pops in front of the eye that very second – these are behaviours that tend to dominate purchases on these channels? Does brand-building matter there?

There are multiple facets to this. Quick Commerce is a platform. Yes, browsing-led shopping is present but we also see search-based conversions and categories where users seek out brands. We have to ensure that we are prominent when customers look for us while also getting the branding, SKU management, thumbnails, availability of variety – everything right. It is a journey. We build as we go.

AI-created content in marketing is already being visible. Are the days of typical ad-agency brain-storming gone? How far will personalised and programmatic advertising go?

Today, a very real capability exists in the form of AI and more and more brands are trying it. We cannot forget that we have to create and maintain a strong brand. A brand with deep roots and identity will gain more from AI. It is a fast-evolving landscape. It does not take away the importance of customers understanding and engaging with the brand. As to ad-agencies, there is a use-case for everything. There is no one way. It is hard to predict which way it will all move ahead. Advertising partners bring a different kind of value and deeper engagement with collaboration. New tools are always coming in the industry. Strong brands build over time.

Have the cubicles of CIO and CMO come closer than before? Generally.

The days of siloes between marketing and IT are over. It’s now a time when multiple functions have to work together very closely and elevate each other instead of wasting time in isolation or conflicts. HR, Marketing, IT, Finance- every function lifts up every other function. We need a lot of tech-enablers to do that well.

What, about technology, has stood out to you in the last two to three years and what excites you for the next two-three years?

I have worked for 14 years and technology has helped to bring multiple sources of data together in an easy ‘click-and-tell’ way. Data helps various areas to talk to each other. It is a big shift seen in the last five to six years. All the conversations about AI will see a lot going mainstream in the next two years. That said, it will not be a world where A will replace B. Or B will replace C. it will be a world of integration. We will see less fragmentation of customers, channels and ommunication.