Repositioning Maharashtra in the world tourism map.

To the rest of world when you think of fascinating tourist spots in India the only thing
that comes to mind is the Taj Mahal the historic monument in Agra. That no longer holds true and every state has made their representation and mark in International tourism to draw tourists to India. Each state has chalked out their own marketing and communication strategy to position their state in the best and most unique manner to woo tourist to their destination. While Kerala was the first to start in the most aggressive manner Maharastra was one of the late starters to promote the state as an attractive tourist destination. The state has made rigorous effort over the last 6 years to get recognition as an important tourist destination in the world.

It‘s all about perceptions:
One is really surprised that a progressive state like Maharastra ignored tourism for many years. The state is always perceived more as an industrial state with major focus being to encourage industrial projects. Also since Mumbai being seen as the financial capital importance to promote the state as a tourist attraction never figured high on the agenda. While Mumbai is connected very well with the rest of world with world class airport the tourist always disembarked at Mumbai as the transit point to reach other tourist destination in India. This is despite Maharashtra having world heritage sites, rich in history, Buddhist caves, a 730 kms coastline, unspoilt beaches and hill stations. Since these destinations did not have any image unlike kerala, the tourist spots never figured in the consideration set of the traveler when choosing any tourist destination. Therefore the first task for the state was to re position the state, heighten awareness and get the brand into the consideration set of potential tourists.
Rebranding Maharashtra :
Positioning the state was a tough challenge. As the state did not have any one unique offering unlike other states such as Kerala which was known for its beautiful backwaters, Rajasthan for its forts, Goa for its beaches and the Southern states for its pilgrimage sites positioning the state differently was not easy. When we probed with some consumers about the travel destination in Maharashtra we found the state had little of everything beginning from its forts, beaches, temples, heritage, pilgrimage, and wildlife sanctuary and hill station. The state also had a strong connect with Bollywood .We had the option of positioning Maharastra as a 70 MM holiday experience but we felt that would strongly skew towards only Bollywood and will be more Mumbai centric and thereby missing out some of the other attraction in the state. Since the state had plentiful to offer as travel spots it was decided to position the state has SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE which gave rise to the new slogan or tagline MAHARASHTRA UNLIMITED.A new logo and identity was created which was then used in all the print and collateral communication. The logo was a typographical design using very bright yellow and touch of orange color supplemented by neat and contemporary typeface to give an earthy look.

The new positioning was then translated into print communication promoting each destination. Initially the print campaign was promoted only in the domestic market but in the next stage efforts was made to promote only the heritage sites in some select international market. Here Ajanta and Ellora the most famous heritage sites was showcased in a very interesting manner. In the next phase to dissuade outbound tourist from visiting international tourist spots due to 9/11 a separate campaign was created to benchmark Maharastra with some of the other exotic locations in the world. Why go anywhere else? was the proposition for the campaign. It was important that the campaign delivered credibility and it was ensured that the photography of the exotic destinations in Maharashtra transported the same to the audience.
Next Big Leap:
The repositioning and re branding lifted the awareness of Maharashtra but it was still not seen as a happening destination amongst international tourist. The state also became suddenly ambitious to double the tourist traffic from the global space. Since the state did not own one unique property like other states the challenge to take it to the next level was a big one. The strategy was to ensure foreign tourist not to use Mumbai as a transit port. This mooted the state to look at what Palace on Wheels is doing to Rajasthan? The state also realized some pedestal or platform was required to create a hook to pull the tourist This gave birth to the idea of launching a Luxury train which was the best and most viable option available as the train could travel across Maharasthra touching all destinations in regal style. The train was branded as Deccan Odyssey and an interesting print campaign was unveiled in some world class magazines in all Europe, US, and other key markets in Asia. A four ad print campaign showcasing stunning visuals depicted the way royalty traveled in the past, on a train of elephants, palanquins, horse drawn carriages and boats hit some best magazines internationally. To communicate the richness of experience premium and rich imagery were used showing the ways royalty traveled in the ancient times. The print campaign was well supported by online booking and marketing of the train through travel agents in the international markets. Today Deccan Odyssey is the jewel of Maharashtra. Condensate traveler one of the reputed international travel magazine has seeded Deccan Odyssey amongst the top luxury trains in the world according to the survey done by them.
The launch of the luxury train has definitely catapulted the state in the world tourism map. The success of this has already prompted Kerala and Karnataka to introduce Luxury trains in their respective states. The state has still got to do a lot to match the world class destination. While airports are modernized and infrastructure is looked at closely the passion to promote the state as hot tourist spots should not get dried fast.
While print campaigns and participating in travel exhibition will generate awareness but it is important we must use our foreign offices and diplomats to promote the state. Credibility has to be built among travel operators and foreign tourists about the state. Strong PR strategy needs to be evolved through fam tours and diplomatic relations to make the state as one of the most attractive tourist place.
The state should look at tourism also an industry that will generate employment and earn good foreign exchange revenue. The tourist arrival has really shot up in last few years.
Today it is close 6 million but we are way behind to even Singapore who attract close to 10 million each year. So where is the lacuna? Only continuous introspection, aggressive and friendly policies from the government on the tourism front will help us in increasing tourist arrivals.

Eating out. A New lifestyle for Indian consumer

With the tax rebate announced in the recent budget and more disposable income in people’s hand will definitely increase the propensity to spend. Eating out and tasting new cuisines will increase amongst the new Indian consumer especially in the age group between 20 and 45 years across metros and mini metros. It is this age group that is emerging fast and is always looking for newness in everything. What’s more interesting, in this category is that while there are traditional food eating joints on street corners but it is the new eating places both Indian and international brands that are emerging each day either at a multiplex or shopping mall in the form of food courts and standalone restaurants offer a wide spread of cuisines.

If you go to south mumbai people throng to this place called Khao Gully, which offers a wide range of eating choices, which is quite tasty but misses the value of a brand and to a large extent the hygiene aspect is questionable. To me these food courts have already been in existence in India over the last few years. Surprisingly these food courts contribute a substantial amount to the cash box of malls and multiplexes that make brisk business from food.

Changing trends in eating: With the organized retail growing and with the retail food market estimated around is 33billion dollars; more eating-places will emerge as the average Indian spends a substantial penny in eating outside. With boredom setting in with many Indian consumers the urge to eat out side has become a must every weekends if not every day. One of the other reasons to venture eating out is lack of time available in hand and it is easier to go out and have a good family outing during weekends. Today the Indian consumer whether its family or individuals seek huge value on dining., which the food courts offers them with great value deals and a great ambience to eat. For an young executive who is working in a BPO eating out saves time especially after long hours of work at the workplace.

What drives eating out? : Just like the 4ps of marketing the same principle works here also:

Price: Is it affordable? A consumer will typically look for best value deals especially when one goes out with large family. Do the place I plan visit accepts plastic currency. Enjoy now pay later has been the mantra of most Indian consumer, which has also influenced the consumers to go full hog when it comes to eating out.

Place: One looks at the proximity of the eating-place to save time. But that is not true today if I want a mouthwatering memorable meal I will still go that extra mile to relish it. Do the place offer a buffet? Is it convenient for me to park my car at that place.

Can I celebrate my kid’s birthday? Do the place offer special rates for parties. Can I get the right ambience for having a do at the place? Can it accommodate a large number of guests for any celebrations?

Product: Does the place have a large spread and dishes to offer? Will I get Italian, Mexican or Chinese? Will my taste buds come alive to have a great feast? If I go with my family will all of them get their choice of dishes? Do they give takeaways?

Promotion: Strong branding, merchandising, exciting offers and word of mouth communication will play a key role to generate good traffic and awareness about the place. Experiential marketing strategy will further augment in promoting the place as the customers need to feel the place with strong interface with the brand in terms of ambience and the product offerings to entice consumer with a unique experience

Tight Competition: The food joint brands market is buzzing with new aroma and cuisines. Today an enthusiastic foodie has got an extensive choice starting from pizza corners, multi cuisine, theme restaurants, Pubs, Discos to food courts in shopping malls. The huge invasion of food joints and restaurant has changed the lifestyle of the Indian consumer. The new age Indian consumer has become savvier when it comes to eating out. While he gets to know about the brand from advertisements and strong word of mouth communication but it is utter experience of the place that makes him faithful to the brand. Most of the foodie keep experimenting and trying new eating-places to match their taste pallet. Eating formats with new options both Indian and multinational brands are entering the crowded bandwagon of foods brands everyday. But to tempt the Indian customer these brands need to offer good and authentic food, multiple cuisines, value for money deals and a friendly atmosphere with an inviting ambience and unforgettable dining experience.

Branding, Positioning & Promotions: Strong Branding, Clever strategy and clear positioning helps most food and eating out joints stay in limelight. Like in the pizza category where most of them offer me too products a strong differentiation needs to be packed in to win the customer. In the case of Domino’s they called themselves as the Pizza delivery Experts. The brand has been using celebrities from Bollywood to promote their brand with a very catchy line Hungry Kya?. The brand has been strongly entrenched in the consumers mind as one of the pizza brands when it comes to having a pizza.

Similarly there are other brands that have occupied certain distinctive positioning slot based on their product offerings. For example in the case of the eating place Oh Calcutta in Mumbai it is very clear that the place offers authentic Bengali cuisine and therefore it is easy to position the brand for its authentic Bengal food. Likewise there is the brand Mainland China that is solely known for its authentic Chinese cuisine. Here again the core product offering positions the brand with ease for original Chinese delicacies.

We have also have many food courts which are opening at various malls which has everything to offer under one roof like a departmental stores when it comes to eating. Most of the food courts become familiar when the consumer goes shopping inside the multiplex or a mall. While the shopping gives a different buying experience it is lively engagement and the buzz around the food courts that entertains the customer after a very hectic shopping spree. Future Group’s Big Bazaar has launched a separate food court with the brand name SPOON. You will find this food court in some of the malls associated with Future Group. Over 20 different cuisines starting from Indian, Chinese, Italian, Mexican are made available .The food court has managed to brand each of its product offerings with interesting brand names that connects with the food or snack.