Biryani wars: Rice brands spice up ad battle on World Biryani Day

As if the battle on social media between Veg. Biryani and Non-Veg. Biryani was not enough, we now have leading rice brands battling it out over Biryani in advertisement and on hoardings! The marketing tactics of Fortune Biryani Special Basmati Rice and India Gate Rice as they ambushed Dawaat Rice’s World Biryani Day caught the attention of commuters on the Western Express Highway last week.

Some of the most spoken about ambush marketing campaigns are the fallout of the Coca-Cola and Pepsi rivalry. During the World Cup Cricket 1996, Pepsi’s ‘Nothing Official About It’ campaign stole the limelight from Coca-Cola, who was the official sponsor. Pepsi repeated it during the World Cup last year, with its campaign for Sting energy drink, ‘Unofficial Sponsor of Blue Energy’ alluding to the Indian cricket team’s azure blue uniform. Once again, Coca-Cola was the official sponsor.

The leading rice brands seem to have taken a leaf from Pepsi’s book leading to a full-blown "Biryani Battle Royale". When Dawaat Rice put up its “World Biryani Day" hoarding, Fortune Biryani Special Basmati Rice, countered with "Every day is Biryani Day with Fortune" on a hoarding next to it. Not to be left behind, India Gate Rice jumped in claiming to be the best.

Ambush marketing, when done right, is like that perfectly timed witty comment – it grabs attention and leaves a lasting impression. It keeps brands on their toes. But it needs to be executed with flair so that the consumer relates to it and in this case, when there is biryani involved, it seems to have been a success, drawing attention to all the three brands! The winner is undoubtedly Fortune Biryani Special Basmati Rice which was first off the block to ambush Dawaat Rice! But for biryani lovers, the proof of the biryani is in the eating!