Kerala FMCG market study for the Aditi–Parisons brand

The challenge Aditi, the food brand of the Parisons Group, competes in a crowded Kerala FMCG market spanning edible oils, bakery and packaged staples. Aditi wanted an evidence-based view of where it truly stands in consumers' minds — which categories it wins, which it lags, how its advertising is remembered, and which attributes move purchase — so that marketing spend and product development could be aimed at the highest-return opportunities. Our approach We ran a structured consumer survey across Kerala, capturing a cross-section of respondents by age group and monthly income band. For each major category we measured unprompted brand preference, then layered in income- and age-segmented analysis, advertising recall (for both Aditi and key competitors), celebrity / brand-ambassador recognition, and association strength across five core attributes — trust, quality, health, taste, and value for money. Aditi–Parisons was benchmarked throughout against the relevant national and regional players: ITC–Aashirvaad, Saffola, Fortune, Britannia, Elite, Parle, Nirapara, Double Horse, and a large "other / locally available" pool. What we found Edible oils — a fragmented, opportunity-rich market. In Palmolein oil, locally available / "other" brands dominate (178 mentions), with Aditi–Parisons second among named brands (67), ahead of Saffola (50) and Fortune (42). Aditi performs especially well in the ₹40,000–₹50,000 and ₹60,000+ income brackets. In Sunflower oil, "other" again leads (108), Saffola is a close second (102), and Aditi–Parisons is third (74) ahead of Fortune (61). The heavy "other" share signals a fragmented market where a credible branded player has real room to consolidate share. Bakery (Rusk) — a clear weakness. Britannia dominates Rusk (126 mentions) across every age group, followed by Elite (87) and Parle (61). Aditi–Parisons trails badly at 15 mentions, indicating weak recall and shelf presence in this category. Advertising recall. Aditi ad recollection skews to "vague" for most groups — strongest among 20–30 year-olds and weakest among the 46+ segment. Elite's advertising resonates far more strongly, peaking in the 41–45 group (≈49% "good" and ≈25% "very clear" recollection) — a benchmark for what effective category advertising can achieve. In food advertising generally, Fahadh Faasil (188) and Basil Joseph (154) have by far the highest celebrity visibility. Brand attribute associations. - Trust: ITC–Aashirvaad leads decisively (209); Aditi–Parisons a clear second (112). - Health: ITC–Aashirvaad first (222); Aditi–Parisons second (111). - Quality: ITC–Aashirvaad first (353); Aditi–Parisons second (107). - Taste: Elite leads (211); Aditi–Parisons trails (72). - Joy & excitement: Elite leads (185); Aditi–Parisons lowest (36). - Value for money: Britannia leads (145); Aditi–Parisons last (77). The pattern is consistent: Aditi owns a credible #2 position on the rational attributes of trust, health and quality, but is weak on the emotional attributes of taste, joy and value. Category leadership perception. Asked who South India's biggest food company is, respondents named Nirapara (114) and Double Horse (100) first, with Parisons fourth (67) — recognised, but with clear headroom to grow salience. The plan we delivered - Lead with Health + Trust — Aditi's strongest, mutually reinforcing equities — and build product launches and campaigns around a clear nutritious-and-trusted positioning. - Fix the emotional gap: invest in taste (run taste studies and product experiments) and in joy / excitement-led creative, where the brand is weakest. - Strengthen value perception with bulk packs, combo deals and visible value messaging to close the gap with Britannia and Elite. - Win in oils: the fragmented, "other"-dominated oil market is the most consolidatable opportunity — concentrate branding and distribution effort there. - Adopt a consistent ambassador strategy, running sustained campaigns with a high-recall ambassador such as Basil Joseph to lift weak ad recollection. - Broaden reach by pairing regional strength with wider, more consistent national branding.