We all have witnessed countless articles about the DS Group’s success story of its extraordinary candy, Pulse, that has earned a revenue of 150 crore rupees in just a year. Yes of course like its name spells out that the candy truly has put a finger on soft spot of Indian taste buds, raw mango and amchur, all packed in a candy. Pulse, being a product in the FMCG’s confectionery category has changed the dynamics of the industry. Before Pulse it was believed that for any new product to gain attention in this segment requires a lot of trials which are pulled through a strong ATL campaign and is supported by strong BTL presence. But Pulse has had almost no ATL promotions for so long and yet is the name on everyone’s mouth.

It all started with a very strong R&D team who discovered the mouth tempting flavor combination. Also to their amuse they realized that any powdered ingredient with a hard boiled flavored candy should be released slowly and smoothly as the ingredient in this case was aamchur, which if released too quickly can leave you with a sour face :p. After a lot of research the candy makers created a funnel like cavity in which the powder is sealed and gave it a perfectly hard coating which ensured the smooth flow of the aamchur. This made the product unique and its taste out of this world! ( I alone have contributed Rs.50,000 to that 150 crore ). This feature is hard to be copied and is one of the biggest reasons another competitor did not place a similar candy on the shelves yet. But the past has witnessed many great flavor Gods being faded out from the market soon after their launch. So what was so different in Pulse’s go-to-market strategy?

The answer is simple. Apart from the strong product development, it was very tight distribution, strong presence at point of purchase and most importantly word of mouth popularity leading to large number of product trials.

The candy was first introduced in the western parts of the country, Gujarat and Rahasthan, where it found the segment that truly supports the candy’s kachcha aam and aamchurflavour. There the company, DS Group, used its strong distribution mechanism of other products like Rajanigandha which helped them reach the shelves of the local confectionery (paan waala). At these local paan walas the sales of the candies are in a disguised fashion. It is made in the form of exchange for left over change which is due from the purchase of an oddly priced cigarette. Hopefully you know about the price hikes of cigarettes which have left them at odd prices like Rs. 13 a stick. So normally the paanwala gives candies or chewing gums when he is short of change to return. At this point it is very important for a candy to have visibility there. Pulse took advantage of this situation to the max. This was done through a very simple sales pitch for the retailers to induce trials. It was “Sir ek baar khaiye , iske beech me churan bhara ha, bahut acha taste hai”  ( Sir try this once, it has a churan powder within the candy and taste is good ).  This sales story was so simple unlike other product’s sales stories which are hardly relevant for the retailers, understanding and reciting them- forget about it. Once the trials came in, the product took it forward with successful word of mouth promotion. This was followed by its distribution in Delhi and UP which made it a bigger success. With Pulse demand now soaring so high that it started selling at a premium, it had to be supported well through the distribution. Some key initiatives towards this were -Extensive coverage (more than 80% market ) , frequent refills at outlets , and overall tight distribution norms .These helped Pulse be available ate every nook and corner of each city. 

And now Pusle has come up with another traditional Indian flavour of Guava whose success is yet to be measured. Sources also reveal tthat DS group has appointed Scarecrow Communications as its official agency. The company is also planning to cover export as part of its expansion strategy. Let’s hope they shatter more records.

For more details watch the YouTube video by CNBC on “Pulse Candy Takes India By Storm”