Storyboard18 | iD Fresh Food brand is 'built by consumers', says CMO Rahul Gandhi

In September 2021, the company filed a complaint with the WhatsApp Grievance Cell and Cybercrime, Bengaluru, after fake news that claimed its products contain cow bones surfaced on social media platforms. The WhatsApp forward further stated that the company only hires Muslims and that their products are halal certified, since the company was founded by Musthafa and his four cousins. According to the forward, Rs 35 crore the company raised in 2014 adhered to strict Sharia Islamic Law. WhatsApp forwards and messages were circulated on social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook.

Musthafa, who is also called the company’s ‘chief customer officer’ among his peers, posted a personal note on social media to call out the fake news and clarify the matter.

Musthafa said in the statement that their products use the finest vegetarian ingredients and are made in a facility that complies with the food safety management system.

He said, "We need to step up and stop the spread of misinformation, particularly in today's times when the reach and effects of information spread on social media occur at such a rapid pace."

A plague of our times, misinformation and fake news cause real-world impact with disastrous consequences in many cases.

“Whether it is about iD products or vaccines against COVID-19, harmful claims not backed up by sound evidence need to be called out. It is important and necessary,” he said in the statement.  The company has come out of the situation quickly and confidently.

Rahul Gandhi, chief marketing officer, iD Fresh Food, tells us that the brand is “built by consumers.” In such a situation, "consumer trust is all that matters."

In an interaction with Storyboard18, Gandhi talks about the brand’s strengths, creating a clean-label product, conscious consumers and "woke" culture, and more.

Edited excerpts…

Before coming on board, I was a close observer of iD. I was curious to know how the company is innovating everyday products one after the other. When I came on board in April 2020, the first thing I gathered was that the urge to innovate products in the company stems from the simple fact that there is always an opportunity to serve something better to the consumers.

Making everyday food products that have short shelf life without preservatives has been at the centre of every iD product. However, having just a host of innovative products is not enough. The brand is also successful because of its strong research and development team, solid supply chain, and deep understanding of market demands.

Bread is a natural extension of our portfolio. The inspiration behind the making of the product was if we can make batters that taste homemade, then making bread with clean ingredients shouldn’t be an impossible task. It took us two and half years to crack this. I do agree that clean label products do come at a higher price point, about 25 percent higher than most mass bread brands in the market but we are still affordable.

Over the years, we have understood that you cannot go overboard in creating niches that can’t be scaled up in the long term.

Consumers are always looking for tasty, healthy, and convenient packaged food brands. Then comes the price. Indian consumers look for value. However, value changes as per economic factors and changing lifestyles of consumers. With health taking centre stage, consumers don’t mind spending more money on clean products. We will continue to see this as a major trend shaping the category in the long run too.

With the boundaries blurring between information and misinformation, marketers need to be vigilant. All of this is not a recent phenomenon. I have seen brands from close quarters bearing the brunt of it. As a modern-day marketer, you need to constantly be on top of your social listening game. Once you understand the situation, always be in touch with your consumers. Talk to them. Do not wait too long. That’s exactly what we did. iD is a brand built by consumers and not advertising. Our quick response helped us gain more consumer support. We then reached out to the social media authority to understand the crux of the matter. The learning was if your brand is loved, nothing can stop you from growing.

Businesses and politics have different roles in society and should be kept away from each other. Businesses need to keep the economy going, make sure consumers buy goods and services, and keep the transaction wheel going on. Politics is a function of regulation. In my view, brands should talk about what they stand for, they should be sensitive and most importantly be aware of consumer sentiments.

Today, consumers can freely express themselves, whether they have anything to do with the subject matter is immaterial. Everyone is entitled to openly talk about their views, especially in the social media universe. Of course, it cannot be of harmful nature. Listening to consumers will only benefit marketers.

For instance, internally, we call Musthafa PC (iD Fresh Food's co-founder and CEO) the chief customer officer. He goes through all consumer complaints, and trust me not all are pleasant to read. Some of these consumers have nothing to do with the product, but he still goes through them. Brands cannot be cautious of people. You never know where your next insight will come from.

Working with both ITC and iD Fresh is a different yet similar experience. At ITC, where business processes are set up over years, decisions that come out are sometimes well thought through. However, sometimes that could slow down the decision-making process. On the other hand, at iD the risk appetite is very high. Many times, decisions are taken on the fly. Sometimes ideas and execution happen overnight. It is prone to failures, but at iD we encourage that. That’s the only way we will learn and get better. It is exciting to be a part of taking a homegrown startup to its next growth phase.