Pulse: The candy with a tangy twist

Abstract

As of March 2017, Pulse candy, a hard-boiled candy with a ‘tangy twist’, has become a 300-crore sale in two years beating MNCs like Coke and Cadbury. Essentially operating in the low-priced segment, they are a phenomenon which is worth the spectacle. It had reached 100 crores sales in eight months of its launch, which is a milestone in itself. In the new corporate headquarters, a 6 lakh square feet office space, Rajiv Kumar says, “We want to be a conglomerate…the tobacco business is just 25 percent of our revenue today,” to Shaurya Sharma, Marketing Foods Media, and Events at DS Group. Pulse has been a recent success and relying on it further was amongst their priorities. “Gutka has damaged the perception of Rajnigandha,” he continues. Tata Strategic Management Group had promised increasing knowledge with the right marketing strategy. They were still holding onto that, not sure if it would deliver good insights for conglomerate deliverance. In the market of 8,500 crore, which is growing at 8-10%, as of 2014, Nielsen reports more than 3,200 brands operating in this category. Is it just the love for mangoes that Indians have? How crazy are they about it? Or is it all the pieces of the puzzle were put together for the success story?