How The Belgian Waffle Co. utilised offline & online engagement tools to drive footfall

This case study explores how The Belgian Waffle Co. generated a buzz across digital platforms, and outdoors for National Waffle Day and how the campaign resulted in gaining 12,000+ followers and a surge in sales, propelling footfalls to 3 lakh plus across the active stores nationwide.

Category Introduction

In recent years, the waffle industry in India has experienced growth, evolving into a flourishing trend that has captured the imagination of food enthusiasts across the country. Driven by increasing exposure to global cuisines and vibrant culinary culture, waffles have become a sought-after treat, particularly among the younger population. This trend has given rise to a diverse range of waffle outlets, cafes, food trucks, and kiosks, each offering its own creative spin on this classic dessert.

While this growth of the waffle industry has been predominantly concentrated in urban centers, where a young, adventurous demographic eagerly embraces new food trends, the trend is gradually spreading to smaller towns and cities, reflecting the increasing demand for these treats beyond metropolitan boundaries.

Brand Introduction

Owned and operated by Bloombay Enterprises Pvt Ltd., The Belgian Waffle Co. was founded in India in 2015. The Belgian Waffle Co. serves Belgian-style waffles in India. The brand has over 430 stores across 130+ cities and operates in different types of store formats like café modes, kiosks, takeaway setups and mall stores.

Summary

On July 19, for the celebration of 'National Waffle Day', the brand's 360-degree campaign integrated both online (including digital) and offline (including Radio, OOH, In-Store, and transit platforms) activities, generating a huge buzz amongst the target audience. Offering waffles at a discounted price of Rs 100 on National Waffle Day, The Belgian Waffle Co. engaged its audience with throwbacks and engaging content. The campaign's spotlight was on the number '100'. The brand witnessed over 3 Lakh footfalls recorded across 434 active stores, pan India.

Objective

The primary campaign objective was to drive significant footfalls to their physical stores and create hype and excitement among TG while simultaneously leveraging digital channels to enhance their online presence. 

Brief

To create conversations and generate excitement around the pricing of Rs.100/- on National Waffles Day, which falls on 19th July. 
Drive footfalls in all 430+ outlets across India, while strategically communicating the brand's identity as the original waff-wich makers, offering 100% vegetarian delights.

Creative Idea

The creative idea behind The Belgian Waffle Co.'s campaign was to weave a narrative around the celebration of National Waffle Day and discounted waffles on July 19. They conceptualized the theme of #GetWaffling, which served as the core concept for the campaign.

The brand creatively leveraged various tools, such as engaging with users on social media with humor. The brand also went outdoors with a helicopter banner display.

Challenges

Striking the right balance of offline activities and online engagement to drive footfalls to physical stores required a well-orchestrated strategy to leverage both channels effectively which was difficult to achieve with unfavorable weather conditions in many cities across India. 

Execution

The 360-degree campaign with a theme of #GetWaffling conceptualized by SoCheers commenced with the teaser phase, generating buzz across digital platforms, and outdoors, building anticipation for the grand event on July 19th.

To further establish the importance of the day for The Belgian Waffle Co., the brand took to their digital platforms to unveil how people began conjuring up creative and humorous excuses to secure a day off from colleges and workplaces on that day. This thought of ‘giving excuses’ was taken alive across digital and outdoor advertising mediums like bus shelters across India.

The brand leveraged influencer marketing for the campaign. These influencers on Social Media and RJs on Radio with their ‘excuses’, further helped in creating a consistent tone of voice for the campaign.

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A post shared by The Belgian Waffle Co. (@thebelgianwaffleco)

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A post shared by The Belgian Waffle Co. (@thebelgianwaffleco)

As the campaign momentum grew, the brand shifted the focus to the number ‘100’ to emphasize the offering of ‘any waffle at 100 Rs’.

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A post shared by The Belgian Waffle Co. (@thebelgianwaffleco)

The brand created another video of a helicopter soaring above the Mumbai skyline, displaying a banner highlighting the offer and creating conversations on social media. 

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A post shared by The Belgian Waffle Co. (@thebelgianwaffleco)

Results

The campaign created a buzz that made people queue up outside the stores despite heavy downpours in many cities.

The campaign resulted in gaining 12,000+ followers and surge in sales, propelling footfalls to 3 lakh plus across 430+ active stores nationwide, in 1 day.

Ankit Patel, Executive Director and CEO of The Belgian Waffle Co, shared his joy, stating, "We are overwhelmed by the heart-warming response to our National Waffle Day campaign, and it brings us immense joy to see how people relish our waffles with such enthusiasm even in extreme weather conditions. It’s a true testimony of our brand, the product quality, and our ability to deliver a superior product experience at scale through meticulous planning and exceptional execution. Driven by innovation and an intuitive understanding of consumer preferences, we have always embraced modern trends and digital marketing, effortlessly connecting with a new generation of food enthusiasts, particularly the vibrant and tech-savvy GenZ audience. And, the National Waffle Day campaign stands as a testament to the brand's ability to create not just products, but genuine and shareable experiences that forge lasting memories.” 

Rajni Daswani, Head of Digital Marketing at SoCheers, enthusiastically shared, "Titled, the #GetWaffling the campaign has exceeded all expectations, transcending the conventional boundaries of product promotion to deliver an immersive experience. Witnessing the seamless conversion of digital engagement into tangible offline footfalls has been a great journey. The perfect synchronization of entertaining content that resonates with GenZ's preferences, coupled with an irresistible offer, has proven to be a winning strategy, resulting in tremendous success for the brand."