Mukunda Foods Private Limited: The Consumer Market Foray

Incorporated in 2012, Mukunda Foods Private Limited (Mukunda) was an Indian robotics company that focused on innovative, internet-enabled smart devices for use in home and industrial kitchens. These devices could be controlled with a smartphone application. Mukunda started as the manufacturer of the DosaMatic, an automatic tabletop machine that made dosas (a popular Indian food). The machine was targeted at the industrial market. Mukunda’s chief executive officer had to design the marketing strategy for the April 2016 launch of the company’s range of ready-made batters aimed at the consumer market. Subsequently, the company planned to launch the consumer version of its DosaMatic machine. The chief executive officer was aware that the consumer market posed challenges different from the industrial market in terms of product and branding decisions, pricing, promotion, and distribution. He also knew that as a start-up, Mukunda could not match larger competitors in their distribution and promotional spending, especially given that Mukunda was simultaneously developing several new products (such as automated roti- and curry-making machines), which required consistent investments in research and development. What was the best strategy for Mukunda’s unique circumstances?

The primary objectives of the case include the following:<br><ul><li>To design marketing strategies for start-ups and companies with smaller marketing budgets.</li><li>To design marketing strategies for new product launches in the fast-moving consumer goods market for a company that is traditionally an industrial product manufacturer.</li><li>To understand how to develop breakthrough products frugally—from product idea to commercialization.</li><li>To understand the journey of a start-up from its inception to its expansion into diverse products, customer segments, and markets.</li></ul>

• Entrepreneurial marketing