KFC launched its 5-in-1 meal box in India with an unusual collaboration with Mumbai's 125-year-old iconic food delivery network of dabbawalas.
In an innovative marketing campaign, several Mumbai dabbawalas delivered KFC's meal boxes, along with their usual tiffin boxes to customers today afternoon. The new boxes contained a combination of popular KFC dishes such as chicken burger, rice and gravy, hash brown, hot and crispy chicken and hot wings.
"The insight was simple -- people want more in less. Our new offering is the perfect lunch meal and we are thrilled to launch it in association with the dabbawalas in Mumbai," Lluis Ruiz Ribot, CMO of KFC India said in a statement.
An integral part of Mumbai, the dabbawalas are named after the tiffin boxes (dabbas in Hindi) that they deliver to office-goers across the city using bicycles and trains. The boxes are sorted and distributed through a system of colour-coding, numbering and symbols. It is estimated that around 5,000 dabbawalas deliver about 200,000 tiffin boxes containing fresh, home-cooked lunch daily.
This is a 1st ! Guess who brought me my @KFC_India lunch? Yes, these are #dabbawalas who delivered it! #KFCBoxwalas pic.twitter.com/slII1rMzjz— Tarika Singh (@tarikasingh) March 28, 2016
So cool, @KFC_India! The dabbawalas of #Mumbai surprised some people with their new 5-in-1 Meal Box. :) #KFCBoxwalas pic.twitter.com/xA7uHwjfLW— The Potpourri Girl (@TaariniNB) March 28, 2016
Their pick up and delivery service is so efficient and successful that it has been studied by academics and consultants including the Harvard Business School and even been used for last-mile delivery by Indian e-commerce giant Flipkart.
Over the years, the dabbawalas have been featured in songs and movies such as The Lunchbox. They have also been a part of several advertising campaigns before KFC, ranging from a WHO campaign to raise awareness on vector-borne diseases as well as promotions for TV shows such as Bigg Boss and MasterChef.