Coxinhas from Ragazzo make the operation fatter, but sfihas are the flagship of the group whose marketing is led by Rafael Polachini
Habibs sells 500 million sfihas a year. The champion is the meat variant, but it is the coxinhas that fulfill the desire for expansion of the genius brand, which is now present in 17 states. With the Ragazzo Express chain, the group created in So Paulo in 1988 democratizes access to food away from home, a sector that moves more than R$540 billion in Brazil, according to the Brazilian Food Industry Association (Abia).
Around 200 million customers today pass through the 550 units of the company, which also owns the Tendall Grill steakhouse chain. The communication work is carried out by marketing director Rafael Polachini, who gave PROPMARK the following interview.
How to unite product and brand work?
We have a product innovation track aligned with the brand proposal, with the launch of irreverent products. The Carnival strategy, with alcoholic sfihas, followed the positioning, translated under the concept Call everyone, which sheds light on a democratic, accessible Habibs, which is convenient and cost-effective, in addition to the attitudinal issue, having the crowd together, having fun, having a full table. We seek to connect with the younger consumer. The alcoholic sfihas were a reinterpretation, an unusual idea, developed by the research and development area, which strengthens the strategy of having themed products, capable of generating conversation, and that meet the communication seasonality of our calendar.
Is pinching the competition part of the strategy?
Last year, in September, the month of esfiha, we ran a campaign with four flavors inspired by competitor sandwiches. Afterwards, there was worm sfiha on Halloween, in partnership with Fini, and, at the World Cup, in November, we launched the Bibsfihas for those who did not go, a tribute to the countries that were not part of the World Cup in Qatar. These innovations express the brand and our positioning.
What stocks are running?
AlmapBBDO is our agency. We are having a rotation of Bibsfihas and then we will have a campaign reinforcing the cost-benefit ratio. Habibs has this differential. We still see a complex scenario of food prices, and we always want to promote access and better promotions.
How to make eating away from home more accessible?
The calendar looks at collective consumption, bringing excellent cost-benefit combos. As much as price is something that is increasingly important in the food service category, there is still nothing like Habibs, where it is possible to order, for example, 50 Bibsfihas for R$97.90. We often talk about feeding between 10 and 12 people for a ticket of less than R$100. Something that fits our proposal. Still in this first semester, we will have combos for people and actions in channels, trying to bring innovations. We need to deliver value for money, with this differentiation, but we also need to deliver value. More than positioning, being accessible and democratic, we want to offer the best at the lowest prices.
Is it possible to customize the sale of sfihas?
Personalized deliveries generate proximity. Extrapolating the issue of price and cost-effectiveness, and entering the territory of the offer that best fits the customer journey, the last few years have seen a lot of acceleration in digital transformation. Even with everything that happened in the Covid-19 pandemic, we already had tradition. We were one of the pioneers in network delivery, in 2002. The person placed an order, it was attended to by a call center, and if delivery was not carried out within 28 minutes, the customer did not have to pay for the order. This know-how was important, but, obviously, the pandemic accelerated the change in the buying habit, which became much more digital. During this period, everything was very transactional, and we started to incorporate personalized offers into our relationship strategy, working on understanding behavior at several layers. Acting in a segmented and assertive way will be an increasingly relevant differentiator.
How to work the purpose of the brand in digital?
Personalization translates our concept on the internet. In recent years, we have restructured marketing and integrated consumer insights, CRM and digital platforms into our pricing strategy. We need this ecosystem in place to ensure relevance to customers. We need to have the right offer, for the right person, that connects with communication, business strategy and indicator management. It is no longer possible to live in silos, of mass communication, of the offer, of the data strategy, of the relationship with the consumer. This needs to be an ecosystem, which feeds back. Today, this much more dynamic scenario opens up countless possibilities.
Veremos o gnio no metaverso?
This controversial subject. We have had moments of deprivation in recent years, everything has become very sensitive, with a world that is more thorny and more difficult to live with. Just as Habibs has always been the place for people to come together and have a good time, we believe that life is more enjoyable when we pull another chair to the table, when there is good laughter. The metaverse and all the day-to-day transformation still cannot replace the experience and focus on the customer, on the real experience, on the moments that we experience again.
What is the role of influencers?
Advertising is dynamic, which distances us from large productions, which are on the air for a short time and are little commented on. Influencers elevate the brand’s potential to connect with a specific tribe. This strategy is on our radar. Digital brings proximity and allows the creation of a plural and segmented strategy. We try to unite content with brand strategy and personalization to generate value. There is no longer any way to communicate without thinking about influencers. The audience is undeniable. The habit of Brazilians, who are more connected than in other parts of the world, favors the influence of consumption through content. We seek to understand the role of this to increase reach and visibility, in addition to building image attributes.
What is the presence of Habibs in Brazil?
There are around 300 units in 17 states. The main expansion plan is in the Ragazzo banner, launched in 1991, driven by the Ragazzo Express model, in the on the go format, created in 2013, as a result of the success of coxinha, in addition to ice cream. Ragazzo has around 250 units, mainly in So Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. We opened the franchise model at the ABF Franchising Expo 2022 and, this year, we will reinforce this format. We also look at the progress of operations that have a restaurant, drive-thru, take away, delivery, all channels.
Does the market provide security for expansion?
We see growth again. The year 2022 has already been relevant, and everything points to a return to normality. We reached five million customers in the Habibers relationship and loyalty program, which lives within our app. We also put digital platforms in the customers’ journey. The entire couponing strategy is in our app, which has more than 25% of total transactions of discount coupons or loyalty points. This is part of the thought of uniting the physical and the digital, for journey identification, actions customization, value delivery, business generation and proximity. This path also supports the transactional part. We believe in increasing frequency, transactions, and customers who already have a relationship with the brand.
Read the full story in the February 27, 2023 issue
