Best Advice: 'Emotional connect cannot be measured,' says PVR INOX's Alok Tandon

What was the problem you were grappling with?

Buyer behaviour across various customer-centric businesses evolved after the Covid-19 pandemic. With the audience becoming smarter, judicious and aware, we found ourselves in a position where, as a brand, we wanted to look more relevant, youthful and vibrant than ever before, while staying close to our core offering—the giant screen cinema-viewing experience.

Who did you approach for advice and why?

As millennials make up more than two-thirds of our audience, the challenge was largely about capturing the imagination of the youth. To address this issue, I reached out to a cross-functional group of millennial and GenZ co-workers, solicited their opinion and discussed potential solutions to this problem.

What was the advice you received?

The suggestions I received were eye-openers. They were simple, impactful and innovative, with a high degree of ease of implementation. It was only a matter of time before we launched a slew of initiatives and services that fulfilled our purpose. We captured the attention of our young audience by introducing a variety of movie-related merchandise and our own digital payments wallet, partnering to bring e-sports into theatres, showcasing cricket matches, and making our food available on online delivery platforms.

How effective was it in resolving the problem?

While the emotional connect cannot be measured, we were thrilled to notice the vigour and excitement in our cinema lobbies. The vivacity was seen not just in the cinemas but also in our performance. In Q1FY23, INOX registered its best-ever quarter. 

Tandon headed INOX Leisure before the merger with PVR