The mistake that led to 90% growth in sales for Kohinoor

The mistake that led to 90% growth in sales for Kohinoor

Heading into October, I sat down with the team to map out the month ahead, starting with what felt like the obvious opener: what are we doing for National Curry Month?

As Kohinoor’s marketing team, it seemed the natural place to start. A brand built on authentic Indian flavours joining the cultural conversation around curry season made perfect sense. The timing helped too. As the colder autumn months roll in, consumers shift into comfort-food mode, and curries climb back up the weekly menu. So we planned a promotion to ride that wave of demand.

“Celebrate National Curry Month with 20% off orders over £20.”

The creative was locked, everything was set and then we discovered one small problem...

National Curry Month doesn’t exist.

I’d made it up.

Turns out it’s just National Curry Week. A minor detail, apparently important to everyone except me. Swapping “month” for “week” and tightening the promo window would have been the sensible fix.

But there was something more interesting in front of us.

Instead of piggybacking a short-lived awareness event, what if we created our own? What if we owned National Curry Month rather than borrowing National Curry Week?

So, we went for it. We turned the entire month of October into a celebration of curry, with Kohinoor placed right at the centre of it. And just like that, National Curry Month was born.

The impact? A 90% spike in year-on-year sales and Kohinoor’s highest monthly online revenue since the store launched in 2023.

Most successful campaigns come from months of planning, refinement, and careful sequencing. But every now and again, one of the best-performing ideas starts with a happy little accident.