Parle-G: Bond and brilliance on digital

The brand has roped in author Ruskin Bond as guest blogger for the campaign.

Parle Products, India's largest biscuit, confectionery and snack manufacturer, has launched a digital campaign for its flagship brand, Parle-G, to extend its 'Kal ke Genius' TVC online. Titled 'The Future Genius', the brand has launched a microsite, TheFutureGenius.com, as an edutainment site, where parents can interact and share videos, audio clips and documents to showcase their child's talent.

The brand has also roped in noted author Ruskin Bond as a guest blogger to write two articles for the website every month. The articles will be in the form of letters to the children, talking about tales on life in the mountains, adventure, nature or simply the beauty of life.

With this move, Parle-G claims to be reaching out to engage both, parents and kids, beyond the usual means of advertising and connect with the audiences through the philosophy it stands for.

The microsite has also introduced a counselling section called 'Genius Gyaan' which features advice from experts to help the parents discover the genius in their kids. Along with Ruskin Bond, the company has also roped in a celebrity blogger mother, Kiran Manral and a kid blogger who will write for the brand on issues related to parenting and upbringing of children. Moreover, the brand has also tied up with psychological counsellor Jeevan D'Cunha as an expert for the platform.

The site also features a section called 'The Amazing Kid Genius' which contains videos of kids who have achieved unique feats in their lives. According to Parle, this is done to encourage the junior users of the site.

The company claims that the activity is so far very well received by the audiences. "The total number of user generated content received for the campaigns till date is 436 uploads, including videos, pictures and documents. The total hits received on the site also increased to 1,47,773 visits," Parle-G states.

Interestingly, the campaign's first phase in the form of teasers was launched online in January, 2013 through YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. After a week, the second phase appeared on television. The brand has also created a separate website for the campaign. Digital Law & Kenneth is the digital agency that will handle the digital arm of the campaign. Apart from TV and digital, the campaign has also used radio to reach the target group.

Speaking on the digital initiative, Mayank Shah, group product manager, Parle Products, says, "The response we got for the campaign on the digital medium was tremendous and it helped us reach out to the audience effectively. We are now looking forward to leverage this and for the same we have got renowned author Ruskin Bond on board. With this, we are looking forward to bringing alive storytelling. This will give us an opportunity to interact with our core target group and build a strong relationship between the brand and them."

Shah also informs that the brand plans to own the digital platform and intends to continue the campaign for more than five years.

On partnering Parle-G as a blogger, Bond says, "To children I would like to say develop interests beyond academics. While information technology may give you information, knowledge is a far deeper thing that is needed to understand the world around us."

Parle Products, which is present in the country for nearly 80 years, has been India's largest manufacturer of biscuits and confectionery. Some of the known brands from the Parle Products' stable include Parle-G, Krack Jack, Mango Bite, Hide & Seek, and Melody.