Britannia Tiger: Helping young India roar louder

In its new commercial, Tiger, the largest brand in Britannia's portfolio, suggests how young India can progress by eating what's 'right'

Once again, speaking to both mothers and children, Britannia has launched a new commercial for its popular brand of glucose biscuits, Tiger. The commercial suggests that young India would make progress by eating what's 'right'.

The TVC opens in a school playground, where a chief guest is speaking about the fact that the future of the country lies in the hands of the youngsters, who can put the country on the global map by making it the "tiger of the world".

On hearing these words, one of the students takes a pack of Tiger out of his pocket and shares it with his friend. One of the teachers standing near the queue snatches the pack away from the kid. The kid asks in a crying tone: How can kids -- the future of India -- become tigers on an empty stomach?

Seeing the teacher's puzzled expression, the kid repeats the question, much louder this time, and catches the attention of the chief guest, who agrees with the child. After devouring his share of biscuits, a rejuvenated child asks, "Ab bolo sir... kis kisko beat karna hai..."

The idea has been conceptualized by the team at Lowe Lintas, including R Balki and Deepa Geethakrishnan on the creative side; Vikram Satyanath from planning, and Ayyappan and Krithika Narayan from client servicing. Amit Sharma of Chrome Pictures has directed the film.

Anuradha Narasimhan, category director - health and wellness, Britannia, reveals that as part of regular research, the brand talks to the mothers, who believe that their largest role in their children's progress is to feed them what is right, at the right time.

"Tiger has always stood for high-energy solutions for today's kids. We play a role in everyday lives of middle-class households in India, as a mid-meal snack that's both nutritious and loved by kids. Our products are iron-fortified, as it is one of the biggest reasons behind deficiency in Indian kids. In our latest commercial, we have brought alive the context of 'khali pet' (an empty stomach), as well as the payoff of getting ahead in life. Both mothers and children can relate to it," she adds.

Sharing the communication challenge, Geethakrishnan says, "The task at hand was to make Tiger more relevant to the present day, than any other affordable biscuit brand. If we want our children (the future of the country) to take us to great heights as a nation, we need to first ensure the basics - that they have their tummies full."

She feels Tiger has always been a brand that provides substantive nutrition to the kids of India. According to her, this campaign takes it further -- by creating empathy at an all-new level. She adds that it is a game-changer in talking about the positive implications of never being on an empty stomach, for our children and our country's future.

Besides television, the campaign will use outdoor and print. In the next stage of communication, the campaign will be amplified with on-ground activities.

Tiger, launched in 1997, became the largest brand in Britannia's portfolio in the very first year; and continues to be so, even today.

Bread and biscuits are a major part of the bakery industry and comprise around 80 percent of total bakery products in India. According to Federation of Biscuit Manufacturers of India, the biscuit industry in India in the organized sector contributes around 60 per cent of the total production; the balance 40 per cent is produced by unorganized bakeries.

Other biscuit brands in the market include Parle, Bakeman, Priya Gold, Elite, Cremica, Dukes, Anupam, Horlicks, Craze, Nezone and other regional brands.

Tasty?

The ad seems to have struck the right chord with some members of the ad fraternity.

Amit Shankar, executive creative director and creative head, Grey Delhi finds the insight of "hungry stomachs unable to empower a nation" very interesting. "As kids, standing in long queues with empty stomachs, all of us have cursed the chief guests at school functions. The ad starts on a good note, but the plot is lost when children are made to work too hard for their share of biscuits and get into the India versus China and America debate," he says.

Jitender Dabas, executive planning director and vice-president, JWT, feels that the theme of "India as Tiger" has been explored before, but only on the covers of Time or Economist.

"Certainly, the take is refreshing. I like the ad for its seamless integration of brand into the messaging. I don't think this TVC can be for any other brand than Tiger. Also, the brand is doing this without being preachy about it. If you are trying to woo the kids, then it is always more effective if you looked at life from their point of view, than from that of their parents," he states.