Britannia 50-50's new ad shows Ravi Shastri in a dual persona, chatting with doves

In partnership with Mindshare India, the brand has created an animated Shastri avatar that answers "Golmaal" questions with unexpected humour.

In India, cricket is more than a sport; it's a cultural phenomenon that unites generations across all demographics. Embracing this passion, Britannia 50-50 announces two campaigns, including Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri and a new TVC film for Britannia 50-50 Sweet and Salty. These initiatives feature cricketing icon and former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri, who has been associated with Britannia for the past two years.

Britannia 50-50 kicked off the season with a new TVC with Ravi Shastri in a dual avatar for Britannia 50-50 Sweet and Salty. Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas, the TVC captures the essence of the cracker by showcasing Ravi Shastri in a playful dual persona, conversing with doves. As he experiences the sweet and salty sides of the biscuit, his interactions with the doves mirror the distinct flavours. His persona softens when he experiences the sweetness, but his response takes a witty and playful turn when he encounters the salty crunch. Through this campaign, Britannia 50-50 delivers a perfect blend of sweet and salty sensations that cater to the discerning tastes of today's snack enthusiasts.

Britannia takes it a notch further by introducing an initiative in partnership with Mindshare India, seamlessly integrating AI technology. The Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri offers an innovative way for users to interact with Ravi Shastri during the ongoing cricket season and receive Golmaal advice. Building on last year’s chatbot, Chatbot 2.0 initiative now includes a new AR feature, presenting an animated Shastri avatar that answers "Golmaal" questions with unexpected humour, keeping fans entertained regardless of the game's outcome. This innovative addition activates the user's rear camera, projecting a digital avatar of Ravi Shastri onto their screen, allowing users to ask questions directly, thus making the interaction smooth and engaging.

Teams involved in development have crafted and trained this digital avatar of Ravi Shastri, and have humanised it further by mapping the face details, adding mocap to match mannerisms and training the voice using multiple LLM's. Physical appearance aside, even the personality, way of speaking, and words used have been created to emulate his mannerisms. The chatbot seamlessly combines the best nest of new technology - AR engines of 8th Wall, Conversational AI technology of InWorld, Gen AI voice technology of Eleven labs and Xtendr's proprietary tech layer to take engagement and experience to the next dimension of “real-time two-way conversations in both voice and text formats.

Users can also win* exciting Golmaal cricket hampers and match tickets to Australia by recording and sharing their best Golmaal conversations with Ravi Shastri on Instagram or Facebook.

“We are thrilled to launch two exciting initiatives that perfectly capture the spirit of Britannia 50-50 and our deep connection with cricket. The Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri and our Sweet and Salty campaign, both featuring Ravi Shastri represent our commitment to exploring new horizons and delivering unique experiences to our consumers. With the cricket fever gripping the nation, these campaigns are exciting and unpredictable, much like the sport itself. Ravi Shastri perfectly embodies the essence of Britannia 50-50, and we are confident that both campaigns will resonate deeply with cricket fans and snack enthusiasts alike," says Amit Doshi, chief marketing officer, Britannia Industries.

Speaking about the campaign, Ravi Shastri said, “Partnering with Britannia 50-50 has been an absolute delight. As someone who is deeply connected to cricket, I appreciate the passion and excitement that Britannia brings to the game through its innovative campaigns. The Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri offers fans a unique, interactive way to engage with me, while the Britannia 50-50 Sweet and Salty mirrors the dynamic nature of the sport. Britannia is doing fantastic work in connecting with cricket lovers and snack enthusiasts across the country, and I am thrilled to be a part of this journey.”

Ravi Shastri first brought his distinctive charm to Britannia 50-50 Maska Chaska TVC in 2022, where he perfectly depicted the Desi and Videsi styles of watching cricket and the emotions evoked by the flavors in Britannia Maska Chaska. Additionally, Shastri was featured in five humorous films for Britannia 50-50 Golmaal, where a player approaches him for guidance in each film. In response, in his inimitable style, Shastri imparts the ultimate strategy of "Golmaal." His dynamic persona perfectly matches Britannia 50-50's spirit, celebrating the brand's long-standing association with cricket.

“Britannia 50-50, Cricket and Ravi Shastri are such powerful ingredients that you have to craft the right balance, or one can easily overpower the other two. Also, when you have a long cricketing season you don’t want your ad to be an irritant, instead something people look forward to in the breaks. We feel the Doves and the Guturgoos may have just helped us land these two things right,” adds Sarvesh Raikar, regional creative officer, Lowe Lintas India.

“Generative AI is revolutionising brand experiences, creating deeper connections with audiences and becoming a cornerstone of our marketing initiatives. By integrating AI with cutting-edge technologies like AR avatars, Mindshare is pioneering experiences that are not just industry firsts, but world firsts. Britannia 50-50 T20 Golmaal with Ravi Shastri exemplifies this innovation, offering a sustained, evolving property that continuously delights consumers with fresh and engaging interactions. We are committed to pushing the boundaries of what's possible, ensuring that each encounter with our brand is memorable and impactful," said Amin Lakhani, CEO Mindshare, South Asia.

“At Xtendr our mission has always been to augment human vision using spatial computing & AI. We have been blending technology, design and human imagination to make objects talk and narrate brand stories in an immersive manner. This partnership with Britannia and the team at Mindshare had us take branded content conversations to the next level of engagement - creating something that has never been done before. We made brand storytelling real-time & immersive about the moments that matter the most,” commented Anurag Sachdeva, founder and CEO Xtendr.