Parle Kismi’s new campaign positions the candy as an enabler of romance

Krishnarao Buddha, senior category head, Parle Products, talks about the campaign and its positioning in India’s candy market.

Parle Kismi’s new campaign, titled #HarKismiMeinHaiKiss, aims to position the candy as an enabler of romance and human relationships. It was launched during the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs.

The campaign has now been launched as a TVC.

According to Krishnarao Buddha, senior category head, Parle Products, the candy is an enabler of relationships. “Kismi is for not only young lovers, but also every human relationship. For example, friends, colleagues, parents, etc.”

He says that though the brand’s target audience is the youth between 15 and 25 years of age, it attracts a younger crowd too.

“The idea is to make the brand aspirational. If it appeals to a certain age group, the younger age group will get influenced by them – similar to how younger siblings are inspired by their elder siblings.”

Media plan

Buddha says that the ad was launched during the IPL playoffs on digital (JioCinema) to connect with young audiences.  

“We’re now following it up with a mega campaign on TV, consisting of all genres, except news. It’s going to be a high-decibel all-India campaign. We will be complementing the TV campaign with a digital campaign. We will be present across OTT and social media platforms. We’re also supporting the campaign on print media.” 

Speaking about how India’s candy business has evolved, Buddha shares that the brand is quite strong across markets. 

“The category was impacted during COVID, as all educational institutions were shut. However, ever since the schools reopened, we’ve not looked back and are getting fantastic responses.”

According to him, the popularity of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) and e-commerce hasn’t impacted the category. Instead, the category has only grown. “The presence of UPI has only propelled the sale of confectionery items. People are paying even their Rs 5 bills through UPI. In fact, it has made sales a lot easier.” 

“E-commerce, pre-COVID, made up barely 1% of our overall sales. Now, it contributes almost 5%. People don’t want to spend time in the markets. They’re busy and can now easily order the candy through quick commerce. The key is being available to consumers in an appropriate way and the category starts responding,” states Buddha.