Kurkure underscores positioning through 'Family Express', a branded train

The brand is in the process of taking 40 families on a train journey across 14 states.

PepsiCo's 'namkeen' snack brand Kurkure has hit the railway tracks with its 'Kurkure Family Express' train, in order to take the act of bringing families together to the next level. Both the exterior and the interior of the train are decorated with artwork and will have 40 families travelling in it. The families were shortlisted through a rigorous audition process that saw over 1,000 entries from across the country.

For the artwork, the brand commissioned 40 budding art students from prestigious art institutions to create a few 100 feet of artwork at the stations. Based on their interpretations of consumers' love for Kurkure, the students submitted their designs. A panel of judges comprising art directors and culinary experts selected the final designs. Six students from the Delhi School of Art, and three students from Sir J J School of Art were awarded a cash prize of Rs 50,000 each.

Partho Chakrabarti, vice-president, PepsiCo India, has plans of stretching his arms towards the Indian Railways with the initiative. "The 40 pieces of artwork created by the students will be framed, and offered to the Indian Railways to support its beautification drive at stations," he says.

Chakrabarti feels train journeys are among the most fun family experiences in India. Hence, sending the families on a joyride is what the brand intended to do.

'Kurkure Family Express' was flagged off from New Delhi's Safdarjung station a couple of days ago. Over the next eight days, it will rail through the 14 states of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh.

The train's first stop after Delhi will be Sawai Madhopur. The train will also give families a chance to stop at Surat, Mumbai, Pune, Tirupati, Chennai, Vijayawada, Bhubaneshwar, Kolkata, Mughal Sarai, and Kanpur. On the eighth day, the train will bring them back to Delhi.

On board the Kurkure Family Express, food aficionados and the hosts of Living Foodz show Food Express' Rocky Singh and Mayur Sharma will play hosts during the activity, and engage the families in fun games and food contests over the course of the journey. Four lucky families will win an all-expenses paid culinary trip to Europe. Families will also have a chance to be the face of the Kurkure brand and get featured on television commercials, digital platforms, and other marketing initiatives.

Actors Ramya Krishnan and Abir Chatterjee, and popular faces in the entertainment industry such as Annu Kapoor (Suhana Safar with Annu Kapoor) and Kiku Sharda (BIG Magic's Akbar from Akbar Birbal), as well as famous RJs like Balaji, Rani, and Sumanta will also engage and entertain families during the different legs of the train journey.

The namkeen brand has earlier forayed into interactive initiatives like 'Chai Time Masti', (a recipe contest with Juhi Chawla as the host in 2007), 'Why So Sweet', and 'Fly Home Free'.