Parle-G – the staple biscuits of INDIA have moved back to the children theme. This time they have chosen the “Raksha Bandhan” theme to highlight the LOVING and CARING relationship between a brother and a sister. The 2018 Raksha bandhan eve grants Parle-G the leeway to depart from Nostalgia, Patriotism and Nationalism advertising themes that the Confectionery brand had earlier adopted.

The new Parle-G Ad is still part of the #YouAreMyParleG advertising campaign strategy, where the keynote is to highlight the relationship with that one special person who has always stood by us through thick and thin. The theme tries to associate Parle-G with that one special person.

As has been the character of all previous Parle-G Advertisements, the Raksha-bandhan ad too has strong emotions involved, in this case between a brother and a sister. The ad script depicts common events that happen in an Indian family. The elder brother though friendly with his sister sometimes plays mischief and tries to bully and dominate her. When he learns about his sister’s injured leg he becomes more caring towards her and tries to get her out of the gloom which he eventually does.

For Independence Day Parle-G rolled out a new TV ad with Nationalism theme, it depicts the events in the life of an soldier (the protagonist of the ad) who has returned home after a long deployment on the front. The ad conveys the message that unsung hero is not only the saviour for the country but is also patron for his family and community. He plays the same role at the home too. The ad has intense emotions at the end when the soldier leaves his loved ones to join his duty after his short break is over. The ad tries to associate Parle-G biscuits with the unsung hero, at the end of the plot.

Analysis of Parle-G’s Advertising Strategy

The problem with the Parle-G advertisements is that the product lacks the persona that the ads often portray it to possess. Brand Gurus have criticized the Parle-G ads that have the Patriotism and Nostalgia themes. Here are some of the comments we received on the new 2018 Parle-G Ads.

“There is no doubt that Parle-G has become a synonym to “biscuits” for average Indians but the ads try to elevate the position of a biscuit to a saviour, that is too exaggerated”

“It looks absurd to give so much importance to a thing that has become a staple food.”

“I have always liked Parle-G biscuits, because of its taste, it hasn’t changed since my childhood. But you don’t gift Parle-G biscuits to someone. Biscuits (of any brand for that matter) have always been on the side-lines and they cannot take the center-stage. So some Parle-G ads look ridiculously comical”

“There is nothing wrong with the Nationalism theme strategy but it has to be more pragmatic, the product has a secondary role in our lives. So keep it where it belongs without overvaluing it.”

“I think the new #YouAreMyParleG advertising strategy is flawed right from the beginning. You just cannot have a human counterpart to a morning biscuit.”

“The Parle-G ads should focus on what the brand stands for – economical, taste, nutrition and energy.”

Our Verdict

Branding Guru’s are habituated to analyzing and criticizing advertising campaigns and strategy, the ads may not look appropriate to “them”, but they are not the target audience of the brand. So it is more prudent to get a feedback from the actual consumers. So in case of Parle-G it really does not matter much what the Branding Pundit’s think bout the advertisements and strategy, what matters more is – has the advertising campaign conveyed the right message to the right audience. Only the sales figures will reveal that.

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