Britannia’s Siddharth Gupta on the marketing mantra behind keeping legacy brands fresh

Remember racing home from school, dropping your bag, and reaching for that familiar pink Jim Jam Biscuits or the purple shimmery pack of Bourbon? For millions of Indians, these small packets of snacks are woven into the fabric of their childhood memories. The crunch of a Good Day biscuit with evening chai, the joy of splitting open a Bourbon and the comfort of dunking Marie Gold into warm milk. All brought to us by the parent company, Britannia. 

While those memories remain unchanged, the way Britannia tells its story has changed dramatically. The Britannia ads we grew up watching have given way to AI-powered storytelling experiences, AR-enabled newspaper ads, and hyperlocal outdoor campaigns that celebrate the quirky habit of Tamil Nadu families biting around the borders of Milk Bikis biscuits. The media landscape has shifted from TV-first to consumer-first. The campaigns have evolved from simply selling biscuits to creating cultural moments.

"At Britannia, we've always believed in staying culturally rooted while evolving with consumer preferences," says Siddharth Gupta, General Manager - Marketing at Britannia. "Our brands have been loved across generations, and we've worked to modernise them without losing their essence."

It's a tightrope walk that many legacy brands fail to navigate. Stay too rooted in nostalgia, and you become irrelevant to younger audiences. Change too much, and you alienate the loyalists who built your brand. But Britannia seems to have cracked the code, keeping the soul intact while completely reimagining how it connects with consumers.

From QR codes on 50-50 packets that unlock interactive games, to Bourbon's collaboration with Google's Gemini AI for recipe recommendations, Britannia's marketing playbook today looks nothing like it did even five years ago. Yet somehow, every campaign still feels unmistakably Britannia.

The brand takes cultural connection even further at the local level, and the Milk Bikis Adengappa Kadhaigal campaign in Tamil Nadu is a perfect example.

Using AI, the campaign allowed parents, especially fathers, to scan Milk Bikis packs and turn everyday household objects into fun, interactive stories for their children. Rooted in Tamil culture and language, it celebrated the region’s storytelling heritage while encouraging more dads to actively bond with their kids.

So, how does a brand with decades of legacy stay fresh? 

Cultural storytelling 

This philosophy of evolution-without-erasure is evident across Britannia's portfolio. Take Britannia Bourbon, for instance. "While retaining its classic taste, we gave it a richer chocolatey twist, elevating both the recipe and the packaging to spotlight its indulgent, multi-layered chocolate appeal," Gupta explains.

But product innovation is just half the story. The real deal is how Britannia connects these products to cultural moments. Good Day, one of the brand’s flagship offerings, is a perfect example of this. 

Britannia Good Day’s ‘Bank of Small Wins’ campaign, created in partnership with Myntra and Talented Agency, turned a universal, nostalgic joy into a real-world experience, the delight of finding forgotten cash in your pocket. The brand placed specially designed Good Day currency notes, worth real money, in random pockets of clothes sold through Myntra, as well as in garments processed by U Clean and Bombay Closet Cleanse. Each note could be redeemed digitally, turning a simple surprise into a tangible reward. The idea worked because it was instantly relatable and rooted in nostalgia.

As Gupta puts it, “From celebrating everyday small joys, the brand has always tapped into deeply relatable, cultural moments.”

Beyond emotion and culture, humour has become another powerful tool in Britannia's arsenal. "Humour has a unique way of bringing people together and making brands more relatable," Gupta explains.

 "Today, consumers engage with content that feels real, light-hearted, and rooted in everyday culture, and humour helps us deliver that in a memorable way."

This approach has worked consistently over the years. Campaigns like Ravi Shastri’s sweet-and-salty persona for Britannia 50-50 and the playful antics of Jimmy and Jammy in Jim Jam Pops show how humour can do more than entertain

Rethinking media 

The fragmentation of media has forced brands to rethink their approach entirely. Britannia has moved from a TV-first mindset to a consumer-first one, balancing traditional and digital platforms to reach diverse audiences. Reflecting on this shift, Gupta says, "We have observed that media habits and trends have changed over the years. What was once a TV-first approach has now shifted towards a consumer-first approach."

The brand also views packaging as a key touchpoint, using it not just for functionality but as a medium for storytelling and engagement. "We view packaging as a powerful and personal brand touchpoint where the brand meets the consumer in their daily lives, often creating moments of quiet connection and trust," Gupta says. 

Campaigns like NutriChoice’s Face the Facts packets give information about the product itself, upfront. Other packs, such as BourbonIT, 50-50 Chief Selector, and Milk Bikis Adengappa, serve as gateways to immersive consumer experiences.

Traditional and outdoor media are being reimagined creatively too. NutriChoice and Pure Magic Choco Frames used AR and MR in print ads, turning newspapers into interactive experiences. "We've used Augmented Reality (AR) and Mixed Reality (MR) in print ads, like we did for NutriChoice and Pure Magic Choco Frames, to turn a static newspaper into an interactive brand experience," Gupta explains.

Outdoor campaigns such as 'Nature Shapes Britannia' and 'A Bite of TN' combine culture and creativity have also helped the brand make memorable impressions.

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Even digital commerce platforms are becoming interactive brand spaces, with partnerships like Zepto using the iconic Britannia jingle to make shopping engaging. "We're creating contextual brand experiences on e-commerce and quick-commerce platforms, where we can catch consumers right at the point of purchase. For instance, we partnered with Zepto for a fun sonic branding integration, where the familiar Britannia jingle played when consumers placed orders, making the experience more engaging and memorable," Gupta adds.

The tech-forward future 

Looking ahead, Gupta sees both continuity and transformation. "What will remain constant is our commitment to contemporising our core… Whether it's Good Day, Bourbon, or Milk Bikis, our goal will be to keep them fresh, exciting, and emotionally resonant. Alongside this, we'll continue to launch digital-first experiences that feel intuitive, immersive, and truly modern."

On change, he says, "Our campaigns will become more integrated and tech-forward, with storytelling that is immersive, personalised, and culturally relevant, while keeping brand love and authenticity at the heart."

Britannia’s approach shows that legacy brands can stay relevant by respecting heritage, embracing innovation, and staying attuned to culture.