All it took was a mispronunciation. One content creator's innocent slip of the tongue transformed the humble croissant into 'Prashant', and suddenly, a French pastry had an Indian name that the entire internet couldn't stop talking about.
Ayush, a digital creator known for his split-screen English tutorials, unwittingly sparked the phenomenon during a video where he was learning dessert names. When he stumbled over 'croissant' and called it 'Prashant' instead, little did he know that his charming error would accumulate over 17 million views and become one of the most delightful viral trends of 2025.
Speaking to Social Samosa, Puru Agarwal, Associate Creative Director at Schbang said, "The 'Prashant' mini campaign was a brainchild of the perfect sync between TILT and Schbang. This was a time-sensitive project since reel-trends these days have a gold fish attention span on the digital audience. But this race against time seems to be worth it seeing that even the spoof audio started trending!."
Britannia, the food company behind Treat Croissant, recognised a golden opportunity when they saw one. Rather than ignoring the internet's collective amusement or merely acknowledging it with a simple post, they embraced the mispronunciation wholeheartedly.
In a bold move, the brand temporarily rebranded itself as 'Britannia.Prashant' across social media platforms. Their clever bio update, 'Prashant, naam to suna hi hoga' (You must have heard the name Prashant), nodded to the viral trend whilst adding their own cheeky twist.
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But Britannia didn't stop there. They took the ambitious step of updating their actual product packaging, temporarily changing the spelling on their croissant wrappers. This real-world manifestation of an internet joke demonstrated not just the company's agility, but also their willingness to genuinely connect with their audience's sense of humour.
"The reel popped up in our group chat, like it does in everyone’s, right? We had a good laugh, dropped a few emojis, maybe even debated Croissant vs Prashant for a second too long. At first, it was just another scroll-and-giggle moment. But then it struck us, why beat the meme when you can become it? And that’s when things got interesting! Next thing you know, Prashant isn’t just a pronunciation mistake- he’s chilling on an actual packet. Because when the internet talks, we listen. And sometimes, we even print it!" added Agarwal.
The brilliance of this strategy was evident in how quickly it multiplied. Other major brands, including Swiggy, Pinkvilla, and numerous bakeries across the country, happily joined the conversation. Swiggy cleverly posted a picture of a croissant on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, "Tum Prashant bologe, hum croissant samajh lenge" (You say Prashant, we'll understand croissant), further cementing the meme's place in popular culture.
Even Netflix India incorporated the trend into their promotional content for movies and series, demonstrating how versatile the joke had become as a marketing tool.
What actually catapulted the 'Prashant' phenomenon into the stratosphere was the participation of Bollywood celebrities. Actors like Rakul Preet Singh and Diana Penty created their own versions of the meme, delighting their millions of followers.
In her contribution, Rakul Preet shared a video of herself enjoying chocolate-filled croissants at a café, captioning it with a playful nod to the trend, "Sunday done right with Prashant (croissant)." Similarly, Diana Penty joined in with her own humorous take, saying, "And all this while I thought it was Khwaason :croissant:."
The celebrity involvement transformed what might have been a fleeting internet joke into a cultural moment that transcended social media bubbles.
Perhaps the most endearing aspect of Britannia's campaign was how they closed the loop with the creator who started it all. The company sent Ayush a special 'Prashant/Croissant' hamper, acknowledging his inadvertent contribution to their marketing success.
This gesture not only generated additional positive coverage but also showed that behind the marketing was a genuine appreciation for the human moment that had sparked it all.
Britannia's handling of the 'Prashant' phenomenon serves as a masterclass in modern marketing. It demonstrates that sometimes the most effective campaigns aren't meticulously planned but rather born from a brand's ability to recognise and authentically participate in moments as they unfold.
This wasn't the first time an Indian brand successfully capitalised on a viral trend. Just months earlier, Lay's had navigated a potential PR challenge when influencer Zervaan J Bunshah 'de-influenced' their Magic Masala variant due to reduced spiciness. By inviting him to their factory to confirm the flavour's return, they transformed criticism into positive engagement.
What these examples highlight is the changing nature of marketing in the age of social media, where listening has become as important as broadcasting, and where the agility to respond to trends can yield greater dividends than even the most carefully orchestrated campaigns.
For Britannia, all it took was a mispronunciation to create one of their most successful marketing moments. And for consumers across India, 'Prashant' has forever changed the way they'll look at, and perhaps pronounce, their morning pastry.
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