Krishnarao Buddha on Parle Kismi’s journey from word of mouth to an enabler of relationships

For the past few decades, Parle Kismi has created a strong consumer base through word of mouth and its messaging of love. Parle Products’ Krishnarao Buddha narrates the role the brand plays in a consumer’s life, the brand’s positioning in the market and the mediums used to promote it.

If you visit your local Kirana shop, a bunch of jars will always be filled with one or two rupee toffees. Among them, you will see the iconic elaichi-flavoured toffee, Parle Kismi. 

The confectionery brand, despite the lack of advertisements, became popular through word of mouth and retail stores. For Krishnarao Buddha, Sr. Category Head - Marketing at Parle Products Pvt. Ltd, Parle Kismi is one of the most unique offerings in the market. 

Reminiscing about his childhood, he says, “I remember when I was a kid and had received a couple of Kismis as a gift for the first time. Seeing the ‘Paanch paise ki paanch Kismi’ was amazing.”

Looking back at the past four to five decades, a strong brand like Kismi has been talked about because the retailers accepted its unique proposition, the packaging and the taste.

Kismi - An enabler of relationships 

Before Kismi was introduced to the market, the Parle team had one question in mind - What is the role of Kismi in the life of a consumer?

“And we said, what better role would fit than the role of being an enabler between two people?”, states Buddha. 

Krishnarao Buddha

As the name suggests, the packaging of the brand communicated its intent with a silhouette of a couple kissing. The brand’s communication largely relies on young love with its fixed target audience of ages 15 to 25 passing a ‘virtual kiss’ through the campaigns. 

Its TVCs feature youngsters who are in love, want to express themselves and are relatable. However, the toffee isn’t meant just for lovers. “It can be for any two people and types of relationships including friends, siblings, parents, or more. Kismi plays the role of bringing them together,” Buddha continues.

Customised Communication

As this target group moves onto a different age bracket, Buddha observes that it unintentionally creates a sense of nostalgia when they think about the product. 

As Parle doesn’t want to bank upon the nostalgia factor, he mentioned that a large part of their strategy is to appeal to the young generation and nostalgia marketing occupies a smaller piece of the communication. 

“As generations pass by, our purpose is to continuously appeal to the newer generation, who probably aren’t as aware about our brand.”

The confectionery brand’s latest campaign named ‘Har Kismi Me Hai Kiss’ brings back the memories of its very first brand campaign with the same name featuring a young couple using the toffee to ‘deliver’ the emotions.

Also Read: Expert speak: Treading the fine line between creativity and flouting advertising rules

Delivering Love

While Kismi, as a brand, brings back memories of the past, the messaging of the campaigns is certainly delivered through the latest mediums. Buddha emphasises the new generation is the destination they want to reach and mentions that reaching that audience only through television is ‘extremely difficult’. 

The newest campaign was first released during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Playoffs and he says that Parle is considering having a presence on e-commerce and social media platforms as well. 

The brand, while not as active on digital, has previously engaged the audience for two specific occasions - Valentine's Day and Friendship Day. Through contest alerts, collaboration with the storytelling platform Terribly Tiny Tales and more, they have asked people to share their love for either their partner or a friend effectively playing the role of an enabler. 

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The brand is also making its presence known everywhere, from local Kirana shops to digital e-commerce partners. 

Buddha says, “Digital offers a plethora of options and we are looking to have a presence on portals like Flipkart, Zepto, blinkit and more. Short video digital platforms like Sharechat and Moj are also considered. We are estimating to have a 75% share on television with digital taking 25%.”