2023 was about marketers waking up to generative AI and experimenting. In 2024, Amit Doshi, CMO, Britannia has witnessed a clear maturity amongst marketers in understanding the value generative AI can add. Marketers have blended AI with classical brand storytelling, staying true to the brand’s core while creating differentiated experiences, he says.
Doshi cites Britannia Bourbon’s example and says, “It’s been the original chocolate cream experience in its category for years, and we’re entering its 70th year in India. Through social media listening, we noticed that Gen Z was increasingly engaging with recipes, often incorporating Bourbon into quirky creations. This insight led to the BourbonIT campaign, a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Google Gemini’s generative AI platform.”
In a conversation with Storyboard18, Doshi further elucidates Generative AI’s deeper integration, disruption of the traditional marketing funnel and more.
Edited excerpts:
How has 2024 been for you and your team?
When we started the year, we had three focus areas laid out clearly:
Grow our business competitively and sustainably: This has always been a laser focus for our teams, and we continue to navigate this in challenging times.
Create new and surprising product experiences for consumers: Especially for the younger audience, who are increasingly well-connected with global emerging trends in food and snacking. We wanted to create new, exciting product experiences for them.
Extend these experiences to the core of our brands: Not just through storytelling, but also by creating activation and brand experiences that are cutting-edge, industry-leading, and truly unique.
If you notice, the words “surprising,” “unexpected,” or “disruptive” have been an underlying theme. As the year ends, I’m delighted with the work we’ve put out and proud of how our teams have rallied together. They’ve stepped up to embrace external changes, especially leveraging generative AI, which was a key thrust for us across all these areas this year.
What defining trends in marketing stood out for you specifically this year?
Breakthrough storytelling: Our focus on creating compelling narratives has been integral.
Creative use of generative AI: This has been a game-changer, enhancing consumer experiences.
How would you say generative AI impacted the marketing industry this year?
Last year was about marketers waking up to generative AI and experimenting. This year, I’ve seen a clear maturity in understanding the value generative AI can add. Marketers have blended AI with classical brand storytelling, staying true to the brand’s core while creating differentiated experiences.
Let’s take Britannia Bourbon as an example. It’s been the original chocolate cream experience in its category for years, and we’re entering its 70th year in India. Through social media listening, we noticed that Gen Z was increasingly engaging with recipes, often incorporating Bourbon into quirky creations.
This insight led to the BourbonIT campaign, a first-of-its-kind collaboration with Google Gemini’s generative AI platform. Consumers could scan a Britannia Bourbon pack and visit bourbonit.in to share a recipe via text, image, or a YouTube URL. The AI agent would “Bourbonize” the recipe, turning, for instance, Ras Malai into a Bourbonized version, complete with steps to try at home. In 6-8 weeks, we’ve seen 2 million scans, 2.5 lakh recipes generated, and 25,000 consumers trying these at home. This campaign showcased how AI can trigger human creativity, not replace it.
Another example is Milk Bikis. It has long been a partner for growth and fun for parents and kids. Last year, we focused on fathers becoming more participative in parenting. Building on this, we launched a Tamil Nadu-exclusive campaign called “Adengappa Kadhaigal.” Parents could scan a Milk Bikis pack, then any household object (like a fork, chair, or ball), and our AI agent would generate a fun Tamil story using the object as a fictional character. This campaign resulted in consumers generating 1 lakh stories, showcasing how engaged they are with technology.
What kind of disruptive trends do you anticipate for the marketing industry in 2025?
Three defining trends stand out:
Generative AI’s deeper integration: Marketers now recognize AI as a complement to human creativity. AI is enabling storytelling and brand experiences that were previously impossible.
Social media’s evolving role: Consumers discover brands through diverse passion points on platforms like Reddit, Instagram, and Snapchat. Aligning with these subcultures and collaborating with relatable creators will define success.
Has Britannia leveraged platforms like Reddit and YouTube Shorts for social media?
Yes, we have explored both. While the core engagement remains on traditional social platforms, platforms like Snapchat and YouTube Shorts are exciting. For instance, our Treat Croissant team did an activation on Snapchat addressing the challenge of pronouncing “croissant.” We created a filter for a pronunciation challenge, rewarding correct attempts with a fun crown. It’s a disruptive way to align with our brand task of category building.
Lastly, what is your New Year’s resolution, both professionally and personally?
On the personal front, I don’t believe in resolutions per se but see this as a time for reflection. I’d like to spend more time with consumers in the market to better understand evolving trends. Personally, I’m focused on maintaining my health and fitness and reconnecting with music and literature.
Professionally, as this coincides with our annual planning process, it’s a time to absorb learnings from the past year, understand market changes, and reorganize for the future.