MAM
Experience Commerce bags Parle Candy Culture’s digital storytelling mandate
MUMBAI: Experience Commerce, the integrated marketing powerhouse under the Cheil Network, has scored a sugary-sweet victory, clinching the digital mandate for Parle Candy Culture. Following a multi-agency pitch, the agency has been appointed as Parle’s official digital partner, tasked with spearheading social media marketing, media planning, and buying for the confectionery giant’s much-loved brands.
Launched in 2020 as a digital-first initiative, Parle Candy Culture has been a vibrant platform connecting consumers with Parle’s iconic sweets, including Melody, Kismi, Londonderry, Mango Bite, Orange Bite, Mazelo, Poppins, Rol-a-Cola, 2 in 1 Éclair, and Kapi Candy. Now, with Experience Commerce at the helm, the brand is set to dial up its digital storytelling, creating immersive, engaging, and nostalgia-infused experiences for its audience.
As part of its sugar rush strategy, Experience Commerce will lead always-on social media management, keeping the buzz alive with real-time content and trend-led campaigns. The agency will craft compelling product storytelling and festive campaigns, making Parle candies the centrepiece of every celebration. Additionally, SEO-driven YouTube optimisation will enhance discoverability and engagement, while high-impact influencer and celebrity collaborations will sweeten brand conversations and extend consumer reach.
By leveraging precision-targeted media strategies, the agency aims to maximise reach, minimise spillover, and drive stronger brand affinity.
Parle Products vice president Mayank Shah said, “Parle Candy Culture is a digital-first initiative, and we needed a partner with strong expertise in digital marketing. With Experience Commerce, we have found the perfect collaborator—one that understands our vision and aligns with our objectives. We are excited to create content that truly connects with our audience and drives meaningful engagement. We look forward to the creativity and strategic value that EC brings in strengthening Parle’s legacy in the digital space.”
Experience Commerce vice president for Growth Bhawana Daga stated, “Parle Products is a cherished and beloved brand with deep-rooted nostalgia among Indian consumers. We are thrilled to take on this mandate and look forward to crafting compelling digital narratives that enhance the brand’s connection with its audience. Our unique blend of data-driven insights, creative excellence, and precision media planning will ensure that Parle Candy Culture remains a leader in the confectionery space’s digital ecosystem.”
With over 17 years of expertise in crafting award-winning digital campaigns, Experience Commerce is poised to redefine the confectionery industry’s digital landscape. As they gear up to celebrate India’s love for Parle candies in fresh, innovative ways, one thing is certain this partnership is bound to be a treat for the senses.
AD Agencies
Abhay Duggal joins JioStar as director of Hindi GEC ad sales
The streaming giant brings in a seasoned revenue hand as the battle for Hindi television advertising heats up
MUMBAI: Abhay Duggal has a new desk, and JioStar has a new weapon. The media and entertainment veteran has joined JioStar as director of entertainment ad sales for Hindi general entertainment channels, adding 17 years of hard-won revenue experience to one of India’s most powerful broadcasting operations.
Duggal is no stranger to big portfolios or bruising markets. Before joining JioStar, he spent a brief stint at Republic World as deputy general manager and north regional head for ad sales. Before that, he put in three years at Enterr10 Television, where he ran the north region for Dangal TV and Dangal 2, two of India’s leading free-to-air Hindi channels. The north alone accounted for more than 50 per cent of total channel revenue on his watch, a number that tends to get attention in any sales meeting.
His longest stint was at Zee Entertainment Enterprises, where he spent over six years rising to associate director of sales. There he commanded the Hindi movies cluster across seven channels, owned more than half of north India’s revenue across flagship properties including Zee TV and &TV, and closed marquee sponsorships across the Indian Premier League, Zee Rishtey Awards and Dance India Dance. He also handled monetisation for the English movies and entertainment cluster and the global news channel WION, a portfolio that would stretch most sales teams twice his size.
Earlier in his career Duggal closed what was then a Rs 3 crore single deal at Reliance Broadcast Network, one of the largest in Indian radio at the time, before that he helped launch and monetise JAINHITS, India’s first HITS-based cable and satellite platform.
His edge, by his own account, lies in marrying data and instinct: translating audience trends, inventory signals and client demands into long-term partnerships built on cost-per-rating-point discipline rather than short-term deal chasing. In a media landscape being reshaped by streaming, fragmented attention and AI-driven advertising, that kind of rigour is increasingly rare and increasingly valuable.
JioStar, which blends the scale of Reliance’s Jio platform with the content firepower of Star, is doubling down on its advertising business at precisely the moment the Hindi GEC market is getting more competitive. Bringing in someone who has spent nearly two decades doing exactly this, across some of India’s most watched channels, is a pointed statement of intent. Duggal has spent his career turning audiences into revenue. JioStar is clearly betting he can do it again, and bigger.
