MAM
Parle-G’s latest ‘G Mane Genius’ TV campaign harps on inculcating values in children
Mumbai: Parle Products, one of the leading biscuit brands in India has released its latest TV Campaign for its flagship product – Parle G. This TV Campaign is part of their brand’s G Maane Genius positioning. In 2022, Parle-G revealed an innovative version of its ‘G Maane Genius’ campaign. The proposition was elevated by touching upon the emotional quotient in children. The innate empathy of young children, devoid of personal benefit was the lynchpin of the campaign.
Riding on the back of that campaign’s success, Parle has come out with a series of bite-sized films with the same messaging. The new set of five films created by Thought Blurb Communications has been carefully created to evoke the same emotion without the luxury of elaborate storytelling. The new 15-second format manages to balance the emotion elicited by the proposition with daily situations with children at home and play. The emphasis is on their interaction with parents, loved ones and friends.
1. Dadaji:
2. Musical Chairs:
3. Puppet Show:
4. Science Project:
5. Toy Store:
The series of films takes simple uncomplicated scenarios to demonstrate a child’s compassion. These are situations that a child may easily find themselves. The intuitive need to help others is encompassed in the signature thought, ‘Genius wohi, jo auron ke khushi mein paye apni khushi’.
The simplicity of the films is key to the campaign’s effectiveness. These are situations that every child would have faced. The portrayal of sensitivity in the protagonist child is not shown as a moral lesson or a teachable moment. In fact, the protagonists are neither good, nor bad. The statement ‘Genius wohi, jo auron ke khushi mein paye apni khushi’ clearly defines the brand’s definition of a genius, in any child. These are the values that the ads seek to inculcate in children without speaking from a pulpit.
For the parent in the room, the message is clear. Parle-G stands for a feeling of empathy and sacrifice in children. These attributes are the sublimation of uncorrupted compassion and the need to protect, help and make others happy. The shorter version of the campaign brings a new dimension to the concept of ‘genius’ and makes it an everyday demonstration of emotion in its purest form.
“The core values expressed in this campaign are quite strong. Young children around the world have an effortless capacity for empathy, which gives them a facility for goodness born out of innocence. We equate this to a higher intelligence relatable to genius,” said Parle marketing – VP Mayank Shah. “We needed to see if the idea had legs to travel through different formats and media.” It was a challenge thrown to the advertising agency which Thought Blurb gladly accepted.
Thought Blurb Communications founder & CCO Vinod Kunj spoke about his team’s approach to the campaign. “We immediately realized that we needed to throw out all our pre-conceived notions of scripting. The short format gave us little time to establish relationships and situations. The establishing shots would have to portray the conflict and solutions presented simply. Nothing overly convoluted would work.”
Thought Blurb Communications national creative director Renu Somani explained, “Emotions are not slaves to duration. We rejected the concept of shorter edits of the master films and created fresh masters in the short format. Each story is born from the need for 15-second stories and not pared down versions of the longer ones.”
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
