Zepto’s Soan Papdi spot: A quirky festive offering

Every Diwali, social media is flooded with memes poking fun at the ubiquitous sweet, Soan Papdi. Known for its fluffy texture and distinctive yellow box, Soan Papdi has long been the butt of jokes about re-gifting. No Indian festival, it seems, is complete without a box of Soan Papdi being passed around from family to family, unopened and often unappreciated. This cultural phenomenon has turned the sweet into the something of a meme legend, with Diwali marking the peak of Soan Papdi's unwanted fame.

The joke is simple: no one eats Soan Papdi, they just pass it along to the next person.

Into this narrative steps Zepto with its latest ad, which turns the tables on this longstanding joke. Rather than dismissing Soan Papdi as something to avoid, Zepto embraces it, positioning the sweet as the 'Chief Comeback Officer' (CCO) in their quirky new campaign.

The ad presents Soan Papdi as a misunderstood underdog, tired of being tossed around and eager to reclaim its place in the festive spotlight. This bizarre yet brilliant campaign showcases Zepto’s marketing acumen, using humour to transform a once-dismissed product into a central figure of their festive season strategy.

What makes this campaign particularly smart is how it taps into a well-known cultural insight: the frustration and amusement surrounding the endless re-gifting of Soan Papdi. By addressing the meme directly, Zepto not only acknowledges the cultural conversation around the sweet but also gives it a fresh narrative.

Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, observed, "Zepto’s latest ad smartly taps into this cultural insight by using customer data to highlight Soan Papdi’s decreasing presence as a festive gift, while offering it as a surprise freebie on their platform." It’s a clever pivot that turns a re-gifting meme into a story of redemption.

The ad begins by painting Soan Papdi as a character deserving of sympathy, an overlooked hero who has fallen victim to the very people it was meant to bring joy to. The storytelling is both nostalgic and humorous, reminding audiences of their experiences with the sweet while positioning Soan Papdi as a figure to root for. Samit Sinha, Founder of Alchemist Brand Consulting, noted, "It’s a clever advertisement that is highly contextualized for Indian audiences. It’s certainly engaging and memorable." This use of humour and nostalgia, not only connects emotionally with viewers but also reintroduces Soan Papdi, in a way that feels fresh and relevant.

However, this campaign isn’t just about turning the Soan Papdi meme on its head; it also represents a strategic move by Zepto to distinguish itself in the highly competitive quick commerce space. The ad subtly takes a dig at competitors like BlinkIt, which in previous years has played into the same joke, encouraging customers to avoid gifting Soan Papdi. Zepto, by contrast, embraces the sweet, flipping the narrative and using it to set itself apart from the competition. Shraddha Agarwal, Founder of Grapes, pointed out, "Zepto flipped the narrative, making it a banter-worthy move that strategically stands out. It's refreshing to see a brand challenge the norm." This playful competition calls to mind the long-standing rivalry between brands like Coke and Pepsi, where taking digs at each other became a hallmark of their advertising strategies.

Zepto’s willingness to engage in this kind of light-hearted competition adds an extra layer to the campaign. It’s not just about selling Soan Papdi; it’s about using humor and a well-timed dig to position the brand as more clever and culturally attuned than its rivals. Sinha also remarked, "It’s funny and inoffensive, so I would welcome such campaigns. These kinds of competitive digs are very common in the west, and it’s exciting to see Indian brands engage in similar marketing." In a market where brands are often cautious about directly addressing competitors, Zepto’s approach feels bold and refreshing.

At the heart of this campaign is Zepto’s ability to blend humor with strategic insight. By transforming Soan Papdi from a re-gifting punchline into a character with personality and purpose, the brand has created a story that resonates with Indian audiences. The idea of a 'Chief Comeback Officer' gives the campaign a quirky, memorable hook, while also playing into the broader festive narrative of gifting and celebration. It’s a clever use of anthropomorphism—giving Soan Papdi a voice and a mission—that humanizes the product and makes it more relatable.

The campaign also cleverly leverages Zepto’s consumer data, using insights about gifting habits to craft a story that feels authentic and relevant. Chandramouli commented, "This clever narrative not only connects emotionally with audiences but also demonstrates Zepto’s ability to leverage consumer insights for impactful storytelling in the quick commerce space." By highlighting Soan Papdi’s waning popularity as a festive gift, the ad strikes a chord with viewers who recognize the truth behind the joke, while simultaneously offering a solution—free Soan Papdi on the Zepto platform—that ties back to the brand’s core value proposition.

Zepto’s ad, while bizarre on the surface, is underpinned by a sharp strategic vision. It manages to combine humor, nostalgia, and competition in a way that feels fresh and relevant, all while cleverly addressing a well-known cultural meme. The campaign’s success lies in its ability to take something as simple—and often ridiculed—as Soan Papdi and turn it into a character worth rooting for. As Zepto continues to innovate in the quick commerce space, it will be interesting to see how they build on this quirky and strategic approach to festive advertising.

But Agarwal also pointed on the drawback of the ad. "However, while the campaign was strong creatively and strategically, the ending fell flat. After taking a bold stance against the constant forwarding of Soan Papdi, offering yet another box of it seemed to contradict the entire message. It felt like they missed an opportunity to really close the campaign with impact."