Authenticity is the bedrock of all our brand building: Siddharth Gupta, Britannia

Over 100 years of legacy, but Britannia isn’t resting on nostalgia. As health-conscious snacking, hyper-localization and digital commerce reshape FMCG in India, the company is recalibrating its recipe, literally and metaphorically.

For Britannia, it’s important to understand the consumer needs, from wellness to indulgence, nostalgia to innovation, tier-1 metros to deep rural pockets. “We keep a close watch on consumer preferences and trends, and invest in evolving our portfolio to balance both excitement and goodness,” says Siddharth Gupta, GM at Britannia Industries, in an exclusive conversation with e4m.

From AI-powered campaigns to regionally nuanced flavour profiles, from smart influencer strategies to reviving traditional media with digital interactivity, Britannia is rethinking what it means to be India’s food brand.

Over the years, Britannia has made substantial backend changes to make its offerings more nutrition-forward. Gupta reveals, “50% of our portfolio has added micronutrients,” with sugar and sodium levels systematically reduced over time. In fact, as compared to FY 2018-19, wholegrain content per serving has gone up by 254.16%, sugar has been cut by 3.44%, and sodium by 11.95% in FY 24-25.

NutriChoice, the brand’s flagship wellness line, now uses 100% atta and incorporates oats and seeds in several variants. WiseBite also comes across as wellness tracking. “We're tapping into platforms like WiseBite, that promotes mindful snacking and NutriPlus, to educate and enable wellness tracking through our packs and smartphones,” Gupta adds.

With brands like Good Day, Little Hearts, and Bourbon that have been around for decades, storytelling isn’t just marketing, it’s survival.

“Authenticity is the bedrock of all our brand building,” Gupta asserts. “Our brands stay relevant because they evolve while staying true to their core.”

For instance, Good Day now champions “celebrating small joys” through everyday moments, brought alive in campaigns like the Myntra-led “Bank of Small Wins.” Little Hearts retains its soft, romantic charm but has updated its creative lens to express warmth through pets. Bourbon, once just a classic treat, now stands for multi-layered chocolate indulgence.

Even newer launches are deeply culture-led. Pure Magic, a relatively recent entry, collaborated with Warner Bros to tap into India’s massive Harry Potter fandom through Choco Frames. “That’s how we keep even indulgent brands culturally plugged-in and fresh,” Gupta notes.

As snacking becomes more mainstream beyond metros, Britannia is investing heavily in tier 2, 3, and rural India. “Our rural and direct distribution reach has gone up significantly,” Gupta confirms, noting that the company’s sales teams are focused on expanding its physical and logistical footprint across the country.

This reach is matched by regionally tailored products. A brand like 50-50 Golmaal is specifically crafted to appeal to local taste palettes. “India’s taste preferences are hyper-diverse, and our products have to reflect that,” he says.

But access isn't just physical. Britannia is also focused on making premium experiences affordable. Products like Pure Magic Choco Lush and Jim Jam Pops are offered at ₹5 and ₹10 price points, democratising indulgence without compromising on aspiration.

And to make inroads into rural India’s cultural networks, Britannia is tapping into local influencers like Rural Sakhis for brands like Milk Bikis to build trust and brand narrative among parents and children.

In an era where digital media dominates headlines, Britannia’s media strategy is anything but monolithic. It’s contextual, brand-led and surprisingly balanced.

For Good Day, which has one of the widest consumer bases, Gupta says the media mix is almost a 50:50 split between traditional and digital, with mass media offering scale and digital providing agility and cultural relevance.

In contrast, Pure Magic, a digital-first brand, allocates about 25% of its media budget to influencers and over 50% to social and digital platforms. “The percentage spent on influencers varies by brand, it’s not one-size-fits-all,” Gupta explains.

Even seemingly passé channels like print and outdoor are getting reinvented. “We’ve used print in AI-integrated campaigns for Pure Magic Choco Frames and NutriChoice,” he shares. “Print plus device creates immersive, layered experiences.”

OOH too has made a creative comeback. On Tamil Nadu Day, Milk Bikis ran over 80 location-personalized billboards across the state, blending regional pride with brand storytelling. “It’s a very interesting, exciting way to use a medium that many had written off,” Gupta says.

With quick commerce emerging as a critical touchpoint, Britannia’s media planning is increasingly geared towards conversion and fulfilment in real time.

In one of its most tech-forward initiatives yet, Britannia launched BourbonIT, India’s first AI-powered recipe platform, powered by Google Gemini’s multimodal capabilities. With over 28,000+ unique recipe submissions, the campaign turns Bourbon from a passive snack into an interactive canvas.

“It’s another example of how we bring our brands to life through experience, not just ads,” Gupta says.

From reformulating ingredients to rethinking media, from nostalgic storytelling to new-age tech, Britannia’s approach is layered and laser-focused. It’s not about chasing trends, but deeply integrating them into brand DNA.

As Gupta sums it up, “Wellness and indulgence are not either-or anymore. Our mission is to make both accessible, without compromise.”