Can You Eat Wisdom? A Reflection on Britannia Milk Bikis and the Thirukkural Challenge

 

Britannia Milk Bikis has recently launched the Thirukkural Challenge, a campaign that incorporates words from the Thirukkural onto select biscuits sold in Tamil Nadu.

For those unfamiliar with it, the Thirukkural is one of the greatest treasures of Tamil literature. Authored by the sage Thiruvalluvar and widely dated between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE, it contains 1,330 couplets comprising just seven words each.

These verses cover morality, ethics, governance, friendship, learning, perseverance, and love. For generations, the Thirukkural has served not merely as literature but as a guide to righteous living. It occupies a place of immense cultural and emotional significance in the hearts of Tamils across the world.

Britannia's campaign is undoubtedly creative. Special-edition Milk Bikis packs contain biscuits printed with individual Kural words. Consumers are encouraged to collect words from multiple packs and arrange them to form complete Kurals centred on themes such as friendship, learning, and perseverance. A genuine Thirukkural consists of a complete couplet of seven words in each line

The campaign extends into the digital world through a dedicated website where participants can enter the words they have collected, assemble complete verses, and compete for hourly prizes.

From a marketing standpoint, one has to admire the ingenuity behind the idea. The humble biscuit has been transformed into an interactive learning tool. The campaign gamifies learning, encourages family participation, and creates repeat purchases because consumers need multiple packs to complete the verses. In terms of consumer engagement, it is undoubtedly an impressive piece of work. So far, so good.

But then the marketing teacher in me raises his head. Perhaps I am old-fashioned, but something about the execution makes me uncomfortable.

The Thirukkural, for many people, is not merely a collection of words. It is revered. While not a religious scripture in the conventional sense, it possesses a sanctity that transcends literature. In Indian culture, words themselves often carry sacred meaning. We touch books to our forehead as a mark of respect. We apologise when our feet accidentally touch a book. Knowledge is treated with reverence.

Against this backdrop, the idea of printing revered verses on something meant to be bitten, chewed, and consumed feels slightly odd and somewhat unsettling. The issue is not the message; the issue is the medium. Marshall McLuhan famously said, "The medium is the message." Britannia had a wonderful message, but perhaps it chose the wrong medium.

Not everyone will agree with me, of course. Many younger consumers may see nothing objectionable in the campaign and may simply regard it as an innovative and enjoyable educational exercise. Cultural sensitivities are subjective, and there is no universal response. I do not believe Britannia intended any disrespect whatsoever. Their objective was clearly to promote learning and cultural appreciation.

Nevertheless, I believe an even stronger campaign was possible. Instead of printing the Kural words on the biscuits themselves, Britannia could have printed them on the inside of the wrappers. Consumers purchasing three or five packets could have been given a beautifully designed art paper poster with spaces to paste completed Kurals. Children could collect the words, paste them in the appropriate places, and gradually create a set of complete Thirukkural panels.

Such a collectible approach would have transformed the campaign from a consumable experience into a keepsake. Children could then take a photograph with their completed poster and submit it, along with their name and phone number, through the campaign website. They could even be encouraged to write a slogan inspired by the Kural. Winning slogans and photographs could subsequently appear on future packaging or on Britannia's social media channels.

This approach would have achieved several objectives simultaneously:

• It would have increased repeat purchases.
• It would have preserved the dignity and sanctity associated with the Thirukkural.
• It would have encouraged creativity among children.
• It would have generated valuable user-generated content.
• It would have strengthened emotional connections with the brand.
• Most importantly, it would have left families with something tangible to treasure.

In marketing terms, Britannia could have transformed a consumable medium into a collectible medium. Collectibles create memories. Memories create emotional attachment. Emotional attachment creates brands.

Therefore, my observations should not be interpreted as criticism of the campaign's intentions. On the contrary, the idea itself is brilliant. My concern lies only with the choice of medium. As marketers, we often become so fascinated with innovation that we forget a simple truth: context matters. The same message delivered through a different medium can evoke completely different emotions.

Britannia deserves applause for attempting to bring the Thirukkural closer to younger generations. That objective is noble and commendable. Yet one cannot help feeling that a wonderful opportunity was missed. Sometimes, preserving the sanctity of wisdom while making it accessible requires not a different message, but simply a different medium.

Keywords: Britannia Milk Bikis, Thirukkural Challenge, Thiruvalluvar, Tamil Literature, Cultural Marketing, Brand Strategy, Consumer Engagement, Gamification, Interactive Learning, Heritage Marketing, Sacred Symbols, Cultural Sensitivity, Packaging Design, Marketing Ethics, Brand Communication, The Medium is the Message, Marshall McLuhan, Collectible Marketing, User-Generated Content, Family Marketing, Children's Learning, Experiential Marketing, Product Packaging, Marketing Innovation, Emotional Branding, Consumer Psychology, Indian Culture,   Marketing Lessons, Marketing Critique, Brand Activism, Marketing Case Study,

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From Tintin to AI: My Journey into Visual Storytelling

Books have always fascinated me. Born into a literary family, I grew up in an environment where books were not merely objects on shelves but constant companions. Authors, book discussions, reading sessions, and book reviews were an integral part of daily life. It was, quite literally, books everywhere.

My childhood reading was nourished by a steady diet of Enid Blyton, Erle Stanley Gardner, Agatha Christie, and James Hadley Chase. Alongside these classics came a generous helping of comics, Asterix, Tintin, Indrajal Comics, and Amar Chitra Katha. Those colourful worlds ignited my imagination and transformed reading into an adventure.

I was particularly captivated by visual books and comics. Frankly, I was often jealous of the illustrators. I used to wonder how they could draw with such finesse, especially the artists behind the Asterix comics and the Tintin series. Comics in those days were akin to movie productions; even a single volume could take two or three years to appear. Everything was painstakingly hand-drawn and crafted with extraordinary care and patience.

Times, however, have changed. The advent of Artificial Intelligence has made many things easier and more accessible. During this summer vacation, I embarked on an ambitious venture: I wanted to create visual books myself with the assistance of AI.

What appeared simple at first soon turned out to be a formidable challenge. Designing visual books using AI involved thousands of experiments, numerous failures, and countless iterations. Prompt engineering is often spoken about casually, but making AI understand creative nuances in the true sense proved to be far more difficult than I had imagined.

Maintaining continuity from one page to another was a constant struggle. Sometimes character appearances would change; at other times, the page orientation itself would suddenly shift. Achieving consistency, preserving subtle expressions, and getting the finer details right required endless patience. There were many moments of frustration and self-doubt, but each setback became a lesson in itself.

After hundreds of attempts, I slowly began to understand the medium and eventually succeeded in designing the comics. It was a journey of persistence, experimentation, and continuous learning. In many ways, I was rediscovering the joy I had experienced as a child while reading those wonderful comics, except that this time I was helping bring stories to life myself.

Throughout this endeavour, my institute stood firmly behind me. Prof. Zarar Sir, Ritu Madam, and Jitender Govindani Sir were pillars of strength. They continued to encourage me even when success seemed distant. Their faith in my abilities never wavered, and they were convinced that I would eventually succeed. Without their constant support and confidence, these books would never have seen the light of day.

Govind, our EDP In-charge, also made significant contributions by helping with the cover and back-cover designs.

Another major hurdle was printing. Colour printing is prohibitively expensive, and no printer in Hyderabad was willing to undertake such a small order. At this crucial stage, Mr. Krishna Singh Chauhan, one of our students, stepped in and located an excellent printer in Amravati, Maharashtra. The books were printed beautifully and aesthetically, exceeding all expectations. I am equally indebted to our students Bhagyashri and Shahbaz for their invaluable assistance.

Thanks, are also due to my wife, M. Padmavathi, who has always been my first reader and most candid critic. She painstakingly went through every page, pointed out numerous errors, and helped smooth out many imperfections. Her encouragement, patience, and keen eye for detail made the books immeasurably better.

Looking back, this entire endeavour was much more than a personal project. It was a collective effort powered by encouragement, faith, and teamwork. What began as a childhood fascination with books evolved into a creative journey that blended literature, art, and technology.

From admiring the illustrations of Tintin and Asterix as a child to creating my own visual books with the help of AI, I have come full circle. The tools may have changed, but the joy of storytelling remains timeless. If anything, this journey has reaffirmed my belief that technology can never replace imagination; it can only amplify it. And for someone who grew up amidst books and dreams, there could hardly be a more fulfilling way to keep telling stories'

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Pause the Film, Not Your SIP: Great Marketers Notice What Others Merely Watch

Just taking Marketing as a specialization won't make one a great marketing student. You need to live, breathe, and internalize marketing. You need to develop antennae that are permanently tuned to the marketing frequency. Marketing is not something you study only in classrooms; it is something you observe and absorb in everyday life.

Take, for example, Durandhar Part 2. Many of you must have watched it on OTT. But did you notice something unusual? Most viewers probably didn't. You saw it, but you didn't notice it. The marketer within you remained dormant.

Think about your own viewing habits. During ad breaks, what do most of us do? We check our phones, visit the kitchen, grab a cup of coffee, or simply wait impatiently for the movie to resume. Advertisements have become interruptions that people actively try to avoid. The challenge for advertisers, therefore, is simple yet daunting: How do you capture the viewer's attention when the viewer doesn't want to be captured?

This is where a brilliant UTI Mutual Fund advertisement comes into play. Whenever you pause the movie for whatever reason, the advertisement suddenly appears and remains on the screen. It carries a simple but powerful message:

"Pause the film, not your SIP." It is a masterstroke.

The ad appears precisely at the moment when you are least likely to ignore the screen. It transforms an ordinary viewer action into a highly contextual marketing opportunity. Instead of fighting for attention during conventional ad breaks, the brand cleverly inserts itself into the consumer's natural behaviour.

This is what marketers call punching above your weight, achieving maximum impact with limited resources. Or, as we often say, getting the maximum bang for your marketing rupee.

What makes the campaign particularly effective is not merely the placement but the relevance of the message. When the viewer pauses entertainment, the brand gently reminds him not to pause his investments. The message is timely, contextual, memorable, and perfectly aligned with the consumer's behaviour.

Great marketing often hides in plain sight. The difference between an ordinary viewer and a marketer is not intelligence but observation. One watches a movie. The other watches the movie, the ads, the interface, the consumer behaviour, and the strategy behind it all.

This ability to notice what others overlook is what separates good marketers from great marketers.

So, the next time you encounter something unusual—a clever package design, an innovative advertisement, a smart retail display, or a creative digital campaign—don't merely admire it. Analyse it. Ask yourself:

• Why was it done this way?
• What consumer behaviour is it trying to exploit?
• Why is it effective?
• Could it have been done better?

Develop your marketing antennae. Keep them permanently tuned to the marketing frequency. And whenever you notice something interesting, share it in the blog. Nothing would make me happier than knowing that some of you, too, have begun to see the world through a marketer's eyes.

Because great marketers don't just watch. They notice. And act on the insights. 

Keywords: Marketing Antennae • Contextual Intelligence • Consumer Behaviour • Attention Economy • Brand Recall • Punching Above Your Weight • Observational Marketing • Smart Advertising • Marketing Frequency • Seeing What Others Miss

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