🔥 The Origin: A Mispronunciation That Went Viral
It all began when Instagram content creator Ayush, known by his handle @ishowayuu, posted a reel where he jokingly mispronounced the French delicacy “croissant” as “Prashant”—a common Indian name. The video, intended as lighthearted humor, instantly clicked with desi netizens and soon went viral, garnering over 16 million views and thousands of comments.

The mispronunciation was so hilariously relatable that the name “Prashant” became an internet-wide inside joke, with people starting to refer to croissants as “Prashants” in comments, memes, and tweets. It was the perfect blend of cultural dissonance and comedy—something that social media thrives on.

🧠 Britannia’s Bold Move: From Croissant to Prashant
Rather than ignore or play it safe, Britannia—the Indian food giant—did the unexpected. They embraced the meme and even leaned into it full throttle. Their marketing team swiftly changed their official Instagram handle to @Britannia.Prashant, with a cheeky bio that read:

“Prashant, naam to suna hi hoga.”
(a playful take on the iconic Bollywood line from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge)

And they didn’t stop there.

Britannia redesigned their croissant product packaging with the name “Prashant” splashed across it and released a witty, self-aware reel to announce the transformation. The video humorously addresses the confusion around pronunciation and ends with a tongue-in-cheek acceptance: “Okay, fine. It’s Prashant now.”

The result?
The campaign exploded online. The rebranded reel alone received:

7.5 million+ views

42.2K shares

Thousands of reposts, memes, and user-generated content across platforms.

🗣️ What the Brand Had to Say
Speaking on the campaign, Shekhar Agarwal, General Manager of Marketing at Britannia Industries, stated:

“This wasn’t just a fun moment. We strategically used the virality to generate awareness about the croissant category, which is still relatively new in India. If it takes ‘Prashant’ to get people curious, we’re here for it.”

He also emphasized how today’s brands need to be agile and culturally aware. The campaign is a perfect example of “moment marketing”—capitalizing on viral trends to build brand affinity and visibility in a cluttered digital world.

🎯 Strategic Brilliance Behind the Laughter
Behind the laughs and memes lies a well-thought-out marketing strategy. Here’s why Britannia’s move was genius:

Consumer-Centric Approach:
Instead of forcing product narratives, Britannia responded to what consumers were already saying, making the brand feel more human and in touch.

Low-Cost, High-Impact
By repurposing a viral moment, they gained massive organic reach without burning huge ad budgets.

Cultural Contextualization:
The campaign bridges a cultural gap—highlighting how global products are perceived in India, making them more accessible and fun.

Category Development:
Packaged croissants are still a niche product in India. This campaign helped mainstream it in the most relatable way possible.

🧩 The Bigger Picture: Not Their First Rodeo
Britannia has been investing in creative and disruptive marketing for their croissant line for some time now. Just a few months prior, they launched a unique campaign titled “Croissant Pronunciation Expert”, where they:

Announced a one-day internship role

Offered a ₹3 lakh stipend

Required only one skill: to pronounce “croissant” correctly!

Within 24 hours, the quirky internship drive had 25,000+ applicants, proving once again that people love when brands think outside the (croissant) box.

📚 Marketing Lessons From ‘Prashant’
The “Prashant” campaign offers multiple takeaways for marketers:

Agility wins: Brands that can react quickly to cultural moments can ride the wave of virality effectively.

Humor works: Relatable and culturally-relevant humor builds a stronger emotional connection than polished ads.

Engage, don’t preach: Listening to your audience and joining the conversation builds long-term goodwill.

Offline meets online: By taking the meme from digital content to actual product packaging, Britannia blurred the lines between social media and real-world branding.

Final Thoughts
Britannia’s “Prashant” campaign is a refreshing reminder that creativity + cultural timing = magic. In a market where brands often hesitate to deviate from the script, Britannia leaned in, laughed with the internet, and turned a croissant into a cultural moment.

Whether you call it croissant or Prashant, one thing’s for sure—this campaign is going to be remembered (and studied) for a long time.

Author: Avyukt Kalita