Parle ventures into TikTok influencer space...

Biscuits and confectionery brand Parle Products has launched a new campaign titled #SeekDontHide in partnership with TikTok. As part of the three-day campaign, a series of GIFs have been unveiled by Parle for short format video enthusiasts on the platform.

The campaign went live on February 21 and according to the brand, has garnered about five billion views on TikTok. Asking users to create 15-second videos inspired by any of the GIFs, the campaign roped in a lot of platform influencers to sport the Parle emblem. The influencers kicks-started the campaign by creating videos that carried the #SeekDontHide embedded within the mentions, all the while encouraging viewers to participate.

We’ve seen other brands try their creative hand on TikTok before – quite understandably, given the popularity of the platform across the nation. In the past, Pepsi India unveiled its #SwagStepChallenge. The campaign sought participation from TikTok users in making short videos that carried the campaign hashtag.

Lay's tried its luck with its #SmilewithLays campaign that sought participation from consumers in making pictures and also making some videos that carried the #SmileWithLays emblem. The campaign saw participation from viewers across the country.

We spoke to Mayank Shah, senior category head, Parle Products to understand the execution and technical side of the campaign. He opines, “We have been aiming to venture into digital for a while now. It has been four or five years, and we wanted to exploit the rich diversity TikTok has to offer in terms of users and consumers.”

We asked Shah how the filter, or the GIFs, were created. He says, “The tie-up was between Parle and TikTok. We also had our media agency to assist in the campaign. But the filter and the GIFs were created by TikTok themselves. The GIFs flaunted the core proposition of Hide & Seek biscuits.”

How does the communication for such digital campaigns vary from regular TVCs, we asked. Says Shah, “Unlike regular communication, the idea behind such campaigns is to interact with the consumers. In most campaigns, the communication is usually one-way. With digital campaigns, we want the communication to be two-way. It may vary depending on the social media platform, but the kind of engagement we wanted from this campaign could only be delivered through TikTok.”

Speaking about the target group, and how the brand aims to appeal to them, Shah reckons, “We aimed to reach out to millennials and Gen Z consumers with this campaign. We also sought participation from influencers to get the message across.”

With the digital space infiltrating our lives in a big way, we have seen a tremendous shift in consumer behavior. From being exclusively television oriented to now being predominantly driven by digital, consumer eyeballs have moved on from traditional media outlets to more nuanced avenues like OTT platforms, social media and other networking sites.

We asked Shah how Parle has adapted to these significant changes. He answers, “Three or four years ago, the popular opinion within consumer goods companies was that traditional media was still going to hold its hegemony. Although the traditional media hasn’t lost its relevance, the new age media with digital and social media has been on a phenomenal rise. The quality of communication here is far better than traditional – where you could only have one-way interactions.”

He adds, “So, we decided that we should be making use of this innovation. We have been around on digital platforms for years now. Today, the communications have to be tailored with a digital-first mindset. Our activity on social media and other digital spaces has been more specific and well-thought - from moment-marketing to consumer-oriented challenges.”