If you say ‘G mane…’, chances are, someone around you may complete the sentence with ‘…genius!’. Parle G’s ‘G mane genius’ slogan made its pitch for the first time in 2004, thanks to the brand’s agency Everest Brand Solutions.
The idea wasn’t really ‘genius’, but it was based on the need to move away from the ‘Gluco’ identity of the biscuit brand. Parle G’s G stood for ‘Gluco’ for decades, and the move from Gluco to Genius was the purpose behind ‘G mane genius’. And going by the line’s popularity (no doubt a result of heavy media spend over many years), the reframing sure seems to have worked.
The need for reframing ‘Gluco’ to ‘Genius’ could probably be a result of advertising by Glucose brands (like Glucon D) that pitched their product as a source of a quick burst of energy. The burst of energy is, as Bournvita says, ‘Tan ki shakti’. So, Parle G would have wanted to pitch itself as the source of ‘Man ki shakti’, to use Bournvita’s slogan again, in context. The result? ‘G mane genius’, where ‘genius’ alludes to the ‘man ki shakti’, or the use of the brain.
The early ‘G mane genius’ ads had a simple aim: showcase the kids eating Parle G as the smart ones who can think through tricky situations. But these situations are fairly low stake, everyday variety – nothing too dire.
So you had a young girl making good a sabotaged school painting (and winning) and a young boy making sure his friend could sit next to him in the bus.
Since then, quite a few other agencies have pitched variants of the same ‘genius’ theme.
Grey Group did an Aamir Khan-themed variant in 2009, on the back of his then film Ghajini. It was an interesting crossover of Ghajini (2008) and Taare Zameen Par (2007) and featured Aamir (who starred in both films), and Darsheel Zafary. Aamir’s short-term amnesia is used in the ad too as he forgets the name of the ‘aunty’ in front of him and his Taare Zameen Par co-star helps him remember her name using a pack of Parle G.
There was a generic (not using any of Aamir’s films) ‘Bhoot Bangla’ follow-up to that ad too, again, with the ‘G mane genius’ theme.
In both these ads, the Parle G consumer (young kids) ended up using their intelligence/creativity to help others, not themselves, unlike the earlier series of ads. This intelligence/creativity was framed as ‘genius’.
There have been odd deviations in the tone of the films too, like this one, called ‘Chess’. I don’t know the agency that did this ad, but I believe even Parle G would want you to forget this ad since it shows the ‘Genius’ boy (Parle G user) using his intelligence to help his dad cheat in chess!
Subsequently, Ogilvy came in and pitched yet another variation of the ‘genius’ theme in 2013. The idea here was to showcase a series of intelligent/creative ideas by kids (a combination of ideas they do for themselves, and others) and bring them all under the ‘Kal ke genius’ plank. The jingle was written by Gulzar, the music was by Vishal Dadlani, and the song was sung by Piyush Mishra.
There was no ‘G mane genius’ sign-off in these ads, but they did continue the ‘genius’ idea nonetheless in a different format.
In 2018, yet another agency pitched yet another variation: for today’s digital genius! The plank now was that the genius is changing – ‘Genius badal raha hai’. This is an important shift that has relevance towards the end of this post, as also the crux of this post.
The agency here was Taproot Dentsu, and in my view, this was perhaps the best manifestation of the ‘genius’ theme without involving the kids coming up with supposedly intelligent or creative solutions. This series was the most natural in terms of the ‘genius’ proposition – it mined the kids’ natural curiosity as a precursor to their (later) intelligence. All they do is question the older people about an older/outdated device by comparing it to the newer devices that have since replaced them. When the older person asserts that in their time, the newer devices did not exist, the kids ask if their time had Parle G (which it did). That’s a clever way to end the campaign with 2 takeaways – ‘G mane genius’ and talk about the legacy of the brand at the same time.
And now comes the oddest evolution in the ‘G mane genius’ theme!
In 2021, a new (new to Parle G’s advertising, that is) agency, Thought Blurb, took on the Parle G mantle and helped the brand launch 3 ads as a part of the campaign.
There is a ‘G mane genius’ callout in the end, but the agency has a completely new, warped meaning of ‘Genuis’ now – one who finds happiness in others’ happiness!
The dictionary meaning of ‘genius’ is “very great and rare natural ability or skill, especially in a particular area such as science or art”.
All the earlier Parle G ads, since 2004 (under ‘G mane genius’) have used intelligence and creativity as the basis to define ‘genius’. And, rightly so. That’s what the word means, and that’s a reasonable advertising-level exaggeration for a glucose-based biscuit. This is anyway a trope used by assorted malt-based drinks – “drink our product, and the kids act intelligently”.
But a biscuit inculcating empathy in kids? That stretches the incredulity meter considerably. It’s not even an exaggeration because nothing in the biscuit can be stretched to add the thought to consider others’ feelings in kids (who consume it).
Ironically, Parle G and Thought Blurb doubled down on the same misleading theme in two more follow-up campaigns launched in December 2022 and January 2024!
Observe the same school science project setting in this first ad from the 2024 series:
There’s no sabotage, this time, unlike the ad when ‘G mane genius’ was launched). Another kid is struggling with his project and the Parle G kid helps him complete his project. But, at the very least, this ad requires the girl to think smartly and quickly. But the end of the ad frames it based on empathy and consideration of others’ happiness, not for nifty, creative thinking.
The other 4 ads in the new campaign go completely off track – there is no semblance of any intelligence needed.
Would it be too much to ask Parle G to consider changing ‘G mane genius’ to ‘G mane generous’ in line with the 2 new campaigns (in 2021 and 2024, both by Thought Blurb)? Possibly, since ‘G mane genius’ has been an adequately established phrase/property for 2 decades!
Instead, the trouble is that Thought Blurb added an incongruous narrative idea to that established property, one that does not make any sense within the ‘genius’ narrative that has been nurtured by multiple agencies over the years.
One could even argue that geniuses, owing to their obsession with one stream of thought or interest area, may actually be social recluses, not particularly demonstrating empathy.
To be fair, the basic idea, of inculcating in children the nature of considering others’ feelings is truly a laudable one. But it does not flow naturally from the consumption of a mere biscuit. It doesn’t flow naturally from the consumption of anything. It’s a trait that is taught, learned, imbibed, and/or emulated.
A sharper mind is different from a considerate/kind heart. The former has a whole lot of triggers in advertising – coffee, carbonated drinks (Sprite), Mentos (“Dimag ki batti jala de”), to Parle G, among others. But the latter? Only Parle G, and that too very unconvincingly.
What is also interesting is that we consider food items to induce something that affects the brain – intelligence, quick thinking, etc. With the new set of ads, Parle G is inducing something in the heart, since generosity is associated with the heart, and not the brain!
I believe the agency here took a well-established value proposition, twisted it totally out of context, and presumed that the intent behind it would be enough to overlook the incongruity of a biscuit that has historically touted intelligence would get even the basic meaning of ‘genius’ wrong!
I’m reasonably sure that at least one junior account executive in the agency would have raised the most obvious point: “What does seeking happiness in others’ happiness have anything to do with a ‘genius’?”. I assume she would have been shut up by someone far above her paygrade with, “All that matters is whether people go ‘Aaaawwwww’ when they see the ad”.
But, going by the fact that the same line of thought has been used in two more campaigns in 3 years, I suspect the first campaign passed muster without anyone bothering to question the incongruity.