Britannia and Parle trade barbs, and biscuits, in a Pride Month brand moment

In a country more accustomed to political sparring than biscuit diplomacy, two of India’s biggest FMCG players found common ground this Pride Month—on a supermarket shelf, no less.

On 23 June 2025, the front page of The Times of India carried a striking ad from Britannia. Titled ‘Flavours of Equality’, the visual featured a rainbow-hued version of the brand’s iconic Good Day cookie pack. Each colour stripe was assigned a flavour—cashew, butter, pista, badam, chocolate, and fruit and nut. But one segment was deliberately left empty.

The accompanying text was where things got interesting.

“Dear Parle Monaco,” the ad read, “This space is all yours.” It was a nudge—and a challenge—wrapped in a biscuit tin, inviting arch-rival Parle Products to join the campaign for LGBTQIA+ inclusion. “If we can share a shelf, we can share a cause,” the copy concluded.

While brands have often latched onto Pride Month with varying degrees of sincerity, Britannia’s move stood out for calling out a competitor by name and turning a solo campaign into a potential industry collaboration.

Parle, of course, didn’t take the bait quietly.

Within hours, the biscuit giant served up a response on social media, cheeky yet composed. The ad featured a vertical stack of its well-known products—Parle-G, Monaco, Hide & Seek, Krackjack and more—arranged in vibrant colours. The message: “Dear Britannia, Happy to help you with this initiative. We at Parle have been proudly serving India’s diversity not just for one month, but every month, every day.”

 

 

 

 

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In tone, it was part compliment, part clapback. There was no hostility—just a polite reminder that Parle’s idea of inclusion was a 365-day affair, not a seasonal stunt.

Sharing space and a cause

This back-and-forth is a rare instance of competitive banter done right: measured, on-brand, and unusually constructive. No one got roasted. No hashtags were hijacked. And both brands managed to spark conversations around inclusion without turning the moment into a sales pitch.

The campaigns also come at a time when brand-led DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) initiatives globally have lost some of their momentum. For many marketers, the Pride playbook has been reduced to rainbow logos and vague affirmations. Against that backdrop, this exchange felt more deliberate, and more personal.

That said, the subtext wasn’t hard to spot: beneath the allyship was a battle for cultural relevance. Both brands used Pride Month not just to speak up, but to remind consumers of their role in Indian households. In a category where shelf space is as contested as ad space, such moments are as much about mindshare as mission.

As for the empty space in Britannia’s creative—was it a genuine invitation or a calculated provocation? And did Parle’s reply reinforce the spirit of solidarity or reclaim narrative control?

Those are questions for marketers to ponder. But for the moment, the takeaway is clear: in India’s biscuit wars, even a shared cause can become a competitive edge.

Because while the shelf might get rearranged, it’s the storytelling—and the subtle power play behind it—that leaves the lasting taste.