In conversation with Manifest for our anniversary issue, Nadia Chauhan, joint managing director and CMO, Parle Agro, discussed the company’s growth, working with a creative agency based in the USA, whether India is ready for healthy food and beverage options, AI, and a lot more.

Speaking about unconventional risks in marketing, she said, "Collaborating with a boutique design house based in New York for all our marketing and advertising mandates was a pretty big risk we took 10 years ago."

She explained how partnering with &Walsh changed Parle Agro’s entire approach to branding, especially in a market like India where visual appeal plays a crucial role.

Chauhan credited the collaboration for strengthening top-of-mind recall, critical in impulse-driven categories.

On the challenges of working with an overseas agency, she added, "Working with an agency in a different continent is not easy, but it brings a fresh perspective to everything we do."

Chauhan highlighted that leveraging technology and AI helped bridge cultural nuances, and occasional collaborations with Indian specialists ensured campaigns resonated with local audiences.

When asked how AI affects marketing's emotional core, she clarified, "Being obsessed with data and AI is not a bad thing if one uses it in the right way and for the right reasons."

She elaborated that at Parle Agro, AI is treated as an enabling tool helping with visualisation, speeding up smaller initiatives, and significantly cutting down on campaign development timelines without sacrificing emotional storytelling.

Recalling a bold campaign idea that didn’t materialise, she said, "One very exciting idea that was presented to us was around creating our AI celebrity."

While the opportunity was promising, Chauhan explained that the market wasn’t mature enough at that time to pursue it. Nevertheless, she noted the potential such an initiative would have had in overcoming traditional celebrity endorsement limitations.

On the loyalty of her core marketing team, she reflected, "Companies need to foster a supportive culture where individuals feel valued and empowered to contribute."

Chauhan stressed that open communication, career growth opportunities, and shared vision have helped Parle Agro retain talent internally and externally, pointing to their decade-long relationship with agencies and even some brand ambassadors.

Asked about trend-setting versus trend-following, she was firm, "We don’t follow trends, but simplify our messaging and deliver joy through our communication and our products."

According to Chauhan, maintaining simplicity, familiarity, and predictability in messaging offers consumers much-needed comfort in a rapidly changing world dominated by social media noise.

Discussing Parle Agro’s five-year vision, she shared: "In the next five years, Parle Agro should have an established diverse product portfolio - spanning fruit drinks, carbonated soft drinks and dairy beverages."

Chauhan underlined her ambition for Smoodh to become a leading player, especially within the dairy beverages category, with innovation being at the heart of their expansion.

Debunking a myth about Indian consumers, she said, "One prevalent myth is that Indian consumers are fully ready to embrace specialised health-focused food and beverage products."

She clarified that while interest in premium and sugar-free products is growing, the larger base remains price-sensitive and seeks value, particularly outside urban metros.

To read the entire conversation with Chauhan, click here to buy the April issue!