Scarecrow M&C Saatchi and Rajiv Rao Unveil a Quirky New World for Cristos Wafers
Mumbai: Scarecrow M&C Saatchi has also introduced a laid-back character, Cristopher, who is set to become arguably the second-ever human brand mascot in Indian advertising history, following Onida’s Devil.
Gopal Snacks Limited, with a market cap of ₹4324 Cr, is the 4th largest manufacturer of ethnic savouries and the world’s leading Gathiya producer by market share (India Fiscal 2023, Source: F&S report). Initially launched in Gujarat, the brand quickly expanded to neighboring states like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Today, Gopal is on a mission to delight Indian palates with a delectable range of ethnic snacks, snack pellets, fast-moving consumer goods, and packaged sweets. The brand was listed on the BSE and NSE on March 6, 2024.
Jaydip Maheta, Head of Media and Communications, Gopal Snacks, expressed his thoughts- “Namkeen as a mother category often reflects strong cultural ties, like Gathiya for Gujaratis and Jhalmuri for Bengalis. However, wafers stand out as a universally accepted and loved snack and are enjoyed by people of all ages, cultures, and geographies. Even multinational companies have made their Wafer brands a global favourite. So, it becomes strategically important for any Namkeen brand, including Gopal, to put a special focus on Wafers as a sub-category.”
Gopal as a brand has grown organically, starting as a family-run Farsan (snack) business, evolving into a regional favourite, and eventually establishing itself as a mass-market brand, known primarily for family consumption. Then there comes a challenge. Wafer is perceived as a cooler and modern snack, and the mass-market brands won’t be able to charm the relatively cooler crowd and enter Modern Trade. To tackle this, Gopal took a bold step and launched Cristos as a sub-brand targeting the Gen Z, Millennials and Urban Youth.
Reflecting on the campaign, Raj Bipinbhai Hadvani, Whole-time Director and CEO said- “Our mother brand Gopal touches the heart and soul of everyone who celebrates Indian culture. However, the youth is evolving and they resonate and relate more with the globally accepted food formats like Wafers. And that’s exactly how we came up with a more youthful sub-brand Cristos! Also, it is not just about creating the brand but also creating a whole new world for the brand.”
Watch here: https://youtu.be/YZMdJlhXgtE
Cristos offers a variety of flavours in the market, including Cristos Mexican Chilli, Cristos Salted, Cristos African Mint, and Cristos Korean BBQ, with plans to introduce more exciting flavours in the future. In lots of food, beverage and confectionery categories, Mango is a focused flavour for many brands, in the same way, there was an opinion, a discussion, a deliberation and then there was a conviction of Bipin Vitthalbhai Hadvani, the Founder and Managing Director, that this Mexican Chilli flavour would be very well received. From the feedback that he received from consumers over the last two years, he knew this flavour would be a Superhit! So, he decided to go full throttle only on Cristos Mexican Chilli.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/ugJariNTxy4
The agency studied quite a lot of food, beverage, confectionery, and youthful brands and felt that in this kind of category, occupying a mind space is very important. For example, Coca-Cola occupies Happiness, Mountain Dew occupies Courage, and Kit Kat occupies the idea of Taking a Break. Their goal was to occupy a mindset that is trending, relevant, expanding, and growing among the urban youth, which is CHILLING!
Watch here: https://youtu.be/g9oDvTwtCLw
The agency tried marrying the Chilling mindset with the Mexican flavour and came up with this whole new world for the GenZ and Millennials and Urban Youth, called The World of Mexican Chilling!
Watch here: https://youtu.be/lq03G-XdH9g
Just like Nations have their National Anthems, The World of Mexican Chilling also has its own brand anthem. And since Mexican Culture is being celebrated through this flavour, Flamenco guitars, Trumpets and Accordion have been used to bring the feeling of MEXICANA alive! The lyrics are playful and quirky which creates a light-hearted, fun, and chill atmosphere for the Urban Youth. It’s a groovy, peppy and enjoyable tune perfect for listening while chilling.
Lyrics have been penned down by Manish Bhatt, Founder Director, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi.
Music composed by Aman Pant who is known for his work in Janhit Mein Jaari, Good Luck Jerry, Dozzakh, Dunki, Guns and Gulaabs, and received critical acclaim for his original score in R. Balki’s Chup. He has scored nearly 3000 ads as a composer.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/wwlb2ECyGMM
The trumpet is played by the great Kishore Sodha, also known as the Trumpet King of India, who has performed on iconic tracks like O Maria, Sagar Kinaare, Bachna Ae Haseeno, and Inteha ho Gayi.
Other musicians include Satyajeet Prabhu on Accordion, Adrijo Bhattacharya on Flamenco Guitar, and Shivam Pant on Bass Guitar.
The lead female singer, Suman Sridhar, is known for her upbeat and groovy style, with Bollywood hits like Muskaane Jhooti Hain (Talaash), Fifi (Bombay Velvet), and Hawa Hawai (Shaitan).
The lead male singer, Shahriyar Atai, is a versatile singer with a presence on stage, TV, films, and radio.
Just like a brand needs a Brand Anthem, it also needs a Brand Hero, Cristopher!
He is a super fun-loving guy! He speaks a mix of English and Mexican and always has something positive to say, brightening everyone’s day! He loves two things the most. Music and Munching on CRISTOS MEXICAN CHILLI WAFERS! He has an affinity for his native ingredient – THE MEXICAN CHILLI. He always has his guitar with him, ready to strum out a catchy tune. He knows how to play the trumpet as well, a truly talented dude.
He loves to break out into song and rhythmic tap dance – a skilled dancer, he knows the Salsa too and can groove gracefully. He is not the one to mess around with either as he is an expert shooter! He’s easily spotted in his traditional Mexican outfit, his favourite hat always on his head. If you are feeling a little down, Cristopher will turn your frown upside down. That’s the magic of Cristopher!
Watch here: https://youtu.be/4hY4X239lrI
Speaking of Cristopher, Manish Bhatt, Founder Director, Scarecrow M&C Saatchi said- “In a time when a disproportionate amount of brand budget is being spent on celebrities and influencers, we created our own influencer and our own celebrity for our brand. And when we studied the world of brand mascots, we found that the majority of them are either illustrations, animations or CG. This inspired us to create Cristopher, arguably the second-ever human brand mascot in the history of Indian advertising after Onida’s Devil from the late 80s. But we didn’t stop there and also created an entire World of Mexican Chilling which is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity not only for the brand team, the production house and the director but also for everyone in our agency!”
After repeated rounds of extensive research, thorough evaluation, and deliberation among 150-200 talented candidates, the agency zeroed in on Pratik Motwani as Cristopher.
Pratik is a versatile actor who has taught in prestigious institutions like The Kennedy Centre and Yale School of Drama. Pratik is also seen in web series like Avrodh Season 2, Bajao and Special Ops Season 2. He is also the Hindi voice of Dev Patel in Slumdog Millionaire. He currently is on the Board of Directors of The International Michael Chekhov Association, NYC – a prestigious premier institution in NYC that teaches the Michael Chekhov Technique of acting.
Meghana Arora is a fashion stylist and costume designer with over 15 years of experience and curated looks for brands like – Akasa Air, Reliance Digital, Siemens, Airtel and ITC. She created the perfect costume for Cristopher blending traditional Mexican details with his character quirks.
Link Below: https://youtu.be/Ht7V1BfKzZ8
