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Tag: Britannia Marie Gold

  • Britannia Marie Gold & IIS launch ‘HerSpark’ to ignite women’s sports careers

    Britannia Marie Gold & IIS launch ‘HerSpark’ to ignite women’s sports careers

    MUMBAI: Some sparks start wildfires, and Britannia Marie Gold, in partnership with the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), has just ignited one with ‘HerSpark’—a groundbreaking sports scholarship programme exclusively for women athletes in India. Designed to scout, train, and propel future champions, this initiative provides a fully funded three year scholarship worth Rs 45 lakh to young women eager to break barriers in boxing, swimming, judo, athletics, and parasports.

    Through this initiative, female athletes across India will gain access to world-class training, coaching, lodging, nutrition, and educational opportunities. And it gets even better—athletes will train under legendary Olympians and Continental champions, including Mamuka Kizilashvili (Judo) and Yoandris Betanzos Francis (Athletics), ensuring they receive the highest level of mentorship.

    HerSpark isn’t for the faint-hearted—it’s designed to find the best. The selection process unfolds across multiple stages:

    . Over 1,000 shortlisted athletes will compete in round one selection trials at IIS centres across India.

    .  Those who qualify will advance to two-day regional selection camps at eight key locations.

    . The top contenders will undergo an exclusive three-week elite training camp at IIS Vijayanagar.

    . Only the best will win the coveted three-year scholarship—setting them on a path to national and international glory.

    The HerSpark scholarship is open to Indian female athletes aged 14 and above. Minors (under 18) require parental or guardian consent. Applications are available via the official HerSpark website.

    Britannia Marie Gold has long been a champion for women’s empowerment, leading initiatives such as HerStartup and Her.Store to foster financial independence and entrepreneurship. Britannia Industries general manager – marketing Siddharth Gupta reaffirmed this commitment, “Britannia Marie Gold believes that every woman possesses an innate spark—the potential to achieve more. With ‘HerSpark,’ we extend this commitment to sports, providing young female athletes with the opportunity, training, and mentorship they need to reach their highest potential.”

    IIS president Manisha Malhotra echoed this enthusiasm, “We at IIS are thrilled to join hands with Britannia Marie Gold—a brand that is doing so much to empower women. Through this partnership, we are launching a nationwide scouting programme to identify young female athletes and equip them with the skills and guidance needed to succeed on the biggest stage. We cannot wait to see the success that comes out of this effort.”

    Founded by JSW Group, the Inspire Institute of Sport is a privately funded Olympic Sport Programme with a high-performance centre in Vijayanagar and satellite centres across Manipur, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Odisha.

    With HerSpark, Britannia Marie Gold and IIS are not just offering scholarships—they are shaping the next generation of champions. So, young women of India, are you ready to unleash your spark?

  • Britannia Marie Gold chooses ‘an act over an ad’ with HerStore on International Women’s Day

    Britannia Marie Gold chooses ‘an act over an ad’ with HerStore on International Women’s Day

    Mumbai: Britannia Marie Gold, one of India’s leading biscuit brands today launched  HerStore, a unique digital ecosystem for women entrepreneurs honoring its commitment from 2023 of #LetsKeepGoing to celebrate women every day. With HerStore, it is furthering its commitment to empower women entrepreneurs with constant support throughout their journey.

    The tagline “Saath Judo, Saath Udo” captures the essence of the brand’s commitment to cultivating a supportive digital ecosystem where women entrepreneurs stand united, and uplift each other, so that they can do more and be more.

    HerStore, powered by Britannia Marie Gold has taken the initiative towards its commitment with the launch of a unique marketplace which lists both products and services  – all owned by women. The platform will also soon offer a comprehensive suite of training, workshops, and upskilling videos tailored to equip women entrepreneurs with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in a dynamic market landscape. This will be complemented by a community to enable knowledge-sharing and mentoring among women entrepreneurs. The platform will also further fuel aspiring womenpreneurs with seamless access to Britannia Marie Gold Mystartup Contest Season 5.

    HerStore is built on learning from four immensely successful chapters of the Britannia Marie Gold Mystartup programme. The programme was initiated in 2019 to enable women to overcome barriers concerning finance and upskilling required to embark on their entrepreneurial journeys. Thus far, MyStartup Contest has provided seed funding of Rs. 10 lakhs each for over 50 entrepreneurs and equipped 50k+ women with the skills to start their businesses. More than 25 of the winners now have thriving businesses, and already over 10 winners have been onboarded on HerStore.

    The strategic design of HerStore with the proposition of ‘Shop | Be Inspired | Sell,’ is aimed at democratising an end-to-end ecosystem for women business owners. HerStore is a unique platform to list both products and services for Indian consumers at no additional cost to sellers and a zero-perc ent commission model. The platform will soon be available in several Indian languages such as Hindi, Kannada, Bengali, Tamil and many more. Currently, over 50 businesses have already been listed on the HerStore marketplace.

    Commenting on the launch, Britannia Industries chief marketing officer Amit Doshi said, “At Britannia Marie Gold, our unwavering commitment lies in empowering women entrepreneurs and nurturing their growth. This year, we decided to solidify our commitment by choosing not to do a brand advertisement, but by launching a digital ecosystem which will truly empower women – every single day of the year.

    With the launch of the marketplace as the first step, we are hopeful that the ease of managing a business on HerStore along with the extensive Britannia Marie Gold community in India will truly democratise the ecosystem for women entrepreneurs.”

    HerStore is conceptualised by MullenLowe Lintas group and the digital ecosystem has been built by Hash Connect.

    Subramanyeswar S. (Subbu), Group CEO, MullenLowe Lintas Group & Chief Strategy Officer – APAC, MullenLowe Global exclaimed, “Britannia Marie Gold has a strong emotional resonance among its audience –  the Homemakers or as the brand believes them to be – Everyday Athletes. Led by an inspiring purpose to make them  “Do more. Be more”, the new idea “HerStore” is a movement to empower and support womenpreneurs. ‘HerStore’ is also special to us as it’s the very first initiative from Lowe Lintas DX, our digital creative unit set up in collaboration with Meta. Their offering of advanced strategic and creative services, specifically designed for long-term brand building in the digital domain, was a perfect fit for this particular drive from Britannia.

    I do not doubt that ‘HerStore’ will help revolutionize the digital landscape on the web. It embodies the spirit of the brand to enable entrepreneurship and drive meaningful change in the lives of the Everyday Athlete!”

    Hash Connect chief strategy officer Vinod Kumar emphasised the project’s unique challenges. “Creating HerStore posed distinct challenges – our goal was to build a robust technology platform empowering women entrepreneurs as sellers. Simultaneously, we aimed to ensure a simple yet sophisticated user experience. Another element of uniqueness is that HerStore caters to not just e-commerce businesses with products, but services and local businesses as well. Leveraging our e-commerce knowledge and insights into Indian consumer behaviour, we’ve built a platform promising an excellent experience for sellers, buyers, and the brand.”

  • Britannia Marie Gold celebrates the entrepreneur within every Indian homemaker, On World Entrepreneurship Day

    Britannia Marie Gold celebrates the entrepreneur within every Indian homemaker, On World Entrepreneurship Day

    MUMBAI: Britannia Marie Gold, one of India’s largest biscuit brands has always fuelled Indian homemakers to ‘do more & be more’. Committed to be a friend and guide to the Indian homemaker, the brand has over many years nudged the homemaker to realise her latent potential and dreams. On World Entrepreneurship Day, Britannia Marie Gold released a special TV campaign which recognizes and salutes the natural entrepreneur within every homemaker.

    The brand communication operates on the key insight that lack of confidence is one of the barriers keeping homemakers from starting something of their own. It also makes the point that this lack of confidence is misplaced. In fact, the brand believes that every homemaker by virtue of being a homemaker already possesses skill sets akin to an entrepreneur- leadership qualities, financial acumen, and negotiation and people management skills. All she needs to truly become an entrepreneur is to discover the talent she already has, within her.

    The film celebrates the homemaker in her current life state, as the anchor of her family and also nudges her to do more and be more, “Kyunki Bahut Kuch Hai Karna”.

    Talking about the campaign, Mr. Vinay Subramanyam, VP, Marketing, Britannia Industries said,  “Britannia Marie Gold is a brand that has intimate connections with India’s homemakers. We laud them for being the emotional anchor and all time go- to person in every family. We firmly believe that the progress the country has made sits on the bedrock of contributions and sacrifices made by the homemaker. Britannia Marie Gold recognizes the growing, inner aspirations of homemakers to do more with their potential and is committed to be the “everyday fuel” for homemakers in this bid. We dedicate this film to India’s homemakers on World Entrepreneurship Day. What better way to tell homemakers that they already have immense entrepreneurial acumen, and how a little bit of courage and confidence can make their dreams come alive”.

    Mr. Puneet Kapoor, Regional Creative Officer, Lowe Lintas said “Britannia Marie Gold has championed the dreams that homemakers want to achieve apart from running their households so efficiently through this creative campaign. This film celebrates those latent dreams that nearly every homemaker in the country harbours in her heart. It attempts to inspire women to give an honest shot to realising her dreams because the skill-sets of good home-making are similar to the skill-sets required to run one’s own business.”

    Britannia Credits:

    Brand: Britannia Marie Gold
    VP, Marketing: Vinay Subramanyam
    Category Manager: Siddharth Gupta
    Group Product Manager: Ankit Tiwari
    Product Manager: Sayani Bagchi
    Campaign Credits:

    Agency: Lowe Lintas Bangalore
    Language: Hindi, Bangla, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Oriya, Assamese
    Creative: Puneet Kapoor, Arpan Bhattacharyya and Ayanangshu Lahiri
    Account Management: Sonali Khanna, Smrithi Ramanujam, Shreya Singh and Shruthi Rao
    Planning: Kishore Subramanian and Saumya Chattopadhyay
    Production House: Oink Films (Producer: Ramya Rao, Director: Shirsha Guha Thakurta)
    Music Director: Subhajit Mukherjee

  • Britannia Marie Gold in partnership with NSDC announces India’s first Skill Development Program for homemakers to startup

    Britannia Marie Gold in partnership with NSDC announces India’s first Skill Development Program for homemakers to startup

    MUMBAI: Britannia Marie Gold has announced the launch of the second season of its annual ‘Britannia Marie Gold My Startup’ initiative which provides financial assistance to homemakers with entrepreneurial ideas. This year, the brand has partnered with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to launch India’s first-ever skill development programme customized for women with entrepreneurial aspirations. 10,000 women homemakers from across the country will undergo this online certification course between April and June 2020. The online training touches upon all key levers of entrepreneurship.  The Britannia Marie Gold My Start Up initiative is designed to help India’s homemakers become financially independent and transform them into job creators.

    The online courses will be available through NSDC’s eSkillIndia portal that drives Government of India‘s Skill India Mission digitally. The e-courses will empower women to gain basic communication skills, financial literacy along with information and communication technology (ICT), and micro entrepreneurial skills for socio economic self-reliance. The online nature of the training provides easy access to the courses from the comfort of their homes across the country. The primary aim is to train women on key functional skills to boost their confidence at the start of their entrepreneurial journey. The training program will be available in two languages – English and Hindi.  The digital skilling content will be supported by formative and summative assessments, and eCertification will be awarded to the participants upon successful completion of the course.

    Britannia’s ‘My Startup’ Initiative also provides financial assistance to homemakers who have entrepreneurial ideas backed by a practical business plan. To participate in the program, the homemakers can give a missed call, send a WhatsApp message to the number provided on the Britannia Marie Gold pack or log on to www.mystartupcontest.com and share their business idea.

    Britannia Marie Gold launched the ‘My Marie My Startup’ campaign in the year 2019 on the back of a Nationwide Survey on Barriers and Triggers to Women Entrepreneurship in India conducted in 2018. The overwhelming response of 1.5 million entries in the first Edition of the campaign and the insights gained thereof encouraged the brand to add skill development as a core delivery in the initiative this year.

    Talking about the second edition of Britannia Marie Gold My Start Up campaign and partnership with NSDC, Britannia Industries head of marketing Vinay Subramanyam said: “Britannia Marie Gold My Start Up initiative aims to fulfill Indian women’s aspirations of embarking on an entrepreneurial journey and gaining financial independence. We believe that homemakers are the drivers of growth for a country's success. They have uninhibited energy, endless love and limitless patience. They exhibit an entrepreneurial aptitude in their everyday lives. And yet they seek to do more and be more. This is the rationale for the "Britannia MarieGold My Start up" initiative. Data from a nationwide survey we conducted also pointed out that skill development was a crucial need along with finances. We found the perfect partner in National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to develop and deliver the requisite skills. The scale of the initiative this year has increased manifold with 10,000 homemakers going through an online, certified skill development program. Our partnership with NSDC will help build a vibrant ecosystem and facilitate micro entrepreneurship amongst women.”

    Commending the campaign, NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said: “In India only 22 per cent women work while the global average is about 48 per cent. A report by McKinsey specifies that if we reach the world average it would add another USD 700 billion to our economy and for India to grow at high rates of 9 to 10 per cent would not be possible without the participation of women as key entrepreneurs. I would like to compliment this unique initiative by Britannia Marie Gold and the National Skill Development Corporation to transform homemakers to entrepreneurs. We are in the midst of a massive technological disruption and this initiative creates huge opportunities and redefines our existing boundaries in innovation. They are opening up new avenues for business, innovation and entrepreneurship. I am particularly delighted that through this initiative there will be more opportunities for homemakers because women in India have a great spirit for innovation and the resilience to make the best of every available resource and without them it would not be possible for the country to grow, expand and progress.”

    The 21st century poses many challenges that require new ways of thinking, but nothing is more important than the economic role of women in a rapidly changing world. A key pillar to lead this transformation is skill development.

    Sharing his thoughts on the same, NSDC MD and CEO Manish Kumar  quoted, “Women constitute 48 per cent of Indian population but as per estimates only 23 per cent participate in labour force. Skilling initiatives especially focused towards Entrepreneurship and Gig Economy is the need of the hour given that 229.2 million, out of the 301.5 million who are not in the labour force, state their status as ‘attending domestic duties’ and innovative approaches that create economic opportunities for them without conflicting with social needs will be a win-win solution for all. If we could add 20 percentage point more to women labor force, India's GDP will go up by more than 1 trillion USD.”

    Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship joint secretary Anuradha Vemuri said: “In the modern world, more and more women are emerging as beacons, leaders in integral roles contributing towards the nation’s growth. They are change-makers and custodians of a value system that holds the keys to the society’s development. Through their enterprise and compassion, women today are not only transforming their own lives but are also inspiring others to do better. The Government’s vision of Skill India rides on the ability of women to rise as entrepreneurs and employers and we are focusing all our energies to create conditions that empower women to strive for their dreams and ambitions. We will continue to be catalysts in the journey to unlock their potential and help them find success.”

    Aspiring women entrepreneurs can log onto www.mystartupcontest.com for more details and participation criteria.