Britannia Good Day embraces smiles of every kind

With a persistent dedication to fostering positivity and inclusivity, Britannia Good Day, India's largest cookie brand, unveiled a heartwarming 'Cleft Cookie Campaign' on this World Smile Day (6 October 2023). Loved for its iconic cookies adorned with a myriad of smiles that celebrate diversity & inclusivity, Britannia Good Day extended support to the smiles of children born with cleft lip and palate.

Owing to India's substantial population, the country grapples with one of the highest incidents of cleft lip births worldwide, with roughly 35,000 children being born with this condition annually. Clefts, which involve a gap in the upper lip and/or the roof of the mouth (palate), are a prevalent birth condition seen across all socio-economic backgrounds.

On this World Smile Da, Britannia Good Day, in collaboration with McCann World Group, introduced a truly special edition of its beloved cookies – The 'Cleft Cookies'. This initiative witnesses the creation of limited-edition packs, each adorned with a cookie featuring a cleft smile semblance, seamlessly joining the diverse range of smiles that already grace the Good Day lineup, representing a unification of all smiles. Over 6 Crore of these special packs will be manufactured in Britannia's state-of-the-art plant at Ranjangaon and will be made available for 2 months across Maharashtra & Gujarat, two of the largest markets for the brand. This symbolizes the brand's commitment to celebrating smiles of every kind and championing inclusivity.

The idea of this endeavor is to ignite a widespread consciousness about cleft lip and palate and, even more significantly, to spark a global recognition of the importance of inclusivity for children with a facial difference. Within each of these extraordinary edition packs resides a QR code, which, when scanned, empowers consumers with information that frequently surrounds cleft conditions on https://www.gooddaysmiles.com/.

Consumers are also offered to make a meaningful contribution voluntarily to Smile Train, the world's largest cleft focused organization and an eminent NGO collaborator of Britannia Good Day in this noble initiative. Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. They advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children's lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive. Since 2000, Smile Train India has supported more than 700,000 free cleft surgeries across India, through a network of 150+ partner hospitals This way, consumers are not merely sensitized to the challenges faced by children born with cleft palates, but they are also presented with a powerful avenue to directly participate in the profound transformation of lives via their website https://www.smiletrainindia.org/.

Speaking on the campaign, Amit Doshi, chief marketing officer, Britannia Industries, said, "Britannia Good Day, has always been a beacon of joy, renowned for spreading smiles and happiness to millions across India. About 2 years ago, we went from including a single smile to multiple smiles across our entire Good Day cookies' lineup. This world smile day, we took a step further by including another lovely smile as we wanted to embrace the smiles of children born with cleft conditions on our cookies. This initiative highlights our commitment towards inclusivity, making every smile, regardless of its unique form, an integral part of the Britannia Good Day family. Through our partnership with Smile Train, we aspire to convey a message of acceptance and unity, inviting all to savour the taste of inclusivity, debunk myths, and stand with us in forging a more inclusive world, where every smile is equally cherished."

Prasoon Joshi, chief executive officer and chief creative officer of McCann Worldgroup India, said, "A smile is a universal symbol of joy. Changing an iconic product to draw attention to vulnerable children born with a cleft palate is a sensitive and valued initiative. The Britannia Good Day Cleft Cookie has brought pride and acceptance to smiles of every kind. We at McCann India with Britannia feel fortunate to have played a nuanced and meaningful role in making the world more joyful and inclusive."

Mamta Carroll, Smile Train's Senior vice president and regional director for Asia, expressed her gratitude towards Britannia Good Day. She said, "We are thrilled to partner with Britannia Good Day in launching the 'cleft cookie campaign'. The iconic Britannia Good Day smile cookies have been a household favorite for decades and adding the cleft smile to bring focus on children with clefts on World Smile Day is a bold gesture, which will generate significant momentum in increasing awareness around clefts and promoting greater acceptance of people with clefts."