Once upon a brand brief, promotions were simple: a coupon in a cap, a scratch card in a pack. But the rules of engagement have changed, and a new trend has begun to dominate the marketing playbook, snackable games. These aren’t full-blown console titles or app store behemoths, but bite-sized, hyper-casual experiences that slide into your screen time as easily as a reel or a meme.
At the sweet intersection of gamification and brand storytelling, these gamified promos are turning everyday product interaction into interactive joyrides, quick to load, quicker to play, and designed to imprint both fun and brand love in under 60 seconds.
Take Tata Soulfull’s ‘Ragi Rally’, for instance. A joyfully chaotic, kid-friendly game that turns a grainy nutritional message into a race of no-maida awareness. Cadbury Fuse’s aptly named ‘Con’fuse’ing Controllers’ leaned into the chaos of cravings with a micro-game that mirrored the brand’s own energy burst.
Over at AWL Agri Business Ltd, the humble pakoda went high-tech with an AR-enabled Monsoon Special Pack under the #ArtofPakodaByFortune hashtag. Suddenly, families were using augmented reality to turn fritters into rockets, flowers, and edible expressions of monsoon joy. It wasn’t just about oil anymore, it was about creativity bubbling in every kitchen.
“This monsoon, our goal was to deepen consumer connection by blending tradition with technology. Our AR-enabled Monsoon Special Pack was a major success in achieving that, driving significant social media engagement under the #ArtofPakodaByFortune hashtag. It didn’t just sell oil, it sparked a creative movement with it. Seeing families turn pakodas into rockets and flowers was incredible. This wave of creativity translated into real results, cementing Fortune Soyabean Oil as the monsoon cooking leader in key cities like Delhi, Jaipur, and Lucknow, where we lead with over 50% market share. This initiative, from interactive packaging to rain-reactive hoardings, validates the impact of our strategy to use innovation to drive both brand affinity and market leadership," says Mukesh Mishra, Joint President, Sales & Marketing, AWL Agri Business Ltd.
Brooke Bond Red Label also launched a game for couples, part quiz, part romance sprint, during peak cricket season with TheSmallBigIdea's Dubai arm. In just 20 seconds, players answered questions on love and life, syncing results in real time to mimic the intensity of a live match. The payoff? A perfect blend of entertainment and emotion, mirroring the brand’s tagline.
"During the IPL season, Brooke Bond Red Label rolled out a fun, couple-based game that saw over 1,500 couples participate. With just 4 questions and 5 seconds to answer each, it was fast, playful, and perfect for the cricket season vibes. Whether online or at a store, players could join in the fun, with real-time result syncing that made it feel like a live match of hearts and minds. What really worked was how it tapped into the IPL buzz while staying true to the brand’s message. Our “You’re the perfect blend!” tagline hit right in the feels -it actually brought out genuine moments between couples, reinforcing that emotional bond Red Label has always stood for," says Gireesh Pillai, Chief Growth Officer, TheSmallBigIdea.
Gireesh further adds, "We saw great traction, strong brand recall, lots of positive chatter, and solid emotional connect. Plus, with things like IPL Finals tickets up for grabs, participation naturally spiked. Because the game was built to work seamlessly across formats - retail, events, and digital - it turned out to be a high-impact, cost-effective campaign that left a positive, lasting impression."
What’s fueling this gamified gold rush is a shift in how attention is earned. We’re no longer scrolling, we’re swiping, sprinting, tapping, constantly seeking dopamine hits in the form of interaction. And while content fights to break through the noise, games offer an invitation, not an interruption. They're immersive without being intrusive, promotional without being preachy.
Britannia’s #HungryForGold campaign understood that perfectly, embedding Olympic-style challenges into the packaging and experience, letting people literally chase gold. Cadbury’s 'Play More & Win More' took it a notch higher, transforming snack packs into cricket scoreboards, trivia hubs, and gratitude walls for IPL staffers. Emotional resonance met entertainment value, and in return, earned deeper engagement.
Vikas Shah, Co-Founder, BigCity Promotions, who helped both Britannia and Cadbury create these games, says, "Gamification, when used well, isn’t about play—it’s about precision. At BigCity, we see it as an engine, designed to shift how consumers act, not just how they engage. That means building not just games but systems that are reward-led, tech-backed, and outcome-driven. Every campaign has to be built from the ground up. Game logic has to be defined in a simple way, every screen has to be intuitively built, and every action mapped to a reward pathway. The rules engine should power everything—from spin wheels to tiered contests—triggering rewards instantly based on how and when a user engages. Whether it’s a scan, a code, or a bill upload, the entire experience has to be seamless, compliant, and real-time."
He further adds, "What sets our work apart is its integration. Every interaction is designed to feel natural. The tech stays invisible, the reward feels personal, and the game aligns with what the brand stands for. In a cluttered digital landscape, attention is hard-won. But when you reward people not just for showing up, but for staying, interacting, and coming back—that’s where gamification becomes powerful. And that's been our focus all through.”
As brands chase younger demographics and strive for meaningful digital time, snackable games are no longer the gimmick, they’re the gateway. In the era of attention deficits, if your brand can entertain, it can endure. What started as playful promotions might soon evolve into full-fledged loyalty ecosystems, where every scan, swipe, or share adds up, not just to points, but to perception. Because when the game is good, the message plays itself.
