In the mid-90s, Parry\u2019s Confectionery wanted to launch a coffee flavoured toffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JWT (HTA then) was tasked to create a brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indu Balachandran \u2013 the creative director was leading the team to help get a name. She says \u201cWhen asked to think up brand names for an exciting coffee-flavoured sweet, I wrote many alternatives but pushed for \u2018Coffy Bite\u2019 thinking I had a ready-made idea for a campaign (people \u2018biting\u2019 coffee as they\u2019ve been told by killjoys like doctors to stop drinking coffee…some such thing).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, things changed once the whole creative team went to Parry\u2019s office to taste the product. Her colleague said, “Well, it tastes more like toffee\u2019. Indu said “Never! It tastes like coffee!\u2019 \u2018No Toffee! No, coffee!\u2019 And they argued on their way back to the office, and Lo! There was the core idea for the Coffy Bite Argument series! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, the team had created their brief accidentally. The hook was to get people curious on why the whole world was arguing about the taste… and then the multiple situations possible and the argument continued…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sonia Bahl wrote the first script – an argument between father and son, Namita Roy Ghose & Subir Chatterjee (White Light) directed the film \u2013 and many following that. All ended with the unique signature jingle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the idea worked and sales boomed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indu was getting applications from copywriters wanting a job at JWT – as they had some terrific \u2018argument\u2019 scripts for Coffy Bite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the most famous Coffy Bite films was the \u2018Battle of Parrysburgh\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indu has a very interesting anecdote \u2013 \u201cWe were filming the epic \u2018Battle of Parrysburgh\u2019 with White Light – staging a huge actual war between the red army (France) and the blue army (England). We cast actual Englishmen from Bombay\u2019s British Embassy.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indu had the boring and exacting task of picking up a fat humourless officer on the day of the shoot and taking him to Famous Studio. But en route, he showed no interest when Indu tried to explain the \u2018idea\u2019 and his role. He got into his general\u2019s uniform, walked in and saw the gigantic Hollywood-like setting of the war scene, smoking canons, wounded soldiers and all, and went into complete shock. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The script: two Generals of opposing armies declare a truce, stopping a bloody war and sign a peace agreement. They celebrate amicably with a bowl of Coffy Bite. But have differing views on its taste. \u201cMmmm, Coffee. No, it\u2019s Toffee!\u201d The argument escalates, and War is declared again! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As she recounts “Anyway, our grumpy actor got so hot under his collar, and mid-shoot, declared our whole idea to be utterly stupid – \u2018why would war break out over a damn piece of candy?\u2019 And nearly walked off the sets! Turns out he hated advertising too… Some ice-cold coffee we hastily gave him may have cooled him down, and we completed our film. Probably the most popular one of all in the series eventually!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n