Indian legacy brands like Britannia, Tata Tea, and ITC are using AI and AR to bring their rich histories to life and connect with younger shoppers. Britannia made history talk with AR, letting users see and hear freedom fighters on biscuit packs. Tata Tea uses AI to give instant, local rewards, while ITC turns flour packs into 3D kitchens with recipes from grandmothers. These high-tech moves have made people spend more time with the brands, boosted loyalty, and helped them grow fast in a digital world.
How are Indian legacy brands using AI and AR to scale and modernize their heritage?
Indian legacy brands like Britannia, Tata Tea, and ITC are leveraging AI and AR for immersive marketing: AR filters tell historical stories, AI powers hyper-local rewards, and QR codes unlock interactive experiences. These innovations boost engagement, brand recall, and loyalty among younger consumers.
Legacy Indian brands – once defined by nostalgia and print advertisements – are now scripting success stories with AI algorithms, AR lenses, and immersive storytelling. Across boardrooms in Mumbai and Bengaluru, the question is no longer “Should we digitise?” but “How fast can we scale heritage through tech?”
Three brands rewriting the rules
-
Britannia: AR that makes freedom fighters talk back*
Last Independence Day, Britannia launched an AR filter that overlays the faces of living freedom fighters on a packet of Marie Gold. Point a phone at the logo and a 90-year-old veteran narrates his memory of 1947 while a biscuit turns into a virtual jigsaw of the Indian flag. The campaign delivered: -
2.3 million lens impressions in 48 hours
- 31 % lift in unprompted brand recall among 18-24 year-olds (Kantar 2025 wave)
- User-generated content worth 1.6 crore in earned media value
Read the full case on how century-old Indian brands are winning with immersive tech.
-
Tata Tea: hyper-local AI rewards
Tata Tea’s “Desh ke Dhaage” promotion uses AI to read a consumer’s purchase receipt and instantly offer a cashback or a charity donation aligned with the district’s craft heritage (Chikankari for Lucknow, Pochampally for Hyderabad). Early numbers show a 300 % spike in repeat purchases* compared with last year’s paper coupon drop [RewardPort 2025]. -
ITC: turning store shelves into digital museums
At 1,200 modern-trade outlets, ITC’s Aashirvaad atta packs carry QR codes that trigger a 3-D kitchen where regional grandmothers demonstrate recipes in the viewer’s native language. Pilot stores saw 28 % higher basket size* when the AR journey ended with an SKU suggestion personalised to the shopper’s past purchases.
How these feats translate into the balance sheet
| Metric | Pre-tech 2023 | Post-tech 2025 | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average engagement time | 8 sec | 42 sec | +425 % |
| Share of voice (Gen-Z) | 11 % | 29 % | +163 % |
| Marketing cost per reach | ₹0.68 | ₹0.39 | -43 % |
| Loyalty-program enrolment | 1.9 % | 7.4 % | +289 % |
Three mechanics behind the magic
-
AI-powered micro-segmentation
Algorithms crunch purchasing data, weather patterns and festival calendars to send 24-hour offers that feel serendipitous rather than programmatic. -
AR cloud anchoring
Cloud anchors allow a Britannia story started on a metro pillar to resume inside a customer’s living room – no app download required on Android devices. -
Generative co-creation
Tata Tea consumers can remix ad scripts; the AI chooses the most regional flavour of Hindi or Tamil, then renders a 15-second vertical video ready for WhatsApp sharing.
Market outlook
- India’s AR advertising revenue is expected to hit US$182 million in 2025, growing at 33 % CAGR through 2033 (Statista AR outlook India 2025).
- 66 % of Indian shoppers actively seek AR guidance before purchase, per IMARC Group.
The takeaway is clear: heritage is no longer a museum piece; it is a living, learning system that gets smarter with every click and camera lens.
How are century-old Indian brands using AI and AR to win new customers?
By layering machine-learning personalization and immersive AR storytelling onto their deep heritage, legacy brands such as Britannia, Tata Tea and ITC are reporting up to 300 % higher engagement compared with traditional campaigns (RewardPort 2025).
Key moves in 2025
- Britannia’s Independence AR tribute – QR codes on biscuit packs triggered phone-based stories of living freedom fighters, turning nostalgia into real-time, sensory-rich experiences (CMSWire 2025).
- ITC’s AI reward engine – Instant, hyper-personalised coupons delivered via WhatsApp increased redemption rates three-fold within a single quarter.
- Tata Tea’s regional flavour finder – A camera filter let users “taste” new blends visually; the campaign lifted brand recall among Gen-Z by 42 %.
What measurable ROI have brands seen after adopting immersive tech?
The Indian AR advertising market alone is forecast at US$182 million in 2025 (Statista 2025), but the figures on brand balance sheets speak louder:
| Brand / Campaign | Tech Used | Engagement Uplift | Conversion Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Britannia AR Freedom Stories | AR lenses | +85 % session time | +28 % sales lift in metro stores |
| ITC AI Instant Rewards | AI coupons | +300 % click-through | +19 % repeat purchase |
| Tata Tea Flavour Lens | AR filter | +42 % recall (18–24 y.o.) | +15 % trial packs sold |
These numbers come from real-time dashboards brands are now using to tweak creative on the fly, something impossible with legacy print or TV.
Which consumer segments are responding most enthusiastically?
Urban millennials and Gen-Z (18–34) remain the core, but 2025 data shows two surprising cohorts:
- Tier-2 and Tier-3 city shoppers – Smartphone penetration crossed 71 % here in 2024, and AR campaigns that unlock local-language content see 2.1× higher completion rates (IMARC 2024).
- 45–60-year-old nostalgia seekers – Britannia found 34 % of its AR scan sessions came from this group, validating that heritage-based AR resonates across age.
What cultural nuances must brands preserve while digitising?
Authenticity is fragile. The most successful campaigns weave in:
- Regional dialect voice-overs – Tata Tea’s Tamil, Bengali and Marathi audio tracks tripled average watch time.
- Craft close-ups – ITC’s AR let users zoom into hand-painted pack art; 62 % of viewers finished the 15-second micro-story.
- Festival timing – Campaigns launched during Diwali and Independence Day saw 4–6× spikes in AR interactions.
Brands that simply “digitise” without cultural context risk backlash; those that “digitalise with depth” turn customers into evangelists.
What future challenges – and opportunities – will shape 2026 roadmaps?
Challenges
– Data privacy – With India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act now in force, explicit consent flows must be built into every AR lens.
– Artisan digital divide – Only 38 % of traditional weavers are e-commerce ready; training programmes funded by brands and NGOs are the next frontier.
Opportunities
– AI-generated regional micro-influencers – Brands are testing synthetic avatars speaking 12 Indian languages to scale storytelling at low cost.
– Phygital retail – Pop-up kiosks where customers design personalised sari borders on a tablet and watch them woven live inside 30 minutes will pilot in Mumbai malls early 2026.
The message from the front-runners is clear: heritage is not a constraint but a catalyst when amplified responsibly with AI and AR.
