Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted a packet of Melody toffees to his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni, creating the biggest unplanned brand moment of 2026. When PM Modi gifted Meloni a packet of Melody during his Rome visit, the names Parle and Melody became the most-searched terms on Google and X as the video crossed 100 million views within a few hours.
Parle responded with a heartfelt post: “for taking Parle Melody to the global stage — a proud moment for all of us.” From memes to stock surges to promotions, every brand wanted a bite of the Melody moment. Here’s how brands across India turned one diplomatic sweet moment into a full-blown marketing win
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Air India
The Tata-owned airline converted the viral moment into an opportunity to plug its Delhi-Rome flights, which will fly 4 times per week. While sharing the update, the airline wrote on its Instagram handle, “Some places don’t need introductions, just the right melody.”
Blinkit
Ever since the toffee went out of stock across quick commerce platforms, Blinkit wrote, “Seeing a sudden spike for memory searches on the app (sic).”
Swiggy
Amid the virality of the #Melodi moment, Swiggy shared a picture of a packet of Melody toffees and wrote, “First date gift idea (sic).”
Instamart
Swiggy’s Instamart shared a screenshot of the toffee being out of stock due to the massive spike in demand following the viral moment.
Zepto
The quick commerce brand took a meme-y route and wrote, “Melody stonks today (sic),” while sharing a picture of the toffees.
India Post
Not just quick commerce brands, India Post also jumped on the bandwagon and promoted its latest service — 24 Speed Post, which offers next-day delivery via post.
DTDC
Courier delivery and logistics company DTDC also jumped on the gravy train with an image of packets of Melody toffees inside a courier box. DTDC’s caption read, “Ye post itna chocolaty kyun hain (sic)?”
Yes Madam
Cashing in on the trend, Yes Madam shared an AI-generated image of a beautician giving the toffee a facial, with the caption, “Melody before taking off to Italy.”
SBI Securities
SBI Securities decided to have some fun at the expense of Melody when it shared an AI-generated image of the toffee walking on the red carpet and waving at the photographers. The caption with the picture read, “Bro, just wanted to be a chocolate and accidentally became a celebrity.”
MobiKwik
The fintech player plugged its payment services using the viral trend. While sharing an image of a customer paying for Melody toffee through UPI, MobiKwik wrote, “International relations getting sweeter lately. Good time to sweeten wallets too.”
