HOCCO Ice Cream has stepped into East India with its Kolkata debut, carrying a dessert every Bengali household knows by heart. The brand has launched Payesh ice cream, inspired by the traditional Bengali sweet, timed to Durga Puja and backed by the campaign ‘Pujo Jome Galo HOCCO’r Shathe’, conceptualised and executed by Havas Creative India.
The line plays on the Bengali word “jome”, which can mean something freezing or setting, and also a moment that comes alive. Together, the meanings place HOCCO inside the moments that make Pujo special: pandal hopping, meeting loved ones, food, music and festivity. Those days also bring crowded pandals, long queues, tired feet and heat, and the campaign offers refreshment right there.
On the ground, HOCCO is present at Ballygunge Cultural Association, one of Kolkata’s prominent Puja destinations, through a Chill Zone and a branded HOCCO Toto. Visitors can pause between pandals and enjoy the ice cream, including Payesh.
Music anchors the campaign too. Havas wrote an original Pujo song, composed by Bengali band T.R.A.P., capturing the excitement, humour and chaos of the festival. A music video on Instagram extends it online, and the band performs live at BCA on Nabami.
Roli Shrivastava, CMO, HOCCO, called the launch a milestone in becoming part of people’s culture. Anupama Ramaswamy, MD and CCO, Havas Creative India, recalled payesh vanishing first at the pandal, which inspired the flavour.
