Ganguly upstaged by Toss ka Boss

The Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly is not so hot with Pepsi anymore. There is a new star in the life of Pepsi. And Ganguly is getting a little uneasy about Pepsi's sudden fixation with the anonymous star. Or, at least, that's the impression given - when Ganguly is categorically denied an entry into a limousine loaded with Pepsi reinforcements. He is , in fact, told that the privilege is for the Toss ka Boss. A befuddled Ganguly has to hitch a ride with Irfan Pathan on a mini bus.

But this is just one instance of Pepsi's pranks. While in a cab, the cab driver starts talking to Ganguly about the new star of the ICC Champions Trophy. A little puzzled and curious, Ganguly guesses the names of some cricket players who befit the description. He gets all the names wrong including his. It is the Toss ka Boss, the reigning star, informs the cabbie.

The captain's cup of woes overflows when he is even denied the right to toss the coin at the ICC Champions Trophy, and has to make way for the Toss ka Boss.

Would Ganguly's unsavoury tryst with Pepsi come to an end? Rumours are, he is planning to have his sweet revenge on the Toss ka Boss. The next TV commercial will unfold the last chapter of the story.

Commercial? That's right! This is Pepsi's teaser campaign Toss ka Boss, created by JWT and directed by Prahlad Kakkar. Offspring is the producer.

As one of the main global partners of the ICC Champions Trophy, to be held in the UK, Pepsi is creating a hype with its high voltage consumer initiative Toss ka Boss. The campaign is going to conclude when the championship will take off this September.

In the Toss ka Boss contest, the top 15 winners will accompany the team captains to the pitch for the toss during the matches. Another 50 winners get an all expense paid trip to watch a Champions Trophy match and one million others can collect miniature collector's item like cricket bats, signed by players of eight countries.

Clearly, the objective of the communication was to reach out to a staggering number of consumers. "The entire magnitude of the promotion and the communication campaign had to be designed in a way that it reaches out to millions of consumers and gives Pepsi drinkers an opportunity of a lifetime. The ICC Champions Trophy is one of cricket's most prestigious events, and sits alongside the World Cup as one of the two major sporting events," says a Pepsi spokesperson.

The brief for the agency, thus, was to develop a package which would communicate this 'unprecedented' cricketing experience and further Pepsi's association with the Champions Trophy.

But finding just the right idea to deliver the communication was the trick, besides adding some extra ounces of excitement. "We looked at various options available to us, as a global partner of the ICC, and zeroed in on the mascot experience. The mascot is the kid who is going to accompany the captains onto the field for the toss. So in that sense, the kid becomes the mascot experience for the Indian cricket team. Basically, the idea was to provide a unique and memorable experience to our consumers," says Rohit Ohri, senior vice-president and area director, JWT India.

"That's how Toss ka Boss was born. This initiative is going to appeal to youngsters in the age group of 12-16 who have a big thirst for cricket," Ohri adds.

And, of course, the central theme had to weave in Pepsi's core brand value: Irreverence. "We had to build intrigue around Toss ka Boss. And that we did by airing two short films featuring the Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly, and follow it up with the main film, which shows the Indian captain being overhauled by a young kid," he explains.

But Pepsi promises, the fun does not come to an end with the onset of the Champions Trophy. During the tournament, Amitabh Bachchan will star in a new Pepsi commercial to keep the excitement alive around the soft drinks major. © 2004 agencyfaqs!