The latest ad for Coca-Cola captures the quintessentially Indian love-blossoms-in-the-rain theme, even as it attempts to stem the natural drop in sales due to the monsoons.
N. Shatrujeet
agencyfaqs!
NEW DELHI, Aug 08
‘Jo chaho ho jaaye.' Coca-Cola India, for one, certainly knows what it wants - sales of Coke to stay up during the monsoons. And it's hoping that the latest ad for its 200-ml Coke bottles ensures the ‘ho jaaye' bit.
The ad, on its part, has the elements that could appeal to the target audience. For starters, a typical Hindi film boy-meets-girl plot. Love blossoming in the rain. Separation. And hope for the boy, even as the girl departs.
"In pure strategy terms, the ad is an attempt to arrest the natural drop in sales that follows the onset of the monsoons," explains Wasim Basir, group account director, Chaitra Leo Burnett (CLB). "After all, the monsoons have a very ‘un-soft drink-like' atmosphere. Coca-Cola India's objective is to create more seasons and more reasons for enjoying a Coke." That's why the 200-ml ‘mini Coke' bottle.
Coke, as a brand, has a 21-per cent market share, according to ORG-Marg's all-India monthly retail audit for May 2000. Of the other colas, Pepsi has a 28.8-per cent share, while Thums Up has 23 per cent. The end-1999 figures for the Indian soft drinks market stood at 219 million unit cases per annum, a unit case consisting of 24 eight-ounce (237 ml) bottles.
The market includes aerated drinks, fruit-based drinks (such as Maaza, Slice and Tropicana) as well as soda. Of the 219 million unit cases, Coca-Cola India accounted for 135 million unit cases while Pepsico accounted for 79 million unit cases.
Talking about the new ad, Bipasha Banerjee, creative director, CLB, feels it showcases the small but memorable moments of life. "And that's what much of Coke's advertising reflects," says Bipasha.
Wasim agrees. "If you look at Coke's communication, it's all about what the liquid inside the bottle does to you. It's not a magic potion. All it does is refreshes you. And when that happens, you manage doing what you want to do - you get what you want. Which is what ‘jo chaho ho jaaye' stands for." And that's the difference between Coke and Pepsi's advertising. "Pepsi is more concerned with who is next to the bottle, not what's in the bottle."
"Look at the Aamir-Ash ad," points out Bipasha. "It shows two like-minded strangers who want to meet after being chat friends. Coke only makes their meeting possible. Coke is simply a device that unlocks their dreams."
Unlocking dreams… And for the Indian youth, romance is possibly one of the biggest dreams. Which is why Coke commercials have strong undercurrents of romance. Ditto in the new ad. "In the Indian context, romance and rain go hand-in hand," says Bipasha. "We just melded the two together. A chance meeting between two strangers. Thanks to the rain and the Coke, love blossoms. And even after the girl leaves, the romance lives." Adds Wasim, "Romance fits in with the warmth that Coke ads exude."
The casting in the ad has surprised many. Hrithik and Ash seem to be the popular choice. And with both hugely adding to Coke's value, the most logical too. "We have a wide hamper of celebrities. We did not want to overexpose Hrithik, so we've used Aamir this time," reasons Wasim. And Jyotika was not taken for her celebrity status. "When Priyadarshan saw the script, he felt Jyotika fit the role of the nice, cute girl. And we agreed."
Click here to view the storyboard.
The Team:
Script : Bipasha Banerjee
Filmmaker : Priyadarshan
Production House : MAD Films
Music : Lez Lewis
Camera : Jeeva
Servicing : Wasim Basir, Ashish Bahl, Vishal Ahluwalia
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