It’s television, after five years: Cobra

After launching in India in 2002, Cobra is set to initiate its first advertising attempt. It has taken to television and its first commercial for the Indian market hit the idiot box yesterday.

Talking about their first step towards advertising, Poonam Chandel, chief operating officer, Cobra, India, reveals, “We wanted to have a very contemporary portrayal of the brand without actually affecting its advertising pattern in other markets. For an edible product, the only distinguishing factor is its taste – we had to base our communication on that.”

The creative, prepared by Euro RSCG, begins with a family gathered in a hall, where a lawyer is reading out the will of the late Morarji Das. The family, which includes Morarji Das’ wife, his three sons and two daughters in law, are eagerly waiting to know who will inherit the family wealth. To the astonishment of the family, none of them inherit the fortune – it goes instead to the house maid, Kanta Bai. The family is taken aback and disappointed. Baffled by the situation, one of the sons reaches out for a bottle of Cobra Sparkling Water placed on a nearby table. As he gulps it down, much to his family’s surprise, he congratulates the maid on the achievement of the wealth!

Then comes the product shot with a voiceover: ‘So smooth, anything goes down well’.

Adopting a humorous approach, the film aims at striking an instant connect with the consumer and communicating the uniqueness of the product. Skewed towards a male viewership, the TVC is targeted at the educated, 18 to 35 age band of the SEC A and B+ class. Having a look at the demographics, the advertising is aimed at the metros and other important cities.

Leaving aside GECs catering to English and Hindi speaking populations, the TVC will be aired on channels that constitute a major portion of male viewership – sports channels such as ESPN, STAR Sports, STAR Cricket and Ten Sports; channels airing movies such as Zee Cinema, SET Max, Sahara Filmy, HBO, STAR Movies, Zee Studio and AXN; news channels such as NDTV, Times Now, CNN-IBN and BBC; and lifestyle channels such as Discovery Travel & Living and National Geographic. Regional channels, such as Zee Marathi, STAR Ananda and ETV, will also be considered.

The film has been shot at a cost of Rs 80 lakh by director Gajraj Rao of Code Red Films, Mumbai. Euro RSCG bagged the account for the brand last year, and was also awarded the media duties as a result of its global alignment with MPG, the media arm of Havas Group, which runs Euro RSCG.

The company has charted out an estimate of Rs 10-12 crore for its marketing activities. Television, Chandel says, will have a significant role to play – Rs 5 crore has been allotted for television advertising. This will be followed by below-the-line activities to create visibility for the brand – posters and on-premise activities – for which the company has set aside Rs 3-5 crore. Rs 2 crore has been allotted to outdoor advertising.

Currently, the strong markets for the brand’s consumption are Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. Before it began formalised distribution of the brand, the company conducted a test run in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Goa, Pune and Jaipur.

The UK-based company, Cobra, set up by NRI entrepreneur, Karan Bilimoria, began manufacturing its offerings in India in 2005, prior to which the products were being imported from the UK. The company sells its products in nearly 50 countries and stands at a valuation of £110 million. In the UK, Cobra beer is currently stocked in 90 per cent of the 6,000 Indian restaurants licensed to sell alcohol.

The company anticipates substantial growth in India’s beer market over the next 10 years, and is aiming at a 10 per cent market share, says Chandel. The beer market is active, with a large number of players, especially international ones, stepping into the market. They include SAB Miller’s Foster’s, Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser, Asia-Pacific Breweries’ Tiger, Molson Coors’s Coors and InBev’s Stella Artois. However, Kingfisher currently continues to enjoy a leadership position in the market.

Cobra has various product offerings apart from beer. Its sparkling water, mineral water, soda and King Cobra beer are currently available in the Indian market.