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Coca-Cola ropes in Deepika Padukone as its face to boost market share
23 Dec, 2013, 0429 hrs IST, Ratna Bhushan & Writankar Mukherjee, ET Bureau
A face of rival Pepsi cola till 2008-09, Deepika will not be allowed to endorse an aerated beverage anywhere else in the world.
NEW DELHI/KOLKATA: Brand Coca-Cola, which continues to lag behind its sister brand Thums Up and rival Pepsi in the cola market in India, has roped in actress Deepika Padukone as its face to help boost its market share, two people familiar with the development said. An official aware of the contract details said Coca-Cola will pay Padukone a little less than Rs 4 crore annually in fees.
When contacted, Anirban Das Blah, managing director at celebrity management firm CAA Kwan that represents Padukone, declined comment. A Coca-Cola India spokesperson, too, declined comment on the brand's association with Padukone.
Aishwarya Rai was the previous top woman celebrity associated with Coca-Cola, endorsing the brand for about six years ending 2005. A face of rival Pepsi cola till 2008-09, Padukone will not be allowed to endorse an aerated beverage anywhere else in the world as long as her contract with Coke lasts, the official quoted earlier said.
Padukone, who acted in backto-back blockbusters Chennai Express and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani this year, also endorses Hindustan Unilever's soap Lux, Aditya Birla Group's premium Van Heusen Women collection that she has also designed, Tissot watches, Nestle's Nescafe coffee, Garnier skincare brand from L'Oreal and Sony CyberShot digital cameras.
India is among a small number of countries where Coke is not the leading cola despite having a presence there. Thums Up and Sprite are the firm's top two brands in the country. Its Atlanta-based parent wants its global flagship to be 'top priority' in India. The company has been running various promotions, including discounts, to boost Coca-Cola sales.
In a press meet in Kolkata on Sunday, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia deputy president Venkatesh Kini claimed that Coke has emerged as the number one brand by sales in some channels such as modern trade. "While Thums Up and Sprite are jostling for the number one spot, brand Coke is the fastest growing soft drink brand in India and has great potential," Kini said. He refused to share details on when and how the company expects to make Coke amongst its top-selling brands in India.
In Coca-Cola's campaign, Padukone will pair up with actor Farhan Akhtar. They will be pitted against Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor who endorse Pepsi cola. It is learnt that Coca-Cola had offered a whopping amount to sign Ranbir Kapoor when his contract with PepsiCo was up for renewal, but PepsiCo tipped it.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who retired from the sport last month, too, is associated with Coca-Cola, but the association has more to do with promoting the company's social messages. Tendulkar's three year deal with Coke ends early next year, and the company would not comment on whether it will renew the contract.
Leading actor Aamir Khan endorsed brand Coke till about three years ago. The brand's association with Khan's nephew Imran Khan, however, did not work well. Since then, the beverage maker, which has Kareena Kapoor to endorse lemon drink Limca and Salman Khan for Thums Up, has be Coca-Cola's positioning in India has changed many times with slogans ranging from 'thanda matlab Coca-Cola' to 'open happiness', unlike Thums Up, which has stuck to a macho theme, and Sprite, which has consistently relied on cheekiness. Last summer, the brand brought in newcomers Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra of the 'Student of the Year' film fame to promote its Rs 8 price point.
When contacted, Anirban Das Blah, managing director at celebrity management firm CAA Kwan that represents Padukone, declined comment. A Coca-Cola India spokesperson, too, declined comment on the brand's association with Padukone.
Aishwarya Rai was the previous top woman celebrity associated with Coca-Cola, endorsing the brand for about six years ending 2005. A face of rival Pepsi cola till 2008-09, Padukone will not be allowed to endorse an aerated beverage anywhere else in the world as long as her contract with Coke lasts, the official quoted earlier said.
Padukone, who acted in backto-back blockbusters Chennai Express and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani this year, also endorses Hindustan Unilever's soap Lux, Aditya Birla Group's premium Van Heusen Women collection that she has also designed, Tissot watches, Nestle's Nescafe coffee, Garnier skincare brand from L'Oreal and Sony CyberShot digital cameras.
India is among a small number of countries where Coke is not the leading cola despite having a presence there. Thums Up and Sprite are the firm's top two brands in the country. Its Atlanta-based parent wants its global flagship to be 'top priority' in India. The company has been running various promotions, including discounts, to boost Coca-Cola sales.
In a press meet in Kolkata on Sunday, Coca-Cola India & South West Asia deputy president Venkatesh Kini claimed that Coke has emerged as the number one brand by sales in some channels such as modern trade. "While Thums Up and Sprite are jostling for the number one spot, brand Coke is the fastest growing soft drink brand in India and has great potential," Kini said. He refused to share details on when and how the company expects to make Coke amongst its top-selling brands in India.
In Coca-Cola's campaign, Padukone will pair up with actor Farhan Akhtar. They will be pitted against Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor who endorse Pepsi cola. It is learnt that Coca-Cola had offered a whopping amount to sign Ranbir Kapoor when his contract with PepsiCo was up for renewal, but PepsiCo tipped it.
Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, who retired from the sport last month, too, is associated with Coca-Cola, but the association has more to do with promoting the company's social messages. Tendulkar's three year deal with Coke ends early next year, and the company would not comment on whether it will renew the contract.
Leading actor Aamir Khan endorsed brand Coke till about three years ago. The brand's association with Khan's nephew Imran Khan, however, did not work well. Since then, the beverage maker, which has Kareena Kapoor to endorse lemon drink Limca and Salman Khan for Thums Up, has be Coca-Cola's positioning in India has changed many times with slogans ranging from 'thanda matlab Coca-Cola' to 'open happiness', unlike Thums Up, which has stuck to a macho theme, and Sprite, which has consistently relied on cheekiness. Last summer, the brand brought in newcomers Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra of the 'Student of the Year' film fame to promote its Rs 8 price point.
According to an official with the firm's bottling business, the price of Coke concentrate is kept consciously lower than that of Thums Up to push its sales. Coke is the only brand in the beverage firm's portfolio selling at Rs 8 for 200-ml returnable glass to spur volumes. "Selling at Rs 8 is unprofitable and dilutes the equity of the global flagship cola brand," the official said. Coca-Cola India's volume growth slowed down this year, due to early monsoon rains and a dip in consumer sentiment due to rising prices and a slowing economy. Kini on Sunday said he expects the volume growth to be back in doubledigits soon. "We are working very hard to be back on the growth curve, which got reflected in the last quarter when growth shot up to 6% from 1% in the preceding summer quarter.
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