PepsiCo: Yeh dil maange more

Marketing spends:  Rs 200 crore

Size of the marketing team: 46

Media innovations: Giant lemon squeezers at malls prior to the launch of Nimbooz

Brand ambassadors: 23 including MS Dhoni & Katrina Kaif

Creative & Media agency: JWT, BBDO and Mindshare

What started off as a ‘Lehar’ (wave) has now become an ocean. From being just a beverage company 15 years ago, Pepsico is one of the dominant forces in the foods space as well. In terms of marketing there are few companies (Vodafone comes to mind) which have consistently produced such great advertising. Campaigns such as ‘Nothing Official About It’ and ‘Mera number kab aayega’ to ‘Yehi hai right choice baby’ and ‘Yeh dil maange more’ to name but a few, became part of teen-speak .

While rival Coca-Cola has struggled to connect with Indian consumers, Pepsi has done so with ease — a fact that is reflected by the success it has had in the marketplace. The launch of ‘nimbupani’ is perhaps a testimony of this innate understanding that the company has developed with the Indian consumer. In recent times the company has focused on driving its foods business with brands such as Lays, Kurkure and more recently, Quaker Oats.

Both Lays and Kurkure have been runaway successes and today , India is one of the fastest growing markets for the company. Of late though the high standards that one had come to expect of Pepsi advertising have been slipping. But given Indra Nooyi’s declaration that the future belongs to India one can be sure that the marketers in Pepsi are furiously plotting away to ensure that Pepsico remains the choice of a new generation.