World under my feet. Review on Coca Cola 'Piyo Sar Utha Ke' commercial

Welcome to a galvanizing world with changing polarities, a world which is no longer willing to run according to the dictum. It is in this changing times that the confident Indian has the world in his stride and its no more a shame to be an Indian and to proclaim it openly and brashly. A new breed of confident, young and vibrant Indian is taking center stage, one who is sure of what he wants and where he wants to go, one who is filled with pride and passion, one who knows his value and importance and one who is not hesitant to lead from the front. Liberalization has shaken the sleeping giant and it has opened up vistas for the talented and deserving. Gone are the days when even when one had talent did not find the right nurturing and exposure, it is this change that has instilled a sense of pride and self-respect in the hearts of the populace at large.

It is the new face of the proud Indian that is finding increasing representation in most of the ads that have been coming out of late. And today I am going to talk about one such ad, the latest coke ad featuring Aamir Khan with the tagline Piyo Sar Utha Ke. The ad is conceived by McCann Ericsson and directed by Shoojit Sircar, his firm Red Ice Films has produced the ad, while Taufiq has composed the music. The McCann team on this ad has Prasoon Joshi (of Thanda matlab coke fame), Akshay K, Ramanuj Shastri, A Chakraborty, Rahul Matthew and Puneet Kapoor.

Concept of the ad is super cool and contemporary. Simply put, the idea of this ad is to make the consumer feel good about having the drink. All positive activities make one’s head go up in pride. For instance, a cricketer’s head goes up when he plays well. When a guy proposes to a girl, he looks up. In fact, we all look up to every positive thing in our lives. This ad tries to position coke with this new baseline to create a feeling of happiness and pride in the consumer’s psyche. Also the brand has been making a very conscious effort to break free of its non- Indian image, and the series of Indian ads have helped the brand greatly in doing that.

The ad speaks the language of the common masses and it is sure to establish an emotional connect with the target audiences. It is also keeping in line with the rising confidence of the common Indian and the realization for the ad makers that the previous ads, which talked about the brand per se, are not going to sell anymore. What is required today is an ad, which positions the product according to the psyche of the masses and their lifestyles and something, which fits into their every day scheme of things. Today’s ads have a fresh new look and feel to it and they talk in a contemporary language using imagery, which is youthful and vibrant. The same is reflected in this ad as well, which has Aamir in rather modern attire and looking young and chic unlike his previous ads, which had him in a rustic garb speaking like a bumpkin.

Execution of the ad is neat as well, with the voice of Aamir, one presumes, talking about moments when our head goes up, says sar uthta hai pyaar mei, sar uthta hai jashn mei, sar uthta hai laad mei, sar uthta hai prarthna mei, coca cola naa jaane kitne hothon ko chuu raha hai, naa jaane kitne dilo mei utar raha hai, coca cola piyo sar utha ke (head goes up in love, head goes up in celebration, head goes up in pampering, head goes up in prayer, one doesn’t know how many lips, how many hearts coca cola is touching, coca cola, drink it with your head held high). The ad is in line with the recent marketing survey, which suggests that soft drinks are not consumed just in the summers anymore; they have rather become an all season affair. Hence the new ad even in a relative off-season should do well, according to Prasoon, who feels that the festive season will help in fetching the numbers.

Now since we have talked about the ad per se, let us look at the larger picture of the ad and the brand per se. Coke has had tremendous success with its thanda matlab coca cola and chota coke ad series with Aamir Khan, as I had pointed out in my previous review on the coke ad. These ads are part of a larger goal of the company vis-à-vis it’s positioning and image in the Indian market. This ad is a continuation in the same direction; the brand wants to establish itself in the heart of every Indian as one, which has always belonged here and is not one, which has anything foreign about it so to speak. Coke has realized the potential of using the vernacular and local lingo’s in their ads, hence they use imagery and themes, which are so, entrenched in the Indian mindset that it clicks instantly. Having said that, I don’t want to talk about the rivalry between coke and Pepsi as that forms another topic by itself.

That now brings me to the topic of Star endorsement in the form of Aamir for this ad. He has been a lucky mascot of sorts for coke and hence they have decided to carry on with him. He brings a certain distinct flavor to each of the ads and an actor of his class brings his professional acumen remarkably well to the ad and this works in favor of the brand, as it conveys an impression of a brand which is sure of its identity and what it is selling. The latter is of great importance from a sheer marketing point of view and if proven perfectionists like Aamir say something more often then not we tend to take his word for fact. He has had resounding success with him donning a different role in every new coke commercial but then like all things in life, this idea also had a shelf life which it outlived hence the rethinking and a brand new tagline and storyboard.

The changing face of Aamir as its brand ambassador and the new confident look of India fit in well with the positioning of coke per se and this has been used in the ads. Coke over the years has created a niche with the maxim to sell globally speak locally. They have made some remarkable ads with wonderful recall and clutter free imagery and content so to speak. Even today the thanda matlab coke and paanch matlab chota coke is fresh in the mind of the consumers, now that’s what is called smart marketing.

Now to my favorite part of the review, Questions

Which according to you is the best coke ad till date and why?

Which soft drink company makes better ads, Pepsi or Coke?

Of the current lot of ads which one is your favorite and what about it appeals to you the most?

I am open to suggestions for the next ad review, so please let them flow.