Pepsi Onboards Ranveer Singh as Its Brand Ambassador
Beverage maker PepsiCo has appointed actor Ranveer Singh as its brand ambassador and also unveiled a new campaign targeting younger consumers as it gears up for a prolonged summer that could help lift sales of cold drinks.
Singh joins the burgeoning group of famous people who support Pepsi. Salman Khan, an actor, joined the company in 2019. Recently, it has revealed KGF-famous prominent Kannada actor Yash as the new face of the company. A prominent female actor may soon join Pepsi's summer campaign, which has the "Rise up Baby" theme. India is predicted to experience hot summers, and since it won't rain during this time, businesses will be able to capitalise on consumer demand for iced beverages and cooling equipment.
“Rise up Baby is a youth movement, and we are bringing it alive in different flavors. So, one flavor is this whole Ranveer explosion, and there’s going to be another burst from a Yash perspective, which is slated for a March-end release," said Saumya Rathor, category lead, Pepsi Cola, PepsiCo India. Singh, whose brand rankings improved in 2021, had a brand value of $158.3 million according to a Duff & Phelps report. Singh was the second-most valued brand in the rankings after cricketer Virat Kohli. Singh endorses 45 brands.
The company is also using the “Rise up Baby" campaign as a peek into the lifestyles of the young this generation continues to break age-old societal norms and redefines what success and happiness means to them, the cola maker said. Be it their nonchalant attitude towards societal judgements, carving out a path to follow their passions, or even their audacious thumkas on reels, this generation lives life on their own terms, it added.
Meanwhile, Rathor said the brand will continue to associate with Khan, at least in the near term. “It’s not a celebrity replacement strategy for us at all. Salman is on the brand. Pepsi has always been about a galaxy of superstars and we’re just adding a few more names that help bring this campaign to life," she said.
However, the move also points to growing instances of large cola brands using similar celebrities to endorse their brands. Singh was the erstwhile brand ambassador for rival Coca-Cola’s Thums Up brand; Khan too has endorsed the brand in the past before being dropped. Currently the (Thums Up) brand is endorsed by actor Shah Rukh Khan, who in the late 90s and early 2000s endorsed Pepsi.
Advertising experts claimed that using celebrities from competing firms frequently would only confuse consumers and clog the market. According to business consultant and independent director Lloyd Mathias, companies are relying on celebrity endorsements as a band-aid in the absence of a truly transformative idea. Customers who have seen similar celebrities advertising competing businesses in the past few years are likely to be perplexed by the decision. The category is becoming too crowded as a result, he claimed.
Having said that, Mathias stated that over the past ten years, the category of soft drinks as a whole has also significantly increased penetration in India. "For brands to penetrate the hinterland, they must rely on mass star power, "added said. The cola wars, according to Sandeep Goyal, managing director of Rediffusion, have simply migrated to a new arena and playground. Both brands are well-funded and cater to sizable consumer bases. The brand's "newsy" status is a continuing struggle, "added he.
Singh joins the burgeoning group of famous people who support Pepsi. Salman Khan, an actor, joined the company in 2019. Recently, it has revealed KGF-famous prominent Kannada actor Yash as the new face of the company. A prominent female actor may soon join Pepsi's summer campaign, which has the "Rise up Baby" theme. India is predicted to experience hot summers, and since it won't rain during this time, businesses will be able to capitalise on consumer demand for iced beverages and cooling equipment.
“Rise up Baby is a youth movement, and we are bringing it alive in different flavors. So, one flavor is this whole Ranveer explosion, and there’s going to be another burst from a Yash perspective, which is slated for a March-end release," said Saumya Rathor, category lead, Pepsi Cola, PepsiCo India. Singh, whose brand rankings improved in 2021, had a brand value of $158.3 million according to a Duff & Phelps report. Singh was the second-most valued brand in the rankings after cricketer Virat Kohli. Singh endorses 45 brands.
The company is also using the “Rise up Baby" campaign as a peek into the lifestyles of the young this generation continues to break age-old societal norms and redefines what success and happiness means to them, the cola maker said. Be it their nonchalant attitude towards societal judgements, carving out a path to follow their passions, or even their audacious thumkas on reels, this generation lives life on their own terms, it added.
Meanwhile, Rathor said the brand will continue to associate with Khan, at least in the near term. “It’s not a celebrity replacement strategy for us at all. Salman is on the brand. Pepsi has always been about a galaxy of superstars and we’re just adding a few more names that help bring this campaign to life," she said.
However, the move also points to growing instances of large cola brands using similar celebrities to endorse their brands. Singh was the erstwhile brand ambassador for rival Coca-Cola’s Thums Up brand; Khan too has endorsed the brand in the past before being dropped. Currently the (Thums Up) brand is endorsed by actor Shah Rukh Khan, who in the late 90s and early 2000s endorsed Pepsi.
Advertising experts claimed that using celebrities from competing firms frequently would only confuse consumers and clog the market. According to business consultant and independent director Lloyd Mathias, companies are relying on celebrity endorsements as a band-aid in the absence of a truly transformative idea. Customers who have seen similar celebrities advertising competing businesses in the past few years are likely to be perplexed by the decision. The category is becoming too crowded as a result, he claimed.
Having said that, Mathias stated that over the past ten years, the category of soft drinks as a whole has also significantly increased penetration in India. "For brands to penetrate the hinterland, they must rely on mass star power, "added said. The cola wars, according to Sandeep Goyal, managing director of Rediffusion, have simply migrated to a new arena and playground. Both brands are well-funded and cater to sizable consumer bases. The brand's "newsy" status is a continuing struggle, "added he.
