Is PepsiCo taking a lesson from Baba Ramdev?

Last month "Yoga Guru" Baba Ramdev gave Congress MP from Arunachal Pradesh, Ninong Ering, a lesson in controlling temper with the gift of a rudraksha.

We are not sure if PepsiCo has taken a cue from the incident but the New York-based food and beverage company has taken up the cause of anger management with gusto and is using its clear lemon drink, 7UP, to address the issue.

"Gussa hatao, chill machao (don't get angry, keep your cool)" is the theme for its latest campaign for which the company has roped in Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi as protagonist.

Through this campaign PepsiCo hopes to drive home the point that 7UP is the best way to beat the heat of summer and cool down frayed nerves.

Alpana Titus, category marketing director (flavoured carbonated drinks), PepsiCo India Beverages, says, "With this campaign, we want to tell our consumers that getting angry gets you nowhere. It's important to remain calm, come what may. It's relevant to our target audience (who is in his late teens, has got his first job and is growing in confidence), and it will give the brand an anchor. It also conveys the message people only end up regretting the mindless scuffles they sometimes get into."

With this message PepsiCo hopes to increase penetration of 7UP across the small towns and rural markets.

The first television commercial (TVC) revolves around a man who has been splashed with mud by a speeding truck on a highway. The disgusted man wants to give it back to the truck driver and gives the truck a chase on his two-wheeler.

The second film talks about a fight that breaks out between two fans of rival soccer teams while they are watching a match.

The fight turns out to be more ridiculous than serious as neither of the fans has any connection whatsoever with the countries playing the match.

In both the TVCs, Sharman Joshi appears as the cool voice of reason, diffusing their anger with 7UP.

The new TVCs will gain frequency across channels during the Indian Premier League season-4 and will be on air for about four months.

The creative brief to BBDO India, the advertising agency on the account, was to position 7UP as a drink that lifts one's mood when one is angry or upset about something.

"Every minute you spend in anger, you lose 60 seconds of cool! With growing instances of mindless flare-ups that we see around us every day, this philosophy is sure to resonate with the youth. We wanted to have a campaign that has a life beyond its 40 seconds on the TV screen. '...chill machao' is not just a campaign you watch on TV, it is philosophy you can live," says Sandipan Bhattacharya, executive creative director, BBDO India.

Will 7UP's new campaign cannibalise sister lemon-lime brand Mountain Dew from PepsiCo, which is also about 'cool'?

"There is no question of cannibalisation as the drinks have been positioned with a distinct identity, and they cater to a different set of target consumers. For instance, while 7UP stands for a cool and refreshing drink; Mountain Dew gives the young male teen a kick, thanks to the element of caffeine," says Titus.

PepsiCo India has introduced a lot of changes in 7UP over the last two years. It underwent a design makeover with alterations in packaging, the label and the can in January last year after a gap of four years.

According to a Euromonitor report in 2010, Coca-Cola's lemon-lime brand Sprite tops the list with 15.5 per cent market share in the carbonated beverage market in India - estimated at Rs 5,731 crore (Rs 57.31 billion)- while PepsiCo's 7UP has a 4.9 market share and Mountain Dew 5.4 per cent.

"This campaign, which will be followed by retail visibility and 3D outdoor campaigns, will not only help us widen our distribution channel but it will scale up the lemon drink's awareness at the national level," says Titus.