While the rest of the cold drink brands are stuck with babes, stunts and lifestyles, Pepsico has sprung a new interesting concept that is a relevant and highly campaignable idea

Anil Thakraney

Must say for this hot, hot, searing summer, PepsiCo, the makers of 7UP, have come up with a cool, cool idea. So while the rest of the cold drink brands are still into babes, stunts, lifestyle, etc, 7UP has sprung up with a new and very interesting concept: Anger management. Ergo, the cold drink will now help you keep your head cool, and avoid potential conflicts caused by heat and rage.

'Gussa Hatao, Chill Machao' is the message, and I really think they are on to a good thing out here. Because the country is angry, there is a lot of pent up frustration among the junta. There is rage against bad governance, inflation, corruption, traffic, pathetic living conditions… the list is endless. All, of course, compounded during summer. And indulging in road fury has become a national pastime. In this heated scenario, a cold drink becomes a natural corollary. Yup, it's a powerful idea, and in the Indian context, one wonders why no one thought of it before.



The commercial I watched (and I assume there shall be more) features 7UP's brand ambassador, actor Sharman Joshi. A parked bike rider has mud splashed all over him by a speeding truck. Enraged, he gives the trucker a hot pursuit to teach him a hard lesson on road etiquette. Sharman, meanwhile, is seated at the back of the open truck. And he playfully engages the heated bike rider in a conversation. With questions like whether he is a black belt holder, a regular gymmer, a medical insurance holder or a police officer's son. When the biker responds to all in the negative, Sharman advises him not to risk a confrontation with the macho trucker, and instead gulp his anger down with a cool 7UP.

Well, a decent commercial. Reasonably funny, and Sharman, true to his screen image of a cool dude, is cast correctly. But 7UP needs to milk this solid idea with zanier commercials. And produce many of them, so that the brand quickly becomes the custodian of anger management in India. A relevant, long-term, highly campaignable idea, this one. And rage isn't gonna go away from India in a hurry… rather, it will only rise!

Moral of the story: A good idea is everything; once that's in place, all else follows smoothly. A lesson for the rest of the cold drink makers stuck with mega movie stars, heavy duty sportsmen and beautiful faces, and some really silly scripts and executions.