MAM
Three Mumbaities emerge winners of Pepsi ‘Khufiya Card’ contest
MUMBAI: The summer of 2005 is a bonanza for Pepsi lovers in the country with Pepsi’s unprecedented ‘Khufiya Card’ consumer initiative. The initiative received unprecedented response from consumers across the country.
Michael John, Vani Rao and Subodh Bodke from Mumbai have just got richer by Rs 100,000 as part of the ‘Pepsi Khufiya Card’ promotion. According to the trio, who have always been Pepsi lovers and never thought drinking Pepsi could bring in such a huge reward.
Said John, “I can’t thank Pepsi enough for this pleasant surprise. Dekhte hi dekhte kismat badal gayee.”
The nationwide ‘Pepsi Khufiya Card’ promotion is valid on multi-serve packs (two litre and 1.5 litre) of Pepsi, Mirinda Orange, Mirinda Lemon, Mountain Dew and 7UP. Every consumer who gets a ‘Khufiya Card’ on purchase of any of these products is assured of a prize.
The ‘Pepsi Khufiya Card’ initiative, for the first time makes TV advertising an ‘interactive medium’ in consumer promotion. It gives consumers an opportunity to discover their prizes by simply holding the Khufiya card against the blue TV screen during the airing of the Pepsi Khufiya ad. The consumer just needs to peel off the seal on his khufiya card, and hold the card against the blue ‘promo window’ in the TV ad, to reveal his prize.
The prizes are divided into four levels. While there the top prize is Rs 250 million, there are other prizes of Rs 100,000, Rs 1000 and Rs 100. In addition there are “Rs 40 off” deals on some cards, whereby consumers can redeem these cards to get a discount of Rs 40 on any purchases in participating groceries and restaurants.
According to Pepsi Foods Pvt Ltd executive director (marketing) Punita Lal, “Pepsi, in its inimitable way, adds a lot of fun and excitement to the summer months. The path breaking ‘Khufiya Card’ is a unique device that integrates the TV campaign with the promotion in a very innovative way, and directly engages the consumer in the promotion while watching the ad on his TV screen.”
The storyline of the ad, featuring Pepsi brand ambassador Saif Ali Khan, revolves around a bumbling detective’s failed attempts to crack the case of the mystery card. Conceptualised by JWT, the ad is directed by ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar.
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
