MAM
Thums Up unveils new campaign; exploits biking culture as their theme
MUMBAI: The soft drink industry seems to be gearing up and how. Thums Up has unveiled a new campaign – Thums Up Piyoge? Ninja Chalaoge? Hai Dum? – to promote the biking culture in India. The Thums Up under-the-crown (UTC) promotion is in line with brand’s core identity of being – macho, outgoing, adventurous, and fearless.
The national program will give the four lucky winners an opportunity to ride home Kawasaki NINJA ZX 6R worth about Rs. 6,00,000 each.
To participate in the promotion, the consumers need to peel the crown liner of their Thums Up bottle and collect four parts of Kawasaki NINJA ZX 6R bike. Other prizes include over 100 Bajaj Pulsars and lakhs of cool and biking gears like biker’s jacket, bags, sunglasses, and waist-pouches up for grabs.
Says Coca-Cola India vice-president marketing Vikas Gupta, “We have an overwhelming response to the Thums Up Everest Challenge – Hai Dum? The campaign has managed to touch more than five lakh consumers in nearly 500 cities and towns. Thums Up Piyoge? Ninja Chalaoge? Hai Dum? also personifies the spirit of Thums Up – the spirit of adventure, of thrill, of excitement.”
The entire campaign is being supported by an integrated marketing and communications plan that includes a TVC featuring Akshay Kumar, the brand ambassador for the cola. The TVC, conceptualized by Leo Burnett was launched on 12 April 12 across all mainline Hindi channels inviting the Thums Up drinkers to participate in the UTC promotion. The TVC starts with the opening of a Thums Up bottle and the crown transforms into the legendary masked warriors, the Ninjas. The four Ninjas attack the hero, but he, in his usual nonchalant way overcomes them easily. The communication construct echoes the promotion mechanic, ‘capture the 4 Ninjas and win the Kawasaki Ninja’. The film is directed by Savier who was flown in from Iceland and produced by the Mad Entertainment.
Other marketing programs lined up for the promotion of The Thums Up Ninja Hunt include activation of key accounts, promotional activities in colleges and marketplaces and an extensive road-show showcasing the machines covering the country.
Brands
Trump announces $300bn Texas oil refinery with Reliance, calls it the biggest in US history
First new US refinery in 50 years planned at Brownsville port with Reliance
WASHINGTON: The United States may soon see the first brand-new oil refinery built on its soil in half a century.
Donald Trump announced a proposed $300 billion refinery project in Texas, calling it a landmark moment for American energy production and jobs.
Posting on Truth Social on 10 March, Trump said the facility would be built at the Port of Brownsville and developed by a company called America First Refining, with major investment from India’s Reliance Industries.
The announcement frames the project as a centrepiece of the administration’s push for “energy dominance”, with Trump claiming it would deliver thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic activity to South Texas.
If realised, the plant would mark the first all-new major refinery constructed in the United States since the 1970s. In recent decades, oil companies have largely chosen to expand existing facilities rather than build new ones, citing high costs, regulatory hurdles and environmental scrutiny.
Trump described the proposed investment as the “biggest in US history”, positioning it as proof that policy changes such as streamlined permits and lower taxes are drawing large-scale energy investments back into the country.
The refinery is planned for the Port of Brownsville, a strategic Gulf Coast location that provides easy access to shipping routes and export markets.
A key partner in the project is Reliance Industries, controlled by billionaire industrialist Mukesh Ambani. The company already runs the world’s largest refining complex in Jamnagar, India, making it one of the most experienced operators in large-scale petroleum processing.
The Texas venture would mark a significant step for the group into America’s domestic refining sector, potentially strengthening industrial ties between the US and India.
The proposed refinery is being promoted as a next-generation facility capable of processing American shale oil while maintaining high environmental standards. Trump said it would be “the cleanest refinery in the world”, although the specific technologies behind that claim have not yet been detailed.
Industry observers also note that the $300 billion figure is unusually large for a refinery project, and analysts are waiting for more clarity on whether the number reflects total construction costs, long-term infrastructure investment, or broader economic impact estimates.
As of 11 March, Reliance Industries had not publicly confirmed the investment size or the structure of its involvement.
For now, the announcement has sparked equal parts excitement and curiosity in energy markets. If the plan moves from promise to pouring concrete, the refinery could reshape the Gulf Coast energy landscape, and reopen a chapter in American refining that has been quiet for nearly fifty years.
