News Broadcasting
Coke upbeat about success of ‘thanda’ TVC
NEW DELHI: Coca Cola claims to have stolen a march over arch rival Pepsi with its new thanda theme TVC yielding much more dividend than anticipated.
Coca Cola India CEO and president Alex Von Behr said at the recent CII-organised marketing summit The Business of Marketing, that Coke’s cool new commercial with Aamir Khan in the lead had a higher recall than Pepsi’s ad featuring superstar Amitabh Bachchan.
Quoting Continuous Consumer Track data culled from small towns and those falling under SEC C & D categories, Behr said that while Coca Cola’s thanda commercial had a recall value of 21.3, that of Pepsi was a mere 8.9 as measured on 10 May this year. On other days too, Coke’s thanda ad was ahead of Pepsi, he claimed. On 15 March, the recall value for Coke’s ad was 0.6, while that of Pepsi’s was 0.5, on 22 March, for Coke it was 2.9, while that of Pepsi was 1.3. Over a period of time, the data shows the recall value of Coke’s ad has been rising, he said.
Dwelling on the juices market, Behr said that teens and young adults (12-29 years) constitute the core of Maaza volumes currently. “However, this is also the core target group for all carbonated drinks too,” he said, adding, “Maaza or any other juice drink as a category can never compete with carbonated drinks in terms of visibility or appeal of proposition (imagery).” That’s why, Behr pointed out, Coca Cola India took the risk to “position Maaza to a target audience that affords better growth prospects.” So, Maaza is being repositioned to target mothers of 7-9 year olds from young adults. The communication strategy is also being changed from a combination of health and fun to friendship moments (between mother and child) with fresh and healthy Maaza, he said.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
