MAM
Thums Up to biking in India
MUMBAI: With the summer season upon us soft drink companies are going all out to further imprint brand awareness upon consumers. A case in point is Coca Cola.
The company has announced that its brand Thums Up will run a programme Thums Up Piyoge? Ninja Chalaoge? Hai Dum?
The aim is to promote the biking culture in India. The innovatively designed Thums Up under-the-crown (UTC) promotion is in line with the brand’s core identity of being – macho, outgoing, adventurous and fearless. The programme will give four winners an opportunity to ride home on a Kawasaki Ninja ZX 6R. A bike is worth over Rs 6,00,000.
To participate in the promotion consumers just need to peel the crown liner of their Thums Up bottle and collect four parts of Kawasaki Ninja ZX 6R bike and they can be the lucky winner. There are other prizes like over 100 Bajaj Pulsars and lakhs of biking gear like biker’s jacket, bags, sunglasses and waist-pouches up for grabs.
Coca-Cola India VP marketing Vikas Gupta said, “We had an overwhelming response to the Thums Up Everest Challenge – Hai Dum? through which we touched 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 and of excitement.”
The entire campaign is supported by an integrated marketing and communications plan that includes a TVC featuring Akshay Kumar, the brand ambassador for Thums Up. The TVC, conceptualised by Leo Burnett was launched on 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 our 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 SuperBike Kawasaki Ninja’. The film is directed by Savier, flown in from Iceland and produced by Mad Entertainment.
Other marketing programmes 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 roadshow casing the cool machines covering the country.
MAM
Barista partners Ginny Weds Sunny 2 with mango campaign
Cafe chain blends cinema buzz with summer menu and 20 per cent offer.
MUMBAI: Love may brew slowly, but marketing clearly doesn’t especially when coffee meets cinema and mangoes steal the spotlight. Barista Coffee Company has partnered with the upcoming hindi film Ginny Weds Sunny 2 as its official beverage partner, in a move aimed at tapping into youth culture through entertainment-led engagement. The collaboration is not just a logo placement exercise. Instead, Barista is translating the film’s high-energy vibe into its cafés with a themed summer menu titled “Main Hoon Mango”, accompanied by a limited-period 20 per cent discount on combo offerings across outlets.
Actors Medha Shankr and Avinash Tiwary feature in the campaign, seen engaging with the mango-themed menu inside Barista cafés, a visual cue designed to blur the lines between reel and real-life consumption moments.
The strategy reflects a broader shift in how consumer brands are leveraging hindi film industry not just for visibility, but for immersive, on-ground engagement. By embedding the film’s narrative into its product experience, Barista is aiming to drive footfall, especially among younger audiences who increasingly seek experiential touchpoints over traditional advertising.
Barista Coffee Company CEO Rajat Agrawal described the partnership as both a branding and growth play, focused on expanding reach beyond the existing customer base and aligning with evolving consumer preferences.
The emphasis on a seasonal, flavour-led hook mango, one of India’s most culturally resonant ingredients adds a timely layer to the campaign, aligning with summer consumption trends while riding on the film’s promotional momentum.
For Barista, the move is part of a larger positioning shift. Rather than operating purely as a coffee retail chain, the brand is increasingly framing itself as a lifestyle destination, one that intersects with entertainment, conversation and shared experiences. By integrating cinema into its physical spaces, Barista is effectively turning cafés into micro-extensions of the film’s universe, where consumers do not just watch a story unfold but participate in it sip by sip.
The 20 per cent offer further nudges trial, lowering the barrier for consumers to engage with the themed menu while amplifying recall through a tangible incentive.
Brand-film collaborations are hardly new, but their execution is evolving. Where earlier partnerships relied on co-branded ads or product placements, the current playbook leans towards immersive storytelling and retail integration.
In that sense, Barista’s “Main Hoon Mango” push is less about promotion and more about participation inviting consumers to experience a slice of the film within a familiar, everyday setting. As the film industry continues to act as a cultural amplifier, such partnerships underline a growing truth, in today’s attention economy, it is not enough to be seen brands must be experienced.
And if that experience comes with a mango twist and a cinematic backdrop, all the better.
