Campa Cola relaunch: Is the new avatar fizzy enough for the GenZ?

Campa Cola, the soft drink recently re-launched by Reliance Consumer Products Limited, is yet to announce its brand ambassador despite having entered partnership with three IPL teams - Sunrisers Hyderabad, Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings.

Despite the big-ticket tournament just days away, market sources inform that the cola brand, which wants to tap into the younger generation, will at least take six months to start flow-blown marketing since they want to focus on the distribution first. 

At the time of the launch, the RCPL spokesperson said: “While older family members will have fond memories of the original Campa and cherish the nostalgia associated with the brand, younger consumers will love the crisp refreshing taste.” So, what strategies should the brand rope in to achieve this target, given the beverage space is already cluttered and the talk among the GenZ is to switch to healthier options?

Ramanujam Sridhar, Founder CEO, Brand - comm public relations, says, “I think it a good move as the Indian consumer is always looking for a choice and Campa Cola at one point in time was a fairly successful brand. We talk about a healthy lifestyle but when it comes to actual usage, I am not really sure how many of us are actually conscious of it. India is not a big cola market, despite many big brands entering the market and spending thousands of crores on marketing and getting celebrities. It’s not a big market, so any new entrant will create some impact.”

Sharing a different perspective was N. Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, “While there are two major players in the aerated beverages market, there are many regional players that rule in a specific region, and Pepsi and Coke have not been able to break into their stronghold. It leaves Campa Cola with an opportunity to start off by positioning itself as an alternative. The sales may also take off in the Reliance Smart and Smart Point points, where Campa Cola will get ample yet cheap shelf space. This year, the aerated beverages market is likely to be nearly $2 billion and if Campa Cola manages to capture a 5% market share in the first two years, it is still $100mn or upwards of Rs 800 crore.”

Speaking from the urban-rural population’s POV was Nisha Sampath, Brand Consultant, and Founder, of Bright Angles Consulting, “The healthy lifestyle is becoming a buzzword, more and more people are getting into it but what you see is that a lot of brands that talk to the younger generation don’t fit into the healthy lifestyle. While we talk about the GenZ cohort it can be very different in the urban setting compared to a GenZ in a rural set-up. A lot of categories like quick fashion, premium beauty, and fast food are very aspirational in the smaller towns. I think they are pushing into that segment, the competition is there but in Mass India when a brand is present then residual recall will be a strength for them. The strategy will be not only bet on the urban audience but on the rural audience as well.”

Campa Cola had a great presence in the market back in the day with actors like Salman Khan being part of their advertising campaigns. Since the company is also banking on nostalgia to push the product into the market, we spoke to advertising maestro Agnello Dias. “Nostalgia, at its best, is a novelty gift item. It rarely sustains beyond the first curious flush of interest. So as a mind opener, that is fine but the building sustained brand equity on nostalgia for the cola category is a downward journey according to me.” Dias noted.

Speaking on the possible strategies the brand should adhere to, Sampath said, “Legacy is a very powerful thing in the Indian market. Even the GenZ respects legacy. It is in our culture to respect things from the past. So Campa Cola has to smartly balance its legacy with something which is modern now. They should go with very smart pricing that really puts you on an advantage versus the competition. Sharply identifying the audience and playing on the Indian heritage is the most powerful and the most appealing thing for the Indian audiences and the younger generation too.”

The celebrity ambassador appeal is very huge when it comes to the beverage category - right from soft drinks to hot beverages like tea or coffee. Brands love to attach themselves with a celebrity. We asked experts who should possibly be the face of Campa Cola, since they are reinventing themselves. As for Dias, “The original beverage category was a pioneer in bringing celebrity brand endorsements to the fore in an emerging India. Today the concept of brand ambassadors itself is a saturated field. I think the custodians should push the bravery they have shown in reviving the brand by going ahead and standing apart by not using a brand ambassador or at least making a completely left-field choice in that regard.”

On the other hand, Chandramouli said, “GenZ has dreams, is aspirational, and prefers very different icons than those chosen by Coke and Pepsi. They follow influencers rather than actors. A dramatically different approach of using big influencers to be brand endorsers may give the brand a fillip.”

Sampath thinks that Ranbir Kapoor will be a possible right fit since he comes from a legacy family. However, she advises the brand to make a conscious choice. “I would tell Campa Cola not to run and choose the popular young celebrity just because they want to capitalize on GenZ but rather to look at their values and make a more careful choice.”