A 30-second Coke commercial, created for consumers in Pakistan and West Asia, is being aired in India during the DLF IPL Twenty20 matches. Coca-Cola India is using the television commercial in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 matches. This will be a first for Coca-Cola India where a commercial created by Ogilvy & Mather (O&M) Lahore for consumers in Pakistan and West Asian countries is also airing on the Indian telly-screens, but with a modified tagline.
The Coca-Cola ad aired in West Asia and Pakistan had the tagline — Khale, Peele, Jilee. For the consumers at home, the tagline has been tweaked to Khale, Peelee, Jashn Mana Le — Coke’s current tagline that features actor Hrithik Roshan.
However, the Pakistani Coke commercial has no celebrities.
“The ad features a group of friends having fun with a bottle of Coca-Cola while enjoying a meal at a restaurant. The fun of handling the bottle and pouring Coke in glasses has been developed into a sign language between youngsters that brings friends together and aids in bonding across the various tables in the restaurant,” a Coca-Cola spokesperson said.
The Pakistani commercial, however, has some Indian elements. The commercial has been shot in a location in India with Indian models and is being customised by Coke’s domestic creative agency McCann Erickson, Delhi. According to industry sources, several leading advertising agencies from Pakistan use Indian locations and local talents to shoot television ad-campaigns in the country.
“Several Pakistani companies related to telecom, soaps, juices, butter etc shoot their television commercials in India but none of them have been used on Indian television. Therefore, this Pakistani Coke campaign may set a precedence for more international commercials to make a debut on the Indian telly-screens,” an advertising industry source said.
Giving the rationale behind airing this commercial on Indian television screens, a Coke executive said, “The influence of cricket and Bollywood has crossed borders and has had an overwhelming impact on complex subjects like India-Pakistan relations. We felt that ads could also contribute to the positive feel generated by IPL cricket and cinema.”
Coca-Cola is one of the six associate sponsors of IPL and is estimated to shell out Rs 20-23 crore on IPL alone.