Indiantelevision.com Team

MUMBAI: After a really long sabbatical, Thums Up which accounts for 20 per cent market share in the soft drink category has decided to pump in some adrenalin into the brand.

Sticking to its masculine core, Thums Up, starting 3 March, has gone all out on a heavy duty campaign that is designed in a format to challenge people to get what they aspire for. The theme being challenging the consumer which is the core of the brand as well. A strong male positioning. Hai Dum?

Targeted at the youth, the campaign embodies the spirit of Thums Up and has been designed to reinforce the brand personality of the product-macho, outgoing, adventurous, and fearless. The Thums Up challenge will pan the Indian landscape for over a month, with local challenge rounds in 16 cities. The winners of 16 city finals will be pitted against each other at a Challenge Camp in Shivpuri, Uttaranchal to undergo a grueling test of strength and stamina under the leadership of Colonel Kumar. Colonel Kumar is the first Indian to reach the height of 28,300 ft at Mount Everest in 1960. The victorious amongst the 16 contestants will attempt the climb to Mount Everest and take home a cash prize of Rs 10 lakhs.

The objective of the campaign is to insight passion among consumers and reinforcing Thums Up's equity in , reinforcing what thumbs up stands for.

Says Coca-Cola India vice-president marketing Vikas Gupta, "This campaign truly personifies the spirit of Thums Up - the spirit of adventure, of thrill, of heroism. Today the youth has become much more adventurous and relates to the brand proposition of Thums Up. We are expecting a good response to this unique initiative. I am very optimistic about the campaign and am sure the youngsters will have a great time participating in it."

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, conceptualized by Leo Burnett was launched on March 3 across all mainline channels inviting the youth across India to display what levels of toughness they can undertake to taste their Thums Up. Other marketing programs lined up for the promotion of Thums Everest Challenge - Hai Dum? include activation of key accounts, promotional activities in colleges & marketplaces and an extensive road-show covering the country.

In the Andra Pradesh region, Thums UP's largest market which has a 45 - 50 per cent market share in the region has TVC cutomised to the AP market. Chiranjeevi will be endorsing the brand in the Telugu TVC. The AP regions apparently contributed more than 20 per cent of Thums UP's total business nationwide.