Coca-Cola: No burn-out

Coca-Cola launched its energy drink brand Burn in the Indian market a few days ago, targeting high-spending, young, urban consumers. Positioned as an after-hours drink, Burn is setting its sights on pub-goers and the clubbing crowd.

Coca-Cola India Vice-President (marketing) Ricardo Fort says Burn is a top-selling energy drink brand in most of the 76 countries where it is sold, and he hopes to make it the No. 1 brand in the category in India too. “The energy drink market in India is growing fast, at over 50 per cent a year, and we are all set to tap this growing market with Burn. It’s just the right time to be here,” he says. Burn will be competing with brands such PepsiCo’s SoBe (which was launched last year), Red Bull and Power Horse for a market that is estimated at around Rs 250 crore. The brand is priced at Rs 75 for a 250 ml can and is being initially rolled out in Mumbai, Delhi/NCR and Bangalore through select premium channels and outlets.

The company says it would not take the traditional TV adverting route, and will instead look at innovative and experiential marketing to reach out to its select target. To start with, last week, it rolled out “Burn-inspired” concept cars designed by well-known automobile designer Dilip Chhabria. The cars, says Fort, have been designed keeping in mind Burn’s brand attributes such as masculinity, potency and primal characteristics. They will be taken to pubs, clubs and resto-bars in the three metros and would be part of an intensive below-the-line consumer activation programme involving experiential sampling of the drink, event sponsorships and community-based marketing initiatives.

“We are targeting a very different set of consumers and traditional advertising would not be the right way to connect with them. It’s intensive and exclusive consumer activation programmes, such as the roll-out of Burn-inspired cars, which make an impact on our audience. We’ll continue with such promotions,” says Fort. Burn was first introduced in Europe in the 1990s and has a strong presence in Russia, Ukraine, France, Italy, Austria, Poland, the US, UK, Australia and South Africa.