Fanta goes apple; gets Genelia as endorser

Genelia D'Souza will begin with endorsing the new apple variant, but a Fanta Orange film with her will also hit the screens soon, say sources

Post the success of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Genelia D'Souza will be seen endorsing Fanta, the orange drink brand from Coca Cola. She will endorse the new variant of the drink – Fanta Apple – in a television commercial that has been rolled out alongside the national launch of the product.

Sources also reveal that a film for Fanta Orange starring Genelia is already underway and will be on air within a month.

The film for Fanta Apple opens on a party, where Genelia and her mother are enjoying themselves. To their intense annoyance, a lady, who is a matchmaker, refuses to let them be. A young boy serving Fanta Apple makes Genelia think of a brilliant idea to drive the lady away.

She begins to coyly refer to Fanta Apple, while making Aunty believe that she is talking about the boy who offered it. As Genelia begins to make remarks such as “This is new”, “Feel like tasting it”, “Tastes crispy, just like an apple”; the lady begins to withdraw. Finally, she runs away when Genelia asks her, “Should I get one for you as well?”

The film ends with Genelia enticing consumers to bite into the world of apples, for Fanta Apple with the tagline, 'Go Bite'.

O&M Delhi handles Fanta and is one of the roster agencies for Coca Cola. The film has been conceptualised by Ajay Gahlaut, creative head, O&M, Delhi. Bauddhayan Mukherji from Little Lamb Films has directed the film.

Brand Fanta has been in India for around 14 years; it stepped into the country in 1994. Amongst the first of its brand ambassadors was actress Rani Mukherji, who was seen in the summer campaigns of 2005 and 2006. South Indian actress, Trisha endorsed Fanta in the summer campaign of 2007. In 2008, the brand’s campaign did not feature any brand ambassador.

While Fanta Apple has been nationally launched now, the product was launched in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in October last year, since these areas have a strong preference for Coca Cola brands. Not revealing sales figures for the apple variant in the two states, Venkatesh Kini, vice-president, marketing, Coca Cola India tells afaqs! that the sales for the brand have only risen month-on-month. Since the numbers suggested that the product was a success, Coca Cola decided to go national with it.

Fanta is present in 20 flavours across 190 countries in the world. And in each of these countries, the flavours are customised to the people’s preferences. Research in India indicated that apple was one of the most well received flavours in the country.

The apple variant of Fanta will be available across the country in various pack sizes -- 200 ml and 300 ml returnable glass bottles (RGB) priced at Rs 8 and Rs 10 respectively, and in a mobile 600 ml PET bottle, priced at Rs 22. As per the guidelines of the Brand Price Pack Channel (BPPC) of Coca Cola, consumers tend to look for different kind of packaging for drinks, depending upon their immediate needs. Kini reiterates that the glass bottles allow the offering to be priced affordably.

Kini also states that the Indian beverage industry has lots of room for expansion. He describes an initiative that has been rolled out in Orissa, where a specially designed beverage, Vitingo, an orange-flavoured blend of micronutrients, is made available in sachets of Rs 2.50. It needs to be mixed in water to make the beverage. This effort is being carried out with the assistance of an NGO, Biswa in the state.

Prior to this, in 2007, an Aam Panna flavoured drink was test marketed in Agra, Bareilly and Lucknow, in select outlets for about six months. The drink was available in 200 ml packs at the price of Rs 12.

In 2001, too, the company rolled out two limited edition flavours of Fanta -- Green Apple and Watermelon. Due to slow offtake, however, the watermelon flavour went off the shelves in November 2001, while the green apple flavour was phased out in 2002.

The total Indian sparkling beverage market stands at about Rs 6,000 crore, of which fruit flavoured drinks are about Rs 1,000 crore. The market for juices is another Rs 1,500 crore.