"We've used the bottle, packaging as creative devices": PepsiCo's Vineet Sharma on the new Tropicana Slice ad

The brand's new ad film features ambassador Katrina Kaif.

Summer's here, and so are beverage brands with their respective summer campaigns. And back, for the eighth year, is brand ambassador Katrina Kaif who once again, features in Tropicana Slice's new ad, in which she bites straight into the Slice bottle.

Conceptualised by JWT India, the commercial begins with Kaif in a café where she orders a Slice. When her order arrives, she refuses the glass, and instead bites into the diced neck of the bottle that morphs into a juicy mango! Then, of course, are the ritualistic zoom-ins and close-ups of her indulging in the fruit. So irresistible is her indulgence that onlookers are also tempted to order the mango/Slice - and, it will not be wrong to suppose that they will turn down the glass as well.

The idea conveyed is that to have a Slice (the drink), is like having a real mango. The metaphorical imagery is also reflected in the packaging. Commenting on the creative execution, Vineet Sharma, associate director - marketing, Tropicana at PepsiCo, says, "Tropicana is one of our big brands. It is a Rs 1,000 crore plus brand, within which, Tropicana Slice plays in the space of indulgence and mangoes. Indians are mango lovers, and it is this passion for the fruit that we try to depict in different ways through our advertising for Slice."

Tossing in some figures to corroborate his statement, he shares that India contributes about 50 per cent to the world production of mangoes. This is when we constitute just 15 per cent of the world population.

Kaif has been the ambassador for Tropicana Slice for eight years now, and since then the brand communication has been about reinforcing the thought that every drop of Slice equals a 'Ras Bharaa Aam'. Previous campaigns have also shown her drooling over Slice. So, what's different about this one?

Explains Sharma, "The thought was to depict how a true mango lover forgets the world around him/her while indulging in the fruit. Notice how (Katrina) Kaif turns oblivious to the surroundings while enjoying Slice which gives her the same experience as having a real mango. The diced bottle neck is a packaging unique to Tropicana Slice. Since we feel so proprietorial about it, we thought it would be a good idea to leverage the same. In this campaign, therefore, we used the bottle and the packaging as creative devices."

The 360-degree campaign will extend through the summer season. Digital initiatives will involve consumers who will be asked to demonstrate their love for mangoes using various social media platforms.

Concluding with some category talk and the introduction of branded ethnic drinks such as Paperboat and Dabur Yoodley in the market over the past couple of years, Sharma says, "Any competition is welcome because it only adds to the overall market growth."