Slice says association with Kiara Advani to be a lasting one

Slice has replaced its brand ambassador of 16 years — actor Katrina Kaif. Anuj Goyal, associate director, Slice and Tropicana, PepsiCo India, talks to afaqs! about the move. 

The Slice 'Aamsutra' ad, featuring actress Katrina Kaif, has been so etched into our memories that it became a pop culture moment when it was released more than a decade ago. Ever since then, Kaif has been the face of the brand.

However, this year, Slice has chosen a new face. It recently launched a campaign, featuring another actress, Kiara Advani. This year, the brand also has a new proposition, ‘Aam ka ehsaas hai sabse khaas’.

The ad has been conceptualised by Leo Burnett India. 

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A post shared by KIARA (@kiaraaliaadvani)

Speaking to afaqs! about the campaign, Anuj Goyal, associate director, Slice and Tropicana, PepsiCo India, says that they wanted a fresh association this year to reach out to the youth. 

“We were looking for a fresh face for 2023. Somebody who had a youth following and Kiara is a youth icon. She has mass reach in not only Tier-I cities, but also Tier-II and III towns. I think this also does justice to the new proposition.” 

According to Goyal, the brand has been playing on the product superiority proposition for a long time, with campaigns like ‘Sabse thick sabse tasty’. However this time around, the brand wanted a fresh campaign. 

“It’s been a great journey, ever since we got Kiara on board. We couldn’t have had a better celebrity than her, as she’s quite popular and has many hit films. She also has a large following among our TG. I think with Kiara, we have hit the perfect sweet spot. She does justice to what we want to attain.”  

Many beverage brands have been swapping/changing their brand ambassadors for quite some time now. For example, Tiger Shroff, who was seen in the famous ‘Har Ghoont Mein Swag’ ad for Pepsi, is campaigning for Coca-Cola this year. Similarly, Ranveer Singh has replaced Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) as Pepsi’s brand ambassador. 

Asked if Slice’s move is in the same direction, Goyal shares, “We had an association for 16 years and strongly believe that every time you play a copy, you need to refresh the consumer’s memory. While it was a conscious call to have a new association in 2023, with a celebrity who has youth appeal, we believe in long-term associations. This association is going to be a longer one for us.”

On how the campaign will be promoted, Goyal mentions that TV will remain the biggest medium for the brand, followed by digital. He adds that the brand relies on influencer marketing to drive effective messages. 

“We will also do a 360-degree campaign that involves print, billboards, and other mediums. We’ve just launched a TVC, and will do a lot more in the space.” 

Goyal mentions that the beverage category in India is growing at a fast rate.

“We’re doing extremely well. If I talk about PepsiCo itself, Slice is among its top four brands. These parameters tell us that whatever we’re doing, is great, and we will continue to do that.”