Bisleri makes waves: Deepika Padukone on bottles, boosting youth connection and global aspirations

The brand’s latest campaign #DrinkItUp aims to make hydration fun and tackle water consumption habits. We spoke to Tushar Malhotra, head of marketing.

Bisleri has unveiled its inaugural global brand ambassador, Deepika Padukone, aiming to fortify its bond with the youth and infuse contemporary values into the brand.

This significant move coincides with the brand's expansion into the UAE market, marking its transition into a global brand with aspirations to establish a significant presence in the international arena.

The brand has also tied-up with the Dubai Marathon to build brand awareness for Bisleri in the region.

The brand introduced the #DrinkItUp campaign featuring Deepika Padukone, where she is seen enjoying Bisleri water while dancing to the remix of the iconic cult song Jhoom Jhoom Jhoom Baba.

The ad campaign was conceptualised by 82.5 Communications, shot by Nirvana Films and directed by Prakash Verma.  

Tushar Malhotra, head of marketing, Bisleri International tells afaqs!, “We’re looking to lead on the narrative of hydration. This year, we were involved in a lot of sports marketing. With this campaign, we’re bringing hydration into everyday life, and Padukone was the ideal choice as she is a global style and youth icon. We’re looking to make drinking water fun.”

“The entire messaging is fun, enjoyable and shareable. We want to give a reminder that ‘have water with Bisleri’,” he highlights. 

Malhotra highlighted that their consumer research revealed a concerning trend: people are not meeting the recommended daily water intake of two litres.

In the coming months, Deepika Padukone is slated to feature prominently on packaging bottles and dealer boards as well. 

The brand’s brief to the agency was simple that to lead the narrative on hydration and make it fun. 

With the tagline #DrinkItUp, the brand wants to make drinking water “cool”.

Badal-The Camel

In the past campaigns, Badal (the camel) and his thirsty rider were always seen with a unique chemistry. But will we see Badal in the upcoming campaigns? 

Malhotra answers, “For us, the message comes on top priority and then the medium. For the message of making hydration fun, Deepika was the best fit. From now onwards, in the later communications, the actor would be seen more.”

Media Mix 

For the campaign, 50% of the media mix will be contributed towards television, 30-35% to digital and the rest 10-15% for OOH.

The company will be showing its ads on all OTT platforms as well. 

Movie Marketing 

Throughout 2023, Bisleri forged partnerships with several movies, including Vikram, Jawan, Tiger 3, King of Kotha, Leo, and Jailer.

“We started with South Indian films to build a local connection in the market since movie stars have a cult following down South,” he states. 

Initiating its strategy with the movie RRR, Bisleri experienced success in terms of revenue generation and heightened enthusiasm among both customers and retailers. Notably, retail outlets were adorned with the theme of the movie in certain instances.

Following this triumph in collaboration with South Indian movies, the brand expanded its approach to include partnerships with Bollywood films.

“This is a kind of moment marketing for us, through this, we can talk to consumers at the moment about the trending stuff,” he mentions.

Typically, these momentary marketing initiatives involve limited edition bottles that stay in the market for 10-14 days. Malhotra perceives these limited edition packages as collectibles appreciated by customers.

In January 2023, the brand introduced the Bisleri@Doorstep app, providing a convenient home delivery service. The accompanying campaign addressed the contemporary consumer's preference for efficient solutions when ordering essential items.

The brand is also available on quick commerce platforms like Zepto, and Swiggy Instamart. 

Malhotra addresses the question of why customers should install the Bisleri app when the brand is already accessible on quick commerce platforms such as Zepto and Swiggy Instamart.

He answers, “The app is doing well for our 20 litre returnable jar business which is exclusively available on our app.”