Why have PepsiCo’s Sting and KTM become emblems of the ‘chapri’ label?

A casteist slur and slang in pop culture, do the two successful brands correct their online imagery or let it be?

PepsiCo India’s Sting energy drink and KTM motorcycles have almost nothing in common. Almost.

One is a raspberry-coloured caffeinated drink from a multinational beverage major, the other is a premium Austrian motorcycle brand with a serious racing pedigree. One sells a 250 ml bottle for Rs 20 while the other retails for over a lakh for any of its models. One’s symbol of recognition is its distinct red colour; the other is known for its trademark orange shade the world over.

And yet, both brands, increasingly on social media, have become emblems of the chapri label.

A chapri in popular internet culture is a moniker for a guy who colours his hair red, green, orange, or blue. He wears narrow-bottom denim jeans that end at the calf muscle, and sports either a vest or a shirt that’s half-open exposing his not-so-well-built chest.

But, the most famous trait of the so-called chapri apart from his hair is his speech. If you hear “Ha meri jaan” or the words “bantai”, “bachi”, or “pasha” near you, know that this particular personality is in the vicinity.

Social media is flooded with short-form videos ridiculing such men. But, increasingly, we (afaqs!) are coming across videos where consuming PepsiCo’s Sting or riding a KTM motorcycle is shown as the identification marker of a chapri.

The tale of two successful brands

PepsiCo brought Sting to India in 2017 and the economy energy drink has been a hit in the Indian energy drinks market. Mordor Intelligence, a market research company, places the market size of the energy drink market is India Rs 6,189 crore ($0.74 billion) and expects it to reach arund Rs 8,447 crore ($1.01 billion) by 2030. It competes with Thums Up's Charge a the same Rs 20 price level, and with premium energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster, amongst others.

A 250 ml bottle of Sting costs Rs 20 while a Red Bull of the same SKU costs Rs 125.

Financial daily Mint, in May 2024 said, “Last year, the drink accounted for 15% of its local bottler Varun Beverages Ltd (VBL)’s overall volume portfolio. VBL accounts for 90% of PepsiCo’s production and sale of beverages in India.” Euromonitor’s graph (see above) on Sting’s off-trade volume and value share is a clear indicator of its success.

KTM, on the other hand, is over a decade old, having entered India in 2012, and has created, as per co-owner Bajaj Auto, “the premium sports motorcycle segment in India.”

A KTM 125 Duke's price starts from Rs 1.80 lakh while say a TVS Sport (a common urban motorcyle) has its pricing start from Rs 73,000. KTM is known for its racing pedigree and its standard orange colour shade for all its models makes it stand out from the crowd.

These are two well-known and established brands, and are yet, strangely in the eyes of short-format video viewers, the brands a chapri uses.

One can assume it is Sting's red colour - a break from the black coloured masculine colas of Thums Up or a Coke, that may have infleunced this social media behaviour.

In the case of KTM, the motorcycle's high-performance and durability may have become its enemy because these features lets folks perform dangerous stunts and indulge in rash driving with ease.

Distasteful origins

All the videos on a chapri may bring a chuckle or two but the word’s origins are anything but that. As per several media reports, chapri is a casteist slur used against the chapparband caste who mended temporary roofs and were not allowed to work any other jobs because their caste was assigned to them by birth.

How did this transform into presently India’s most famous internet moniker? The answer is straightforward – ignorance and probably indifference. Someone somewhere heard the word and decided to use it against a person trying to be flamboyant and it stuck and took a life of its own on the internet. It is the same lack of research or curiosity which has led to the normalisation of slurs like chamar and bhangi.

Adding to it is the issue of privilege. Someone trying to be flamboyant or showcasing a unique personality on TikTok is called a chapri, predominantly from the supposed urbanised cool users of Instagram.

And there is homophobia too which has slowly peaked its head with Sting.

It is the oldest story in the world, the storytelling medium this time is not a book but social media with two brands stuck in between.

The brand problem

No brand wants to see its sales or image get dented because of such connotations.

“KTM has dealt around with it smartly by focusing on its premium nature, its value propositions of high performance, whether it's being part of race shows or auto expo shows, and by not directly acknowledging the colloquial articulation of how Indians look at their bikes,” stresses Sai Ganesh, a quiz master and online grocer Dunzo’s former head of brand.

One cannot help but think if KTM's fous on performance that makes it a racing powerhouse is also its downfall because most ruffains love to ride at high speeds and perform dangerous unsupervised stunts on the road. A motorycle that is stable is a blessing here, isn't it?

He believes there would be an impact on loss of market share and imagery because of this for KTM, but does not feel the same for PepsiCo’s Sting which he says is a “sleeper brand which has suddenly taken over the market.”

“In the case of Sting, you could argue that in the long run, it's going to pull the brand down. But the risk is low compared to the positives coming out of it. I think the brand is gaining some traction in colloquial language,” says Ganesh.

Here too, Sting's raspberry colour could have played spoilsport. It's not black and does not possess the machoism of a Thums Up. Maybe, that is one the reasons which led the drink to become a chapri drink.

A creative response

One should not let any opposition or dissent fester and nip it in the bud. Do the two brands take on this increasing number of user-generated videos against them with an agency-led creative response?

No came the answer from the creative folks we spoke to.

“We live in a world where anything and everything is liable to be trolled. Labelling a bike or an energy drink as ‘chapri’ is downright ridiculous. It’s not so much these brands that make you look cheap, but how you choose to behave. I would ignore these taunts and go about my business - which is to ensure my product sells more,” remarked Sambit Mohanty, creative head, North and South, McCann Worldgroup.

Ramanuj Shastry, co-founder and director, Infectious Advertising, is clear: “You don’t respond at all.”

He cites Gandhi’s saying, "First, they will ignore you, then they will laugh at you, then they will fight you, then you will win.” Shastry feels it is the brands’ second stage because people cannot digest others’ success.

“Every brand has to go through it, and there is no need to panic. Sincerely, I’d take it as a compliment.” Speaking about KTM, he says he will not think less of a KTM because it’s chapri, “As a bike enthusiast I look at its specs.”

For all we know, the folks being ridiculed are unaware of it and even if they are aware, they are, in fact, proud of the tag despite its negative origins. It is the era of wearing your identity on your sleeve regardless of how others feel about it and how it all started in the first place.

As for the brands, unless there is a slide in sales, one has to go with Shastry’s diktat: “There is no such thing as negative PR, it’s just PR. Enjoy it.”