Why realme decided to launch a Coca-Cola-themed smartphone

Madhav Sheth, CEO, realme India, talks about the brand's limited edition phone, its launch campaign and more.

realme has rolled out limited edition smartphones in the past, by partnering with movies like ‘Spiderman: Far from Home’, ‘Dragon Ball Z’ and ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’. The aim of such collaborations, as per the brand, is to integrate technology with a standout design. The smartphone brand recently launched realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition.

Speaking with afaqs!, about this collaboration with the leading beverage brand, Madhav Sheth, CEO, realme India and president at realme International Business Group, says, “This is our initiative to offer a smartphone that combines cutting-edge technology with Coca-Cola’s iconic design elements.” 

“The aim is to appeal to the consumers, who want both style and functionality in their device. The unique design and the custom UI system bring extra charm and fun to the user experience,” he adds.

This latest limited edition offering comes in an 8+ 128GB variant. The phone is available on Flipkart, and in retail outlets at a few prime locations.

According to a Counterpoint study, realme remained at the fourth spot in Q3 2022, capturing a 14% share. The brand grew 2% QoQ. Three out of the top 10 models in the INR 10,000-INR 15,000 price band were from realme. realme’s C series accounted for 55% of its portfolio and was the main driver for its shipments in Q3 2022.

The concept of a Coca-Cola themed smartphone is not a new one, as other non-smartphone companies have previously entered the smartphone market through partnerships and collaborations.

For instance, Oppo partnered with the 'House of Dragon' web series to release a special edition of the Oppo Reno 8 Pro 5G. Similarly, Infinix launched an Avengers edition and iQOO released a BMW edition smartphone as part of its iQOO 9 series.

The target audience of realme's Coca-Cola edition smartphone is the younger generation. As per Sheth, the brand seeks to create a better product experience for young people by considering their requirements for design, performance, gaming and best quality camera at different price points.

realme's previous collaborations were around shows and content that is at the core of millennial pop culture. Fans like to own merchandise of their favourite shows. With the Coca-Cola collab, the question is whether the their TG will want to own a phone associated with a consumer brand and not a content brand.

Highlighting who the brand seeks to cater to with its latest offering, Sheth mentions, “As a youth-oriented brand, establishing a strong resonance with our TG is of utmost importance. The target audience for the realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola edition is young, tech-savvy consumers, who value a unique, stylish design, and have an interest in both technology and popular culture.”

The unique red and black design of the smartphone is inspired by Coca-Cola’s classic elements, featuring the logo in an asymmetrical 70/30 pattern. The matte imitation metal finish is scratch-resistant. 

The custom UI system, including the lock screen and dynamic charging effect, adds extra cheer to the experience with a Coca-Cola bubble and red theme, as per the brand. The ringtones and app icons are also customised with the Coca-Cola theme.

The launch of the Coca-Cola edition realme phone will be backed by a 360-degree marketing campaign, titled ‘Cheers For Real’. The overall campaign has been divided in different phases, where the brand has focussed on design and sound.

As a part of the larger campaign, the brand is executing ‘Cheers For Real’ photography competition, where the focus will be on the phone’s design. The contest, taking in the famous cheers pose for Coca-Cola as a reference, will ask realme users to recreate the cheers shot using their smartphones.

To highlight the design of the new phone, the brand has also collaborated with fashion influencers like Kritika Khurana, Sakshi Sidhwani, etc., who will match the design vibe with their ‘OOTD’ look by creating transition Reels.

Over the next few years, realme’s aim is to transition from a consumer electronics brand to a lifestyle one. Elaborating on the brand’s vision, Sheth states that realme is undertaking various steps to achieve this. Like expanding the product offerings beyond smartphones to include wearable devices, audio products and home appliances. Focussing on design aesthetics by partnering with brands to co-create products, to name a few.