Out of sight is out of mind. No sooner has the ’controversy’ subsided, people are back to gulping cola. Children are forbidden from Michael Jackson, but they are allowed to feast on Cola. Coca Cola! Well, I am writing a review after a long time. Lots of changes have registered on good-ole MS. Great! Coca Cola is my ’poison’. And I think its quite cool! Thanda Matlab......
I really can’t say much about the taste. For all colas are more or less the same. Pepsi is slightly more sweeter, Thumps Up leaves you ’thunder-struck’ while Coca Cola is somewhere in between. Now, being an advertising guy, what attracts me most about these Colas is the ’’Advertising War’’.
I think Pepsi was ahead till a couple of years ago with its consistent Yeh Dil Mange More campaign. Coca Cola came into its own with Aamir Khan’s Thanda Matlab...Coca Cola. They have literally zoomed ahead of everybody else. I shall share an interesting anecdote regarding this catchline.
A friend in advertising zapped me with a few SMS Jokes. I bulldozed my way thinking I am won-up. Hoping, his zany sense of humour is taking a Cool shower, I SMSd Thanda Matlab... The reply was Khokha Khola. Now, those of you who are familiar with the Mumbai lingo would know that Khokha is slang for a Crore of rupees mostly used in the context of the underworld. My friend did cool down after that. And he didn’t say much.
The friend’s name is Prasoon Joshi, the National Creative Director of Mccann Ericsson, the man who was the creative brain behind the entire campaign. It was only when he won the Golden Lion at Cannes for the same campaign, that I came to know about it. A big surprise, must say. And a pleasant one at that.
The Coca Cola campaign is responsible in the brand getting a huge preference over its immediate rival Pepsi. I must also say that the actor in Aamir Khan makes it special as well. The Add featuring Aishwarya and Vivek Oberoi was a big flop. This also shows that a good campaign gets a fresh lease of life or fresh dimensions if the actors are as involved and experimental as Aamir is.
I enjoy my Coca Cola with lots of ice. What about You? Be Cool. Drink....Cool!