- Tuesday, April 30, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
It was riding a time machine for many Indians as an indigenously made cola brand was set to make a comeback in India more than 50 years after it was launched.
Campa Cola, which became a popular Indian drink in the 1970s and 1980s in the absence of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, was returning to the country’s supermarkets after being relaunched by its current owner Mukesh Ambani, India’s richest man.
The Indian cola had not only become a household name in India in the late 20th century but also became a symbol of the country’s patriotism as a homegrown soft drink manufactured by an Indian firm and not foreign multinationals. Its tagline was “The Great Indian Taste”.
One reason why Campa Cola had a flourishing run in those days is that the Indian economy was still in its pre-liberalisation days. The country had a planned economy and western products were less welcome. Coca Cola was forced out of India after it refused to share its famous secret formula with the Indian government. Pepsi was still sometimes away.
It became easier for Campa Cola to fill the gap, especially in a country which perspires throughout long summers.
Campa Cola’s time ran out when India liberalised its economy in 1991. Coca-Cola and Pepsi returned and the home-made drink disappeared under competition from the two western giants soon after.
Experts are of the opinion that dead brands that still appeal to nostalgia can be revived, The Guardian reported, adding Reliance Industries, which brought the drink last year, will repackage the decades-old patriotism to rekindle nostalgia.
“I plan to buy it and give it to my grandchildren to show them the taste of my childhood – the taste of sweet innocence,” Arushi Patel, a 60-year-old investment consultant from Delhi, told the news outlet.
However, the task might not be too easy as Reliance might struggle to engage today’s youth with the cola brand, The Guardian added.
Advertising professional and social commentator Santosh Desai told the outlet that while cola used to define consumerism two decades ago, today, it is the mobile phone that defines consumerism.
“Cola doesn’t seem the same thing to young Indians. It’s vaguely dated,” he said.
Also, Coca-Cola and Pepsi continue to dominate Indian markets, including its remotest corners. Shop facades and walls even in distant areas are painted with Coca-Cola and Pepsi logos and pictures and given the giants have a long relationship with retail outlets in the country, the new Campa Cola would have to put up a strong effort.
In a statement, Reliance said, “The launch of this brand is in line with the company’s strategy to promote homegrown Indian brands that not only have a rich heritage but also boast a deep-rooted connect with Indian consumers due to their unique tastes and flavours.”
“Reliance will create a narrative about how it’s made in India as against the multinational in what will be, oddly, a sort of replay of the same patriotism of the earlier battles. And this time round, the social ethos is very conducive to a patriotic message,” Desai was quoted as saying by The Guardian.
