Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Monday, Sep 15, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Monday, Sep 15, 2003 |
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Marketing
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Trends Columns - Errors & Omissions Expected Are we ready for Pucca Cola? D. Murali
MECCA-COLA, as a query to search, elicits only 15,700 pages in Google, as against 1,040,000 for Coca-Cola and 1,670,000 for Pepsi. But the truth is that the new product that was born towards the end of 2002, is already a case study in business schools. It was Tawfik Mathlouthi, a French entrepreneur, who launched the new drink to cash in on anti-American sentiment around the world. He wants it to be the soft drink of choice for Muslims everywhere and the product is getting exported to many European countries. "No more drinking stupid, drink with commitment" is the slogan it carries to push out the `icon of American capitalism', Coca-Cola. The company's Web site, www.Mecca-Cola.com spells out the mission thus: "To create a profit-making business which would help to relieve human suffering where action is still possible." It wants to give 20 per cent of its net profits to charities; 10 per cent will go to "Palestinian charities which are strictly humanitarian and which gives priority to child welfare and skill education". Kaushik Jha writes in IIM Calcutta site: "Welcome to the world of protest drinks - drinks that make a political statement, drinks that are targeted as much towards your `conscience' as towards your taste-buds, drinks which claim to purify your soul at the same time as they quench your thirst." Mecca-Cola is not the first instance of anti-big-brand. Zamzam Cola was launched in Iran, named after a holy spring in Mecca. Likewise, there have been Sara and Dara dolls to take on Barbies and snack-foods to challenge majors. The fizz scene in India is still fuzzy. The latest is a reported move by a Parliamentarian to sue the cola majors for billions of dollars. Is the stage ready for a repeat of 1977 when Double Seven got launched? If even a few nibbles at a big pizza can be sufficiently filling, why wouldn't somebody think of an alternative cola, to pinch at the Goliaths' market-share? A desi cola should have a catchy name, so how about Pucca Cola? It has the message of being `perfect', because kutcha is not enough. Also, it is understandable in the Hindi belt. If Tatas were in the fray, the name would be something too predictable: Indi Cola. However, to extend the spirit of federalism to cola names too, different States can think of their own alternatives - such as Takkar Cola, Super Cola or even Jai Cola.
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