New Delhi, 2nd May, 2015: There are some things in life that make you feel awkward, and others that miraculously make that awkwardness disappear. The great, refreshing taste of Coca-Cola is one of those rare things that’s always within arm’s reach of desire be it to celebrate, to share a moment or to simply quench one’s thirst.

Ask the nation’s heartthrob’s Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt, and they’ll add “It’s a great ice-breaker too” to the list of many good things that they associate with Coca-Cola, one of country’s most loved drinks. The on-screen couple will be seen in Coca-Cola’s new ad campaign in an endearing tale of hesitant first few interactions between a newly married couple, played by them, and how they find comfort with each other, over a bottle of Coca-Cola.

The new TVC that will hit the airwaves on May 3rd 2015, will take forward Sidharth and Alia’s journey as a couple and place them in a real-life situation of a newly-wed couple trying to break the ice and overcome the awkwardness. Alia’s love for the great taste of Coca-Cola will prove to be the magic ingredient that helps stir up a conversation.

Speaking on the new campaign, Debabrata Mukherjee, VP – Marketing & Commercial, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said, “Coca-Cola is one of the most loved brands in the world and has had a long journey in India, connecting with the consumers at a deep, emotional level. We’ve been able to sustain the love for the brand through some very thoughtfully crafted communication as we operate in a space where the emotional connect with the consumer is paramount. Coca-Cola is a brand that means different things to different people across the globe. The common thread across all those emotions being happiness and the celebration of togetherness.”

He further added, “The new TVC featuring Alia Bhatt and Sidharth Malhotra is inspired by a real life situation that almost all of India will relate to and there is no one else who could’ve attracted more love for the characters played, than these two happiness ambassadors. With the new campaign, we continue on our journey of celebrating the universally loved taste of Coca-Cola and the warmth that it can bring to relationships, old and new.”

Speaking about the campaign, Coca-Cola brand ambassador, Actor Alia Bhatt, said, “It is great fun to be shooting for Coca-Cola as there’s always a story or a moment that you feel like you’ve been a part of in real life. And the strongest memory is of the wonderful taste of Coca-Cola as there’s hardly anyone on the planet who would’ve not had a Coca-Cola at least once on their lives. There is something about that taste which stays with you, and grows on you, making it an experience every time a Coca-Cola bottle is opened.”

On his experience and association with Coca-Cola so far, Actor Sidharth Malhotra, said, What stands out about brand Coca-Cola is its universal appeal. The brand is synonymous with celebration and the joy of bringing people together, besides having millions of fans across the world drooling over its taste. The plot of the new TVC takes me on a journey of discovering relationships and prioritising others comfort over mine. There’s always a new shade of me that comes out working on a Coca-Cola campaign and I thoroughly relish the emotional connect in all of the brand’s commercials.”

The campaign has been scripted by Prasoon Joshi and his creative team at McCann Erickson. The film has been produced by Producer Swadha Kulkarni’s Breathless Films and directed by acclaimed director, Vinil Mathew. The music of the campaign has been created by Amar Mangrulkar.

In addition to leveraging mass media advertising, the integrated communication plan includes roll-out of an array of touch points including out-of-home (OOH) media, digital, point of sale merchandise and on-ground initiatives across all key markets.

Commenting on the Campaign, Prasoon Joshi, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, McCann World Group India, says, “You have arguably the world’s most love cola brand, the country’s most loved on-screen duo and your task only gets tougher because the expectations are sky high. What do you do? You keep it simple and straightforward. You take inspiration from the lives of the audience that you’re trying to address. Point in case, the current campaign that takes inspiration from the institution of marriage that sometimes puts two strangers together and the journey of discovering and knowing the other person starts after getting married. Alia and Sidharth showcase the subtlety and shyness

of characters with utmost ease and their depiction of how they bond over the universally loved taste of Coca-Cola will entice the audience into reliving that taste once again.”

Creative Team

• Prateek Bhardwaj (National Creative Director)
• Ritu Sharda (Executive Creative Director)
• Breathless Films (Production House)
• Vinil Mathew (Director)

About Coca-Cola India

Coca-Cola India is one of the country’s leading beverage companies, offering a range of healthy, safe, high quality, refreshing beverage options to consumers. Over the last 21 years, ever since its re-entry in 1993, the company has gone on to establish an unmatched portfolio of beverages; refreshing consumers with its leading beverage brands like Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, Diet Coke, Thums Up, Fanta, Limca, Sprite, Maaza, Minute Maid range of juices, Georgia and Georgia gold

range of hot and cold tea and coffee options, Kinley and Bonaqua packaged drinking water, Kinley Club Soda and BURN. The Company along with its bottling partners, through a strong network of over 2.6 million retail outlets, touches the lives of millions of consumers. Its brands are some of the most preferred and most sold beverages in the country – Thums Up and Sprite – being the top selling sparkling beverages.

With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and contribute to the development of the communities where we operate. Some its Company’s flagship community development programs include the “Support My School” program, the “Parivartan” retailer training program, women empowerment program as a part of the global 5BY20 campaign etc.

For further information on the company’s India operations and its products, please visit: www.coca-colaindia.com.