Thums Up
Encyclopedia
Thums Up is a best-selling brand of cola
in India
, where its bold, red thumbs up logo is common. Introduced in 1977 to offset the expulsion of The Coca-Cola Company
and other foreign companies from India, Thums Up, Limca
, and Campa Cola
gained nationwide acceptance. The brand was bought out by Coca-Cola who re-launched it in order to compete against Pepsi
.
(lime flavour) and Gold Spot
(orange flavour). Thums Up was basically a cola drink, but the company never claimed it as such. The formula was just as closely guarded as the famous Coke formula. During the same time, the owners of Coca-Cola’s bottling plant, Pure Drinks Ltd., launched Campa Cola and Campa Orange, both of which had a higher dose of carbon dioxide
.
The Thums Up logo was a red 'thumbs up' hand gesture with a slanted white sans-serif typeface. This would later be modified by Coca-Cola with blue strokes and a more modern-looking typeface. This was mainly done to reduce the dominant red colour in their signage. Some believe Thums Up is named such so that illiterate people in India can order it with just a simple hand gesture.
The picture shows the Thums Up mountain or, Thums Up pahaad (in Hindi), Manmad hills which has a natural top like the thums up logo and is a popular sight from trains. Its famous caption until the early 1980s was, “Happy days are here again”, coined by then famous copywriter Vasant Kumar, whose father was spiritual philosopher U. G. Krishnamurti
. The caption became "I want My Thunder." It is currently "Taste the thunder!"
Thums Up enjoyed a near monopoly
with a much stronger market share often overshadowing its other rivals like Campa cola, Double seven and Dukes, but there were many small regional players who had their own market. It even withstood liquor giant United Breweries Group (makers of Kingfisher Beer) Mcdowell's Crush, which was another Cola drink, and Double Cola
.
It was one of the major advertisers throughout the 1980s. In the mid-80’s it had a brief threat from a newcomer Double Cola
which suddenly disappeared within a few years.
In 1990, when the Indian government opened the market to multinationals, Pepsi was the first to come in. Thums Up went up against the international giant for an intense onslaught with neither side giving any quarter. With Pepsi roping in major Indian movie stars like Juhi Chawla
, to thwart the Indian brand, Thums Up increased its spending on Cricket sponsorship. Then the capacity went from 250ml to 300ml, aptly named MahaCola. This nickname gained popularity in smaller towns where people would ask for "Maha Cola" instead of Thums Up. The consumers were divided where some felt Pepsi’s mild taste was rather bland.
In 1993 Coca-Cola
re-entered India
after a prolonged absence from 1977 to 1993. But Coca-Cola’s entry made things even more complicated and the fight became a three-way battle. That same year, in a move that baffled many, Parle sold out to Coke for a meagre US$ 60 million (considering the market share it had). Some assumed Parle
had lost the appetite for a fight against the two largest cola brands; others surmised that the international brands seemingly endless cash reserves psyched-out Parle. Either way, it was now Coca-Cola’s, and Coke has a habit of killing brands in its portfolio that might overshadow it.
Coca-Cola soon introduced its cola in cans which was all the rage in India, with Thums Up introduced alongside, albeit in minuscule numbers. Later Coca-Cola started pulling out the Thums Up brand which at that time still had more than 30% market share.
Coca-Cola apparently did try to kill Thums Up, but soon realized that Pepsi would benefit more than Coke if Thums Up was withdrawn from the market. Instead, Coke decided to use Thums Up to attack Pepsi. The Coca-Cola Company by this time had about 60.5% share of the Indian soft-drink market but much to its dismay found out that if it took out Thums Up, it would remain with only 28.72% of the market (according to a report by NGO Finance&Trade in India), hence it once again dusted out the Thums Up brand and re-launched it targeting the 30 to 45 year olds.
The brand was re-positioned as a “manly” drink, drawing on its strong taste qualities. Known to be a strong drink with more power packed into it than other colas, it was a favorite in rum-based cocktails, as in “rum
and Thums Up.”
Thums Up kick-started an aggressive campaign directly attacking Pepsi’s TV ads
, focusing on the strength of the drink hoping that the depiction of an “adult” drink would appeal to young consumers. “Grow up to Thums Up” was a successful campaign. The brand’s market share and equity soared. The brand was unshakeable and Coca-Cola’s declaration that Thums Up was India’s premier cola brand in terms of market share did not surprise many.
Other campaigns from Thums Up build on its “strength” and its perception as a macho drink. Ads showing the Thums Up man, riding through the desert in search of a cantina that sells Thums Up rather than drink another cola, stuck in the minds of many Indians and caught the imagination of youngsters who want to be seen as men.
matches. In the early 1980s, it came out with several postcard
s featuring Sunil Gavaskar
and Imran Khan. Besides cricketers, Thums Up's celebrity endorsers include Akshay Kumar
and Salman Khan
popular south
India
n actors Chiranjeevi
and Mahesh Babu
. Besides this, Parle’s southern bottler was a major sponsor of Indian motorsport
in the 80s. In addition to sponsoring several Indian track drivers in Sholavaram races, they sponsored several regional car and bike rallies.
Cola
Cola is a carbonated beverage that was typically flavored by the kola nut as well as vanilla and other flavorings, however, some colas are now flavored artificially. It became popular worldwide after druggist John Pemberton invented Coca-Cola in 1886...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where its bold, red thumbs up logo is common. Introduced in 1977 to offset the expulsion of The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation and manufacturer, retailer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton in Columbus, Georgia...
and other foreign companies from India, Thums Up, Limca
Limca
Limca is a lemon and lime flavoured carbonated soft drink made primarily in India and certain parts of the U.S.In 1992, when the Indian government allowed Coca-Cola to return for operations, at the same time as it admitted Pepsi for the first time, Coca-Cola bought local soft-drink brands, from...
, and Campa Cola
Campa Cola
Campa Cola is a soft drink brand in India. It was a market leader in most regions of India for a period spanning several years until the advent of the foreign players Pepsi and Coca-Cola after the liberalisation policy of the P. V. Narasimha Rao Government in 1991.Campa Cola was a drink created by...
gained nationwide acceptance. The brand was bought out by Coca-Cola who re-launched it in order to compete against Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
.
Background
During the late 1970s, the American cola giant Coca-Cola abandoned operations in India rather than make a forced sale of 60% of their equity to an Indian company. Following this, the Parle brothers, Ramesh Chauhan and Prakash Chauhan, along with then CEO Bhanu Vakil, launched Thums Up as their flagship drink, adding to their portfolio of older brands LimcaLimca
Limca is a lemon and lime flavoured carbonated soft drink made primarily in India and certain parts of the U.S.In 1992, when the Indian government allowed Coca-Cola to return for operations, at the same time as it admitted Pepsi for the first time, Coca-Cola bought local soft-drink brands, from...
(lime flavour) and Gold Spot
Gold Spot
Gold Spot was one of the three brands of aerated soft drink started in India by Parle under the initiative of its founder and CEO Mr. Ramesh Chauhan in 1977 after the exit of Coca-Cola and Fanta from the Indian market.It was artifically flavoured and coloured orange. Gold Spot was introduced along...
(orange flavour). Thums Up was basically a cola drink, but the company never claimed it as such. The formula was just as closely guarded as the famous Coke formula. During the same time, the owners of Coca-Cola’s bottling plant, Pure Drinks Ltd., launched Campa Cola and Campa Orange, both of which had a higher dose of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
.
The picture shows the Thums Up mountain or, Thums Up pahaad (in Hindi), Manmad hills which has a natural top like the thums up logo and is a popular sight from trains. Its famous caption until the early 1980s was, “Happy days are here again”, coined by then famous copywriter Vasant Kumar, whose father was spiritual philosopher U. G. Krishnamurti
U. G. Krishnamurti
Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti , known as U.G. Krishnamurti, or just U.G., was an Indian thinker who said that there is no "enlightenment"....
. The caption became "I want My Thunder." It is currently "Taste the thunder!"
Thums Up enjoyed a near monopoly
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
with a much stronger market share often overshadowing its other rivals like Campa cola, Double seven and Dukes, but there were many small regional players who had their own market. It even withstood liquor giant United Breweries Group (makers of Kingfisher Beer) Mcdowell's Crush, which was another Cola drink, and Double Cola
Double Cola
Double Cola is the name of a soft drink and the company that manufactures Double Cola.-Company:Double Cola is a regionally manufactured U.S. brand of soft drink, predominantly distributed east of the Mississippi River, and available in select international markets.-Marketing:It was formerly...
.
It was one of the major advertisers throughout the 1980s. In the mid-80’s it had a brief threat from a newcomer Double Cola
Double Cola
Double Cola is the name of a soft drink and the company that manufactures Double Cola.-Company:Double Cola is a regionally manufactured U.S. brand of soft drink, predominantly distributed east of the Mississippi River, and available in select international markets.-Marketing:It was formerly...
which suddenly disappeared within a few years.
In 1990, when the Indian government opened the market to multinationals, Pepsi was the first to come in. Thums Up went up against the international giant for an intense onslaught with neither side giving any quarter. With Pepsi roping in major Indian movie stars like Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawla is an Indian actress, film producer and television presenter.After being crowned as the winner of the Miss India beauty contest in 1984, Chawla pursued an acting career...
, to thwart the Indian brand, Thums Up increased its spending on Cricket sponsorship. Then the capacity went from 250ml to 300ml, aptly named MahaCola. This nickname gained popularity in smaller towns where people would ask for "Maha Cola" instead of Thums Up. The consumers were divided where some felt Pepsi’s mild taste was rather bland.
In 1993 Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
re-entered India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
after a prolonged absence from 1977 to 1993. But Coca-Cola’s entry made things even more complicated and the fight became a three-way battle. That same year, in a move that baffled many, Parle sold out to Coke for a meagre US$ 60 million (considering the market share it had). Some assumed Parle
Parle-G
Parle-G or Parle Glucose is a brand of biscuits manufactured by Parle Products Pvt Ltd. in India. , it is the largest selling brand of biscuits in the world according to Nielsen....
had lost the appetite for a fight against the two largest cola brands; others surmised that the international brands seemingly endless cash reserves psyched-out Parle. Either way, it was now Coca-Cola’s, and Coke has a habit of killing brands in its portfolio that might overshadow it.
Coca-Cola soon introduced its cola in cans which was all the rage in India, with Thums Up introduced alongside, albeit in minuscule numbers. Later Coca-Cola started pulling out the Thums Up brand which at that time still had more than 30% market share.
Re-launch
Despite its strong overall equity, the brand was losing its popularity among the core cola drinking age group of 12 to 25 year olds, partly due to nil advertising.Coca-Cola apparently did try to kill Thums Up, but soon realized that Pepsi would benefit more than Coke if Thums Up was withdrawn from the market. Instead, Coke decided to use Thums Up to attack Pepsi. The Coca-Cola Company by this time had about 60.5% share of the Indian soft-drink market but much to its dismay found out that if it took out Thums Up, it would remain with only 28.72% of the market (according to a report by NGO Finance&Trade in India), hence it once again dusted out the Thums Up brand and re-launched it targeting the 30 to 45 year olds.
The brand was re-positioned as a “manly” drink, drawing on its strong taste qualities. Known to be a strong drink with more power packed into it than other colas, it was a favorite in rum-based cocktails, as in “rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
and Thums Up.”
Thums Up kick-started an aggressive campaign directly attacking Pepsi’s TV ads
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
, focusing on the strength of the drink hoping that the depiction of an “adult” drink would appeal to young consumers. “Grow up to Thums Up” was a successful campaign. The brand’s market share and equity soared. The brand was unshakeable and Coca-Cola’s declaration that Thums Up was India’s premier cola brand in terms of market share did not surprise many.
Other campaigns from Thums Up build on its “strength” and its perception as a macho drink. Ads showing the Thums Up man, riding through the desert in search of a cantina that sells Thums Up rather than drink another cola, stuck in the minds of many Indians and caught the imagination of youngsters who want to be seen as men.
Sponsorship
Thums Up was a major sponsor of cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
matches. In the early 1980s, it came out with several postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
s featuring Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Gavaskar
Sunil Manohar "Sunny" Gavaskar is a former cricketer who played during the 1970s and 1980s for Bombay and India. Widely regarded as one of the greatest opening batsmen in cricket history, Gavaskar set world records during his career for the most Test runs and most Test centuries scored by any...
and Imran Khan. Besides cricketers, Thums Up's celebrity endorsers include Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...
and Salman Khan
Salman Khan
Salman Khan is an Indian film actor. He has starred in more than 80 Hindi films.Khan, who made his acting debut with a minor role in the drama Biwi Ho To Aisi with Rekha in a lead role, had his first commercial success with the blockbuster Maine Pyar Kiya , for which he won a Filmfare Award for...
popular south
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n actors Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi is a Telugu film actor and a politician. He has appeared primarily in Telugu Cinema along with a few Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Punadhirallu . However, Pranam Khareedu released at the box office earlier...
and Mahesh Babu
Mahesh Babu
Mahesh Babu born Mahesh Babu Ghattamaneni on 9 August 1975 is an Indian film actor from Telugu Cinema. Born to Legendary Telugu actor Superstar Krishna, Mahesh Babu faced the camera at the age of four as a child artist in the movie Needa...
. Besides this, Parle’s southern bottler was a major sponsor of Indian motorsport
Motorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
in the 80s. In addition to sponsoring several Indian track drivers in Sholavaram races, they sponsored several regional car and bike rallies.