Beverage maker PepsiCo signed actor and Bollywood man-of-the-moment Sonu Sood for a one-off Instagram campaign that centres around contactless greetings and encourages people to adhere to physical-distancing norms.
Sood, who’s been helping thousands of migrants return home during the Covid-19 crisis, has 3.2 million Instagram followers. The campaign may be taken to other platforms but details haven’t been worked out yet. A PepsiCo spokesperson confirmed the development. “Broadening of the relationship with Sonu Sood, besides this campaign, is not ruled out,” the spokesperson said.
Actor Salman Khan, who also endorses the cola, has done a similar campaign. Other actors presently endorsing Pepsi cola are Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani.
First Big Brand Association
Sood, who acted in a few south Indian films last year, has been hailed on social media for helping migrants reach their hometowns besides supplying them meal kits and sanitisers.
Generosity of spirit makes more of an impact than sheer star power under the current circumstances, experts said.
“We are passing through a phase of anxiety when celebrities putting out videos on workouts or exotic cooking won’t resonate as well with consumers, versus someone like Sonu who is actually going out there and working with and for people. The big star is no longer all that believable,” said social commentator and brand consultant Harish Bijoor.
Business and marketing expert Lloyd Mathias, formerly marketing head for Hewlett Packard and PepsiCo, said: “There is now a need for brands to work toward a larger purpose. For Sonu, this is a good opportunity to make the leap as a leading brand endorser.”
Pepsi will be Sood’s first big brand association. “As public figures, it is our responsibility to communicate the importance of ensuring safety for ourselves and others. I am proud to partner with Pepsi on driving the message of social distancing,” said the actor who is part of the cast of Yash Raj production Prithiviraj, which is scheduled to be released this year.
The Pepsi spokesperson said the company wanted to act responsibly. “With social distancing being the new reality, we would need to re-evaluate the way we greet each other,” he said.
The ongoing social distancing campaign with Salman Khan has garnered millions of views, said the company.
An official aware of the details said the endorsement fee for Sood is modest, given that he’s not been in the league of A-listers such as the Khans. PepsiCo declined to comment on fees. Sood’s previous brand associations have been with lesser-known entities such as the government-backed Fit India Movement and fresh fruit importer IG International.
Sood’s association with Pepsi comes at a time when summer sales of soft drinks are taking a hit as Indians have been staying indoors although lockdown curbs are easing. The April-June quarter contributes more than half of the packaged beverage industry’s annual sales of over Rs 20,000 crore, of which out-of-home consumption including sales at hotels, restaurants, theatres and cineplexes and live events account for 80%. While in-home consumption has picked up, the majority out-of-home consumption sales continue to be impacted.
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