How Pepsi invested in Pakistani pop-culture

If you ask anyone what is the biggest Cola brand in the world the answer will be fairly simple: Coca-Cola. Globally, Coke has almost always had a clear upper-hand when it comes to dominating market share while their brand ethos and marketing has almost always resonated more deeply with customers as compared to that of Pepsi. However in Pakistan the dynamics are starkly different. Not only does Pepsi currently dominate the Pakistani carbonated drinks market with a 65% share compared to Coke’s 30% but their dominance has been the template for nearly the last three decades when Pepsi controlled nearly 80% of the market.

The reason for Pepsi’s dominance in Pakistan goes beyond taste or quality. They began focusing on the Pakistani market during what can be seen as a very culturally intriguing time: The late 1980’s. Not only was the music scene really starting to liven up thanks to the introduction of talented new pop bands but cricket was also more popular than ever and for the very first time was beginning to threaten the popularity of Pakistan’s apex sport: Hockey. Pepsi saw the cultural boom coming and invested in it big-time. They brought on Pakistan's biggest cricketer Imran Khan as their brand-ambassador, signed on to become the sponsors of the Pakistan Cricket team – an association that continues till today – and provided up and coming pop bands like Vital Signs with lucrative record deals. Through these various associations Pepsi found a way to embed themselves in Pakistani culture and brand the rapidly emerging pop-culture landscape. They continued this through the 90’s when the popularity of both cricket and music was arguably at its peak and though these were still largely simpler times Pepsi made sure they made their presence known through advertising campaigns and endorsements that cemented their prominence in popular culture. Above all, it seems Pepsi understood the fact that to truly resonate as a brand that had to speak to their younger customer base and pop-culture provided them a gateway to do exactly that.

Imran Khan as Pepsi brand-ambassador

Pepsi expanded on many of the same elements through the 2000’s. The eruption of mass-media allowed them greater exposure and a larger audience. Strings was the band they invested in next as songs like Hai Koi Hum Jaisa and Chaaye Chaaye became anthems for a generation of young Pakistanis. Through the former they even found a way to exploit their association with cricket on account of the song being the Pakistan’s official song for the 2003 Cricket World Cup and through the decade not a single match in Pakistan was played where Hai Koi Kum Jaisa wasn’t playing in the foreground between overs and breaks. In 2002 they started Pepsi Battle of the Bands, a professional platform through which they provided young bands a chance to showcase their talent and just the first season saw the emergence of bands like E.P (Entity Paradigm) and Aaroh. Only when Pepsi abandoned the music scene during the mid to late 2000’s did their influence in the Pakistani market begin to fade and for the first time in decades they began losing major market share to Coke, a brand that was using many of its global customer-inclusive marketing strategies in Pakistan.

Pepsi Generations

Only recently did Pepsi start to once again focus on music through the revival of Battle of the Bands in an attempt to rekindle their tried and tested formula for success. Their Pepsi Generations marketing campaign from last year was and is still imminently successful. Through the introduction of various limited-edition variants of cans and bottles from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s they’ve tried to drudge up the nostalgia factor. Something that is also visible in the advertisement that sees Fawad Khan travelling through different time-periods; from sharing retro dance moves with Zoheb Hassan to witnessing Pakistan lift the World Cup and finally handing the torch to Kashmir – the winners of the 2017 Battle of the Bands, whom Pepsi is greatly marketing as the voice of the new generation. The entire ad forges a strong association not just with cricket and music but also with the past, present and future and by embracing these unique passion points once again Pepsi has in-turn re-established its long-standing association with Pakistani pop-culture.

Written by: Khalid Rafi