Appy Fizz takes new stance; seeks 'bold', 'memorable', 'cult' position

 

Appy Fizz has undergone a brand revamp and sports a new look. A new campaign has been created to drive the new positioning, and Bollywood's Priyanka Chopra replaces her peer and former brand ambassador Saif Ali Khan. The campaign has been conceptualised by Sagmeister & Walsh and includes a TVC (above) on the theme 'Feel the fizz'.

  

We caught up with Nadia Chauhan, JMD and CMO, Parle Agro to understand more about the re-branding and the new advertising campaign.

 

Why has Appy Fizz undergone this change?

 

Appy Fizz is India's first and you could say the only 'Sparkling Fruit Juice Drink' in the country. We launched Appy Fizz in 2005. Many brands have attempted to follow suit but we continue to lead and hold monopoly in this category that we created. 

 

The brand since launch was considered to be quite intriguing owing to the packaging design and the bottle structure and saw instant acceptance. However, when it was launched considering it was a totally new category we created, it was focussed on a niche segment and so was its advertising. Over the last few years, we have seen that with or without any advertising on the brand, the brand would continue to grow at over 60 to 70 per cent year after year. The acceptance was not just limited to a niche market; many consumers also used the drink as a mixer. So the opportunity to re-look at the advertising and re-position the brand, so as to make it a very bold, memorable and a cult brand, was immense. And that is truly what we have now attempted to do with the new campaign, positioning and packaging.

 

The package design has been slightly evolved to give greater throw, make it more contemporary and solid. In retail stores like those in India, especially for a brand that's in black packaging, you need to make sure your branding is bold enough to stand out and deliver shelf-throw. 

 

The Appy Fizz character has been toned down. Why?

 

This is a whole new chapter for Appy Fizz. The Appy Fizz character has been toned down 'cause everyone knows him now. And it's now time to take things to the next level. 

 

Considering the brand's performance over the years, in terms of business expansion, the need for a campaign that can really cut through and have higher impact was critical for us. The re-positioning needed for some changes, and this was one of them. 

 

What's the rationale behind appointing Priyanka Chopra brand ambassador?

 

There are a few things that Appy Fizz as a brand stands for in its new avatar. 'Confidence', 'boldness', 'sexy', 'ambitious' and 'intriguing' are some of them. We felt Priyanka Chopra and Appy Fizz shared some of these values and together, we could deliver a very differentiated campaign. 

 

The brand has a male skew and Priyankas popularity is undoubtedly huge and getting bigger in India and globally. We believe that with Appy Fizz and Priyanka Chopra together you can really #FeeltheFizz. 

 

What was the brief given to the creative agency?

 

The brief was to take Appy Fizz to a new level, by re-positioning the brand and making it scaleable. Appreciating the fact that it is the only sparkling fruit drink in the country, being able to bring to life that aspect and to also ensure for the first time on television you see an Appy Fizz being consumed in its TVC. You have never before seen it because Appy Fizz was always the talking walking bottle.

 

What else will the campaign consist of, besides the TVC?

 

Appy Fizz is one of the only beverage brands that does not see as much seasonality as most others do. So our presence with the campaign is going to be through the year. We have a very large scale television presence, a very bold and disruptive outdoor campaign, large-scale digital advertising and activation, print, and cinema advertising. Additionally we are building Appy Fizz through some strategic sponsorships with large properties on-air and on-ground. This year Appy Fizz is the presenting sponsor of Bigg Boss – a fairly large initiative.