New ad highlights creative bankruptcy of beverage sector

Coca-Cola India did not respond to HT’s queries on the Fanta ad. However, Sanjay Sarma, founder of boutique branding agency SSARMA Consults, said the new ‘Fanta Mangta’ campaign is probably a case of global brand localisation

When Coca-Cola India put out its new ad for Fanta with film star Kartik Aaryan last week, it irked some advertising veterans who said it was a straight lift from a late 1980s commercial of the chips brand Binnie’s. ‘Humko Binnie’s Mangta’ was a hit television commercial based on the song ‘Julie Julie’ from a Bollywood film Jeete Hain Shaan Se (1988).

New ad highlights creative bankruptcy of beverage sector

Apart from the song track, the use of a retro convertible car, the studio-like street set up, and the line, “Kya Mangta,” in the Fanta ad make it remarkably similar to “Humko Binnie’s Mangta.”

Naresh Gupta, co-founder of the advertising agency, Bang in the Middle, wrote on Linkedin, “Binnies becomes Fanta…Binnies Chips from Jagatjit were a massive hit in the 90s (sic) and the commercial became a part of pop culture. The Fanta film is a lift including the opening shot….”. Industry experts agreed and lamented the paucity of creative ideas in advertising, especially, in the beverage category.

Gupta worked for Binnie’s chips at SAMIR, the market research arm of Mudra advertising that was housed within the agency’s Delhi office. He was testing flavours and consumer acceptance of the brand launched by the liquor company Jagatjit Industries. But sitting in Mudra office, he was privy to the brand strategy and creatives.

The film track was quirky but the jingle became more popular than the original song, said Gupta. “It was advertised heavily on Doordarshan and in cinemas,” he recalled. The problem is not in using the song which can easily be licensed. “The issue is that neither the creative nor the narrative around it is original. Why would Coca-Cola do “Fanta Mangta” like “Humko Binnie’s Mangta?” Gupta said.

Coca-Cola India did not respond to HT’s queries on the Fanta ad. However, Sanjay Sarma, founder of boutique branding agency SSARMA Consults, said the new ‘Fanta Mangta’ campaign is probably a case of global brand localisation -- a clever Indian adaptation of the “Wanta Fanta?” global campaign it revived last year. The ‘Wanta Fanta?’ jingle was re-launched in April 2024 though “Do more of what you wanta” -- the original idea -- first appeared in early 2000s.

“The transformation from ‘Wanta’ to ‘Mangta’ is linguistically smart and culturally apt for Indian youth,” said Sarma, who was brand manager for Uncle Chipps when Binnie’s was launched. The problem lies in creative execution, he added.

The ‘Julie Julie’ song holds a special place in Indian advertising history because of its association with the iconic Binnie’s campaign which demonstrated remarkable fluidity and originality in adapting the track to fit the brand’s personality back then. “It was “80’s cool”, Sarma said. Yet Jagatjit Industries soon lost focus and Binnie’s folded up in the 90s.

That’s probably why there’s no formal complaint against Fanta for what Naresh Gupta calls plagiarizing. Manisha Kapoor, CEO, Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) confirmed there’s no complaint against the said ad. However, she said that ASCI has handled and resolved plagiarism-related cases in the past, primarily through a complaint-driven process where submissions from original brands/agencies are required. “ASCI Code prohibits advertisements from being unduly similar to others in elements like copy, slogans, visuals, music, and sound effects, effectively addressing plagiarism concerns,” she said.

The new Fanta ad using the “Julie Julie” track in a similar context, “feels like leveraging someone else’s creative equity rather than building your own. It reflects a missed opportunity for original storytelling,” Sarma said.

The current commotion highlights the bigger issue of the vacuum of creative ideas in soft drinks category advertising. For some years now, soft drinks advertising has been functional, disconnected from youth or trying too hard, said Naresh Gupta. “It used to be the torchbearer of fresh thinking and bold creative approaches,” Sarma added. He cited memorable campaigns like Sprite’s “Clear Hai”, Pepsi’s “Yehi Hai Right Choice, Baby” or the cheeky “Nothing Official About It” World Cup campaign, and Thums Up’s consistent high energy action through “Taste the thunder”. “We see none of the deep thinking, strategic alignment or jaw dropping execution today,” he said.

Of course, the category has its own set of challenges with the rise of the health and environmentally conscious consumer and a highly fragmented media landscape.

That said, most beverage brands play safe with celebrity-led, formulaic communications. “In the absence of any category or product innovation, brands need to be brave with their communication,” Sarma added.