How PepsiCo’s energy drink Sting thought of a clever way to give energy conservation tips to consumers

• Sting's recent quirky campaign had its protagonist give away a phone number.
• The brand received 40,000 calls on the number in 48 hours. It took this opportunity to give the callers tips on how to conserve energy in their daily lives.
• Vineet Sharma, Category Director- Mountain Dew & Sting, PepsiCo India tells us more.

GenZ is a passionate set of audience. While they are quick to dismiss anything they don't resonate with, time and again, they have proved that they care deeply about the environment and want to opt for brands that are working towards reducing waste, conserving energy and slowly moving towards greener alternatives.

A recent campaign by PepsiCo’s energy drink, Sting, took a very different route to ask people to save energy. It came up with a TVC where the woman protagonist is seen giving out a certain phone number to the boy who helped her climb stairs.

The brand received over 40,000 calls on the same number in just 48 hours, and Sting took this opportunity to create awareness and spread a social message on following a sustainable lifestyle and conserving energy.

We thought it was an interesting marketing strategy and decided to find out the thought behind the campaign. We caught up with Vineet Sharma, Category Director- Mountain Dew & Sting, PepsiCo India, who let us in on the brand’s thought behind the campaign and how it plans to further amplify its message.

Excerpts:

Q) The strategy of giving away a real phone number on a TVC is pretty smart. What was your thought behind the campaign?

Today’s youth is living an era full of possibilities. They recognize this fact and are looking to maximize life in each moment. Now to live such life, they need energy. With that in mind, we wanted to pick up a moment from their life and give a quirky spin to it. Sting is a mass affordable energy brand placed in young on-the-go energy uplift space which seamlessly fits in today’s youth’s lifestyle.

Q) It's been 4 years since the launch of Sting in India. What kind of reception/growth has it seen so far?

Sting is doing very well for us as a brand. It is seeing huge reception by youth that is looking for the new age options for refreshment and energy to keep up with their ‘always-on’ life.

Q) How are you differentiating yourself in the energy drink segment?

Sting is placed in the mass affordable energy segment. It is worth Rs 20 and gives you the jolt of energy you need and is available in a cool, attractive color and packaging.

Q) What was the thought behind introducing the environment angle, which one would usually not associate with a product like Sting?

As responsible brands, we are always trying to find ways to work on things that have a positive social impact. With this commercial, the female protagonist gets completely impressed and ends up giving her number to the male protagonist. With over 40000 calls being received on the same number in just 48 hours, Sting took this opportunity to create awareness and spread a social message. We wanted to remind consumers that simple things like turning off your fan when you leave, climbing a few floors rather than using the lift every time can actually end up saving a lot of energy.

Q) How are you ensuring your product is healthy?

The sugar content in Sting is lower than many beverages in this segment.

Q) Apart from this campaign, how else are you reaching out to consumers?

We are currently active through TV commercials, outdoors, digital media and are engaging with the consumers through these touchpoints.

Q) Brands like Red Bull have created a strong place for themselves in the segment. How are you trying to increase your market share?

We are pegging ourselves in a much bigger segment of affordable energy drinks. We are seeing a huge demand in the same category and our product with an affordable price point becomes an attractive proposition for consumers to engage with.