This top-notch soft drink brand celebrates 100 years of India at the Olympic Games (VIDEO)

Kolkata: The Coca-Cola Company’s home-grown brand - Thumbs Up, has announced its worldwide partnership with the Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo, next month.

As India enters its 100th year of participation at the Olympic Games, Thumbs Up aims to celebrate and salute the real heroes of the Olympic Games - athletes who overcame tremendous odds to reach where they are today. Thumbs Up – an Indian brand from the Coca-Cola beverage portfolio, has come to the forefront and partnered with a major global event like the Olympic Games.

The Coca-Cola Company has a long history of sponsoring major sporting events, organizations and projects around the world. Through its eight-decade long association, it is the longest continuous corporate partner of the Olympic Games. Other sporting partnerships include four decades with FIFA and nearly 25 years with World Cup Rugby. These long associations with sporting events underscore the Company’s philosophy of endeavouring to be a part of their consumers’ lives and their passions.

Announcing the partnership, Arnab Roy, Vice President and Head-Marketing, Coca-Cola India and SouthWest Asia said, “The Olympic Games is a global event shared by more than a billion people across genders, generations and cultures. In line with our long history of partnering with major sporting events globally, our strategic partnership with the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, not only reinforces our long-standing commitment to refresh sports fans and enhance our consumers’ experiences but is also our way of standing in solidarity and saluting the exemplary courage that the real people - the athletes, have displayed. We wish athletes from India and worldwide all the best!”

As an ode to the athletes and their arduous journey towards this pinnacle of sporting excellence, Thumbs Up will be unveiling a creative and innovative marketing campaign. This will entail a series of video content along with marketing stories for digital and social media which will keep the audiences connected with the Olympic Games in real time. As part of the campaign, special athlete packaging will be rolled out that will give consumers a chance to own a piece of history.

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The content will share a glimpse of the stories of struggle of our Olympians - Bajrang Punia (wrestler), Manu Bhaker (shooter), Vikas Krishna Yadav (boxer), Deepika Kumari (archery), Atanu Das (archery), and the Indian Shooting Team who battled everyday odds but still retained the faith and strength to persevere and become heroes in the real world. In the face of these challenges, the protagonists show the pessimistic world a ‘thumbs down’ by turning an empty Thumbs Up bottle upside down against the backdrop of the inspirational tagline – Toofan wahi jo sab #PalatDe (the real storm is one that turns everything upside down). The uplifting tone of the campaign perfectly complement Thumbs Up’s repositioned brand message of resilience and real heroism of everyday people.

Arnab Roy, further added, “Consumers are at the heart of Coca-Cola’s beverage portfolio. The company is acutely attuned to their preferences and continuously looks at innovative ways to connect people with our brands. Our partnership is a statement of empowerment, and our intent is to instill the ‘thunder’ of hope and strength amongst our consumers. The new upside down Thumbs Up bottle is a visual symbol of resilience that people showcase in their daily lives, against all odds.”

Speaking about the campaign, Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India said, “Toofan Wahi Jo Sab #PalatDe - the upside-down Thumbs Up logo is an idea that celebrates the thunder inside, the resilience and the fierce challenger spirit. This campaign truly reflects the mood of not just the athletes representing India at the Olympic Games but the entire nation. Every bottle in the hand of every consumer is now also their voice to ‘Palat’ all the naysayers who say what they can’t or shouldn’t do.”