Mountain Dew dives into everyday struggles of the common man in new campaign

PepsiCo’s beverage brand, Mountain Dew, has always stood for celebrating the spirit of those pushing themselves in the face of fear in order to achieve extraordinary results. Mountain Dew believes in the ideology that at any situation, and in the face of any challenge, there are two choices available – either to give in to fear or to overcome it and move ahead. What sets real heroes apart from the rest is the choice that they make, as the tagline goes – ‘Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai’, which is one of the most used catchphrases in Indian households.

The brand is now launching a new campaign which steers away from the trademark Mountain Dew storytelling, driving into the everyday struggles of people across the sprectrum, putting an emphasis on the fact that every human reacts differently to different situations and that fear is subjective.

The TVC has been conceptualised by Flibbr Consulting. The new campaign seeks to encourage everyone to move beyond their fears to stand victorious in the race of life. The campaign shows a montage of scenarios where people from different walks of life are hesitating to take the next step to face their challenges. With one sip of Mountain Dew, moments of hesitation which a boy faces with a microphone in front of an audience, to the girl standing at the edge of the diving board, or a boy frozen in his steps to paraglide, are dissolved, with the characters taking the plunge to face their fears head on with courage and faith.

In a conversation with Adgully, Vineet Sharma, Category Director – Mountain Dew, PepsiCo India, said “This campaign celebrates the people who face their fear and conquer it with courage. It emphasises that the case of fear may differ, but it doesn’t really matter. Fear is fear. What matters is the courage to take the next step and win

What is the concept and narrative behind Mountain Dew’s new campaign?

As a brand, Mountain Dew has always encouraged the youth to push themselves in the face of fear to achieve extraordinary results. Mountain Dew believes that in the face of any challenge there are two choices – either succumb to fear or overcome it and move ahead. It is this choice that sets the real heroes apart from the rest.

The core insight for this campaign remains the same as earlier. Youth in India believe that “I have it in me to win, but sometimes in crucial moments that matter, fear holds me back”. This campaign celebrates the people who face their fear and conquer it with courage. It emphasises that the case of fear may differ, but it doesn’t really matter. Fear is fear. What matters is the courage to take the next step and win! We wanted to bring this conversation to the fore-front and celebrate the everyday courage stories of people who possess the strength to move beyond their fears. It can be a boy facing the microphone in front of an audience or a boxer in the ring or a girl standing at the edge of the diving board and a boy frozen in his steps to paraglide. In comes Mountain Dew, the courage liquid, and with one gulp of the drink, these moments of hesitation and fear are conquered with courage as the characters take the plunge and face their fears head on.

How do you plan to promote it?

We will be amplifying this campaign through a 360-degree marketing campaign spanning TV, digital, outdoor, and social media. With a robust focus on digital-forward approach of media consumption, we will strengthen our digital approach to resonate with the younger audiences of India and deepen our connect with the GenZ. We will also be exploring engagement opportunities with the youth today through various platforms for them to come out, share their courage stories, their ‘Darr ke aage jeet hai’ moment and inspire others too.

What can audiences learn from the TVC accompanying the campaign and how does it apply to real life?

Fear is subjective, but has no definite scale, measure, or boundary. Mountain Dew as a brand wants to be at the forefront to recognise the stories of courage of youth from their lives – whether they are battling a fear which is scary for everyone or a fear which may not even be comprehended as a fear by others. ‘Darr Ke Aage Jeet Hai’ can become a motto to anyone to push through a difficult period. It doesn’t only allude to the larger-than-life situations of bravery, but also applies to the daily challenges that each of us overcome. Our campaign encourages everyone to conquer their fears with courage and win. We as a brand are really inspired by these stories of courage from everyday life, and would look forward to more people sharing such stores of courage that have inspired them, so that together we fuel 1.4 billion Indians with the courage, to win.

Does Mountain Dew plan to reinvent its brand identity anytime in the future?

Mountain Dew has always evolved in line with the transforming consumer preferences, requirements, and cognition. We have been consistent with our brand identity for the last 15 years, as our insight of “I have it in me to win, but sometimes in crucial moments that matter, fear holds me back” is still relevant in Striver India, who wants to move ahead and win. The context of fear may change, but the role of courage remains the same. So, we have, and will keep bringing alive the context in different ways from the life of Indian youth.

Has Mountain Dew associated with any brand ambassador for this campaign?

This is about everyday fears and we wanted to keep it close to the ground. And hence, we used to real people to enact and to narrate the campaign.

Having said that, Hrithik Roshan is an integral part of the brand, and in fact, he liked the campaign so much that he shared the campaign on his Instagram handle.

What are the means and channels Mountain Dew is undertaking to draw in more consumers this festive season?

In addition to amplifying our campaigns through a 360-degree marketing campaign with a strong focus on digital avenues of communication, we are strengthening our distribution both through traditional and e-commerce channels to be able to cater to consumers across urban and rural geographies. With our concerted efforts and increased consumption revival, we are optimistic about a good festive season and are committed to provide consumers with our best offerings.

Ahead of the festive season, we are delighted to have teamed up with Airtel to provide a greater value to our consumers and enable them to stay connected with their loved ones as demand for digital connectivity continues to soar in India. It is imperative for us to deepen our consumer connect by engaging with the consumers through platforms that are most relevant to them. Through this partnership, our consumers can now get Airtel recharge coupon worth Rs 10 to Rs 20 on the purchase on Mountain Dew PET bottles.

After two years of subdued celebrations, how do the market and consumer sentiments look like this festive season?

Festive season is a time of joy, celebrations, and togetherness for consumers across India. It’s an important time for us at PepsiCo India, as it provides us with a platform to deepen our connection with consumers. It is expected to spur consumers to celebrate more occasions together and increase demand for beverage products driven by out-of-home consumption. At the same time, in-home consumption remains robust, with consumers seeking value offerings.

How are the ad spends this year compared to the previous year?

Media consumption patterns have changed significantly in the last two years, simply because content consumption behaviours have evolved, thereby inducing brands to adapt to these changes. Marketers have had to think carefully about whether their strategies will continue to give significant returns, or whether they need to be more effective. In terms of platforms, there has been a significant increase in the use of in-home media as a direct result of people staying indoors – TV/OTT viewership has climbed, but digital consumption, including social media and streaming platforms, has grown at an ever-faster pace. During the last few months, we recalibrated our marketing plans with spends on digital and TV mediums. However, with people stepping out of home and normalcy kicking in, out of home touchpoints have also found a share in our marketing budgets, just as they were before the pandemic.