Pepsi "Har Ghoont Mein Swag" – Cultural Relevance in Youth Marketing

Executive Summary

PepsiCo India launched the "Har Ghoont Mein Swag" campaign in 2018 as part of its strategy to connect with Indian youth through culturally relevant messaging. The campaign represented a shift from traditional celebrity-led advertising to youth-centric cultural positioning, leveraging local language, music, and youth icons to strengthen brand relevance in the Indian market.

Background and Market Context

PepsiCo has maintained a significant presence in India's beverage market since its entry in 1989. According to PepsiCo's annual reports, India represents one of the company's key growth markets globally. The Indian carbonated soft drinks market has been characterized by intense competition between PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company, with both companies investing heavily in marketing and distribution.

By the mid-2010s, PepsiCo faced the challenge of maintaining relevance with younger consumers in India. According to industry reports cited in Economic Times and other business publications, Indian youth demographics were shifting, with increasing urbanization and digital media consumption among the 15-25 age demographic. PepsiCo needed to refresh its brand positioning to resonate with this evolving consumer base.

Campaign Development and Strategy

In 2018, PepsiCo India launched "Har Ghoont Mein Swag" (translated as "Swag in Every Sip"), a campaign designed specifically for the Indian youth market. According to statements by PepsiCo India executives reported in Campaign India and The Economic Times, the campaign was built around the insight that Indian youth were seeking to express their individuality and confidence through cultural markers that felt authentic to them.

The campaign's core strategy involved several elements as reported in marketing publications:

Cultural Localization: The campaign deliberately used "Hinglish" (a mix of Hindi and English) and the word "swag," which had gained significant currency among Indian youth through hip-hop culture and social media. According to interviews with PepsiCo India's marketing leadership published in Business Standard, this linguistic choice was intentional to create cultural resonance rather than aspirational distance.

Music and Celebrity Selection: The campaign featured music by Indian hip-hop artists and actors who appealed to youth audiences. According to reports in Mint and Campaign India, the brand featured Bollywood actors including Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani in campaign films. The campaign's music incorporated contemporary Indian hip-hop elements, reflecting the growing popularity of this genre among urban Indian youth.

Multi-Platform Execution: As reported in marketing trade publications, the campaign was executed across television, digital platforms, outdoor advertising, and retail activations. PepsiCo invested in social media promotion across platforms including YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook to reach digitally-engaged youth consumers.

Campaign Execution and Elements

According to information published in Campaign India and other marketing publications, the "Har Ghoont Mein Swag" campaign included multiple phases and creative executions:

The initial campaign films showed young people in everyday situations—college campuses, hangouts, social gatherings—demonstrating confidence and individuality. As reported in industry publications, the creative approach deliberately avoided showing Pepsi consumption as aspirational or occasion-based, instead positioning it as an accompaniment to everyday moments of self-expression.

PepsiCo India's marketing team, according to statements reported in The Economic Times, emphasized that the campaign was designed to be "culturally rooted" rather than globally adapted. This represented a strategic shift from earlier campaigns that had featured international sports celebrities or globally-oriented messaging.

The campaign also incorporated retail and on-ground activations. According to reports in business publications, PepsiCo created special packaging and point-of-sale materials featuring the "Har Ghoont Mein Swag" messaging and extended the campaign into college campuses and youth-oriented events.

Market Response and Continuation

While specific sales attribution data for the campaign has not been publicly disclosed by PepsiCo, the campaign's continuation and evolution over subsequent years indicates the company's assessment of its effectiveness. According to PepsiCo India executives' statements reported in Campaign India and Economic Times during 2018-2019, the company viewed the campaign positively in terms of brand engagement metrics and consumer response.

The "Har Ghoont Mein Swag" platform continued beyond its initial 2018 launch, with subsequent iterations and celebrity partnerships reported in marketing publications through 2019 and 2020. According to reports in Campaign India, PepsiCo continued to invest in variations of the campaign theme, suggesting sustained strategic commitment to this positioning.

Industry observers noted in publications including Brand Equity and Campaign India that the campaign reflected broader trends in FMCG marketing in India, where brands were increasingly localizing messaging and moving away from one-size-fits-all global campaigns.

Strategic Considerations and Approach

Several strategic elements characterized PepsiCo's approach with this campaign, as discussed in marketing analysis published in business and trade publications:

Language and Cultural Codes: The deliberate use of youth language and cultural references represented an attempt to create brand affinity through cultural insider status rather than celebrity endorsement alone. Marketing analysts quoted in publications including Brand Equity noted that this reflected changing dynamics in youth marketing in India.

Platform Strategy: The campaign's digital-first approach, while maintaining television presence, reflected PepsiCo's recognition of media consumption patterns among target consumers. According to industry reports, Indian youth were increasingly consuming content through digital platforms rather than traditional television.

Competition Context: The campaign emerged in a context of sustained competition with Coca-Cola in India. While specific market share data is not consistently disclosed by either company, both brands have historically invested heavily in youth-focused marketing in India, as documented in various industry reports and business publications.

Consistency with Global Brand: According to PepsiCo's global brand strategy statements reported in international business publications, the company has pursued a strategy of allowing regional customization while maintaining core brand values. "Har Ghoont Mein Swag" represented an application of this approach in the Indian market.

Limitations of Available Information

Several significant limitations affect the depth of publicly available information about this campaign:

Financial Investment: PepsiCo India does not publicly disclose campaign-specific marketing expenditure. While the company reports overall marketing and advertising spending in its global annual reports, India-specific or campaign-specific budgets are not publicly available.

Sales Impact: Direct sales attribution or revenue impact from the campaign has not been publicly disclosed. PepsiCo does not break out India revenue separately in its public financial reporting, and campaign-specific ROI or sales lift data has not been released.

Consumer Research Data: Specific consumer research, brand tracking metrics, awareness scores, or purchase intent data related to the campaign have not been publicly shared. References to positive consumer response in media reports are based on executive statements rather than disclosed research data.

Competitive Response: Specific competitive reactions or counter-campaigns by Coca-Cola or other beverage brands have not been systematically documented, though general competitive dynamics in the Indian market are discussed in industry publications.

Long-term Effectiveness: While the campaign continued beyond its initial launch, detailed assessment of long-term brand impact, consumer behavior change, or market share effects is not publicly available.

Key Lessons

Based on publicly available information and analysis published in business and marketing publications, several lessons emerge from the "Har Ghoont Mein Swag" campaign:

Cultural Localization in Global Brands: The campaign demonstrated an approach to balancing global brand identity with local cultural relevance. As discussed in marketing analysis, multinational brands operating in diverse markets face ongoing decisions about the degree of localization in messaging, language, and cultural references. PepsiCo's approach suggested that in youth markets, cultural authenticity and linguistic alignment could serve as brand differentiation.

Evolution of Youth Marketing: The campaign reflected broader shifts in youth marketing strategy away from purely aspirational or celebrity-driven approaches toward cultural participation and identity expression. Marketing commentators noted that this aligned with changing youth attitudes toward brands and consumption, particularly in emerging markets where local cultural confidence was increasing.

Language as Strategic Tool: The use of Hinglish and youth slang represented a strategic use of language to create brand proximity. This approach carried both opportunities for connection and risks of appearing inauthentic if not executed credibly. The continuation of the campaign suggested PepsiCo's assessment that it achieved sufficient authenticity with target consumers.

Multi-Platform Integration: The campaign's execution across traditional and digital media reflected the reality of fragmented media consumption among youth audiences. This required coordination across multiple platforms while maintaining consistent messaging and cultural tone.

Sustained Investment Requirements: The continuation of the campaign theme over multiple years illustrated that cultural positioning requires sustained investment rather than one-time interventions. Building brand associations with cultural movements or youth identity required ongoing presence and evolution to maintain relevance.

Discussion Questions for Analysis

1. Strategic Positioning and Trade-offs: How should multinational FMCG brands balance standardized global positioning versus localized cultural relevance in emerging markets? What are the organizational, brand equity, and operational implications of pursuing deep cultural localization in messaging while maintaining global brand coherence? Consider the risks and benefits of PepsiCo's linguistic and cultural choices in "Har Ghoont Mein Swag" compared to more globally standardized approaches.

2. Measuring Marketing Effectiveness Without Disclosed Metrics: Given the absence of publicly disclosed campaign-specific sales data, consumer research results, or ROI metrics, how should analysts and marketers assess the effectiveness of campaigns like "Har Ghoont Mein Swag"? What alternative indicators or proxy metrics might suggest campaign success or failure? How should companies balance transparency in marketing effectiveness with competitive confidentiality?

3. Authenticity and Cultural Appropriation in Youth Marketing: The campaign leveraged hip-hop culture, youth slang, and specific cultural codes to connect with young Indian consumers. What criteria distinguish authentic cultural participation from exploitative cultural appropriation in brand marketing? How can established corporate brands credibly participate in youth culture and subcultures without appearing opportunistic? What risks does this approach carry if execution is perceived as inauthentic?

4. Celebrity versus Cultural Marketing: Compare the strategic logic of celebrity-driven marketing (historically common in Indian advertising) versus culturally-rooted campaigns that emphasize language, music genres, and lifestyle associations. Under what market conditions, competitive contexts, and brand lifecycle stages might each approach be more effective? How might the rise of social media influence and digital content creation affect the relative effectiveness of these approaches?

5. Sustainability of Culture-Based Brand Positioning: Youth culture, language, and trends evolve rapidly, particularly in the context of digital media and social platforms. How can brands maintain cultural relevance over time when the cultural elements they leverage (such as specific slang, music trends, or style codes) may have limited lifespans? What organizational capabilities and marketing structures are required to sustain culturally relevant positioning as target consumer cohorts age and new youth cohorts emerge with different cultural reference points?