Staying relevant in today’s fast-paced world of internet has become a tedious task for brands. From making two-three TVCs a year to communicating on a daily basis through different mediums to keep the connection with consumers intact, the marketing space has evolved greatly over the past few years. Coca-Cola is one brand which has successfully managed to always stay connected with its consumers through all possible mediums. One such very popular initiative by the brand is Coke Studio. On February 02, 2023, Coca-Cola India brought back the celebrated property as Coke Studio Bharat.  The property, which was discontinued in 2015 after four seasons, has returned after eight years with more than 50 artists. Coke Studio Bharat aims to celebrate independent artists and their music around the world through the digital medium. 

Speaking on making the comeback now, Arnab Roy, Vice President-Marketing Coca-Cola India and South West Asia for Coke Studio Bharat, said they had been studying the Indian market for the last 2.5-3 years and they thought this was the right time to launch Coke Studio Bharat in India. “At some point in time, Coke Studio in India had to come back. The question was not whether it would come back, but when it would come back. We had been planning to relaunch it and it's time. We got our confidence from Coke Studio Bangla, which has seen phenomenal success. We are even planning to launch the second season in in Bangladesh in a week’s time.”

When asked how Coca Cola is leveraging Coke Studio for building their brand, Roy said music is one of the biggest ways to connect with people. “One of the things which is very critical is that if you have to survive as a brand you have to be connected to culture in an authentic way.  There are very few things that you can do to connect with the culture and one of the most powerful of them is music,” Roy shared.   

Talking about their marketing strategy in order to stay relevant for the new-age consumers, Roy explained, “The time of making just 2-3 TVCs and saying my job is done is over. I think it's challenging in the context of India right now when you have got 7 million pieces of content being made by crowds across. Just working on TVCs is not going to work for you. It's a very difficult scene right now. You have to take a very different marketing model approach.”

When it comes to connecting with the consumers, Roy said there are two mantras that he believes in - authenticity and being rooted in the motherland. “Authenticity; don't try to be what you are not. The second insight is that this new generation is not just interested in what is happening in the western world. This is a generation that is confident and they feel proud of what their roots are.”