Kama Of Kingstone

Actor Vijay has been chosen as brand ambassador of the Coca Cola one of South India's
- Coca Cola and PepsiCo India - are ready for an massive marketing war in the four southern states.
Coca Cola India has roped in Tamil actor Vijay as the company's face for Tamil Nadu. The flavoured water giant has signed a one-year contract with Vijay, wherein the actor will endorse the cola drink of the company.
"Vijay has endorsed Coca Cola between 2000 and 2003. But the brand was growing at a rapid rate in Tamil Nadu at that point of time and the company decided to move ahead without any celebrity." an Coca Cola official said.
"When we decided to have a face in Tamil Nadu this time round, Vijay was the first choice because of the good rapport the company had shared with the actor in the previous contract," the Coke official added.

The company will be releasing TV commercials featuring Vijay from the second week of March across all the leading Tamil channels. Coca Cola already has signed up with actors Mahesh Babu and Ganesh for Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

"Apart from this south Indian actresses Trisha and Genelia have also been signed contracts with us to endorse our Fanta and Fanta Apple brands respectively," the Coke official added.

On the other hand, PepsiCo India, in an attempt to take on the iconic rival Thums Up in its stronghold Andhra Pradesh has signed on Telugu movie actor Ram Charan Teja to endorse Pepsi in Andhra Pradesh as part of the company's ongoing 'youngistaan' campaign.

the local flavour." The ad agency has been associated with PepsiCo for 20 years now. They have been shot by Rajesh Krishnan, a Tamilian based out of Mumbai, he added.

While the new advertisements hit the screen at prime time on Monday across the south, the all-India version would be released on February 25. "Despite the general recession, the orange drink has seen a healthy double-digit growth in the last six months of 2008 and in the early weeks of 2009. We expect it to grow further with the summer season setting in," Alpana said.

According to her, the company had already kick-started its aggressive campaigning for 2009 summer across all media starting with Pongal season in south. In the north, ad campaigns will be launched around Holi.