Coca-Cola takes on Pepsi by wooing IPL fans outside stadium venues at Rs 10-15 per bottle Pepsi has sunk

more than Rs 160 crore to make this year's IPL its show. And it is, almost to a fault, although a cola war is raging right outside the stadium. In Mumbai's Wankhede stadium, players and audiences are served Coca-Cola beverages with their labels stripped off. That is because PepsiCo, as title sponsors, has exclusive in-stadium branding rights while Coca-Cola is the beverages partner of Mumbai Indians, which gives it exclusive rights to serve its beverages in the stadium in Mumbai's home matches This is a rare example of a brand being served without branding. "This is the only way the rights of the title and pouring rights partner, Pepsi, can be protected," an official of the Indian cricket board, BCCI, said on condition of anonymity. A PepsiCo spokesperson said, "Water-tight anti-ambush clauses have ensured that the only visible branding in-stadium is of PepsiCo brands." It is water tight inside the IPL stadiums, but step out of the stadium in Delhi or Chennai and you'll find hundreds of cricket fans sipping on Coca-Cola bottles, like the gentleman in a Pepsi T-shirt in the photograph. Coca-Cola has put up several kiosks right outside Delhi's Firoz Shah Kotla and Chennai's Chepauk stadiums where young boys and girls in red T-shirts sell the newly launched 400-ml Coke bottles for just Rs 10. A Coca-Cola spokesperson said the 'invitational' pricing was to drive sampling of its beverages. "We are offering the 400-ml Coca-Cola pack at large footfall locations, like cricket stadiums, music concerts, and so on," he said. He said the firm has, in the past, offered Limca at an invitational price during Baisakhi, and Coca-Cola at Rs 5 at the Kumbh Mela earlier this year. Coca-Cola has dropped prices of 400-ml bottles from Rs 18 to Rs 15, although outside IPL stadiums they are offering it for Rs 10. The PepsiCo spokesperson said, "Not surprisingly our success is prompting some of our competitors to try and sell their brands at throw away 'below cost' prices outside the stadium. It is not at all a matter of concern for us as the consumption outside the stadium is minuscule as compared to that inside the stadium." Pepsi doesn't sell 400-ml bottles yet, but it is sampling its new launch - Pepsi Atom - free outside stadiums. Meanwhile, Coca-Cola may or may not renew its deal with Mumbai Indians next year when the threeyear contract ends. PepsiCo last year bagged IPL title sponsorship for five years for close to Rs 400 crore. It also has pouring rights for all the other IPL teams.