Fido's Second Coming

7-Up's mascot is back after a 10-year break to add punch to the clear lime segment which is on the fast track to growth

In 1987, Joanna Ferrone and Susan Jones "" both advertising professionals "" sat at a roadside cafe in New York's Greenwich Village and, on a creative impulse, doodled on a napkin. This was the birth of Fido Dido "" in India, better recognised as the scrawny, no-holds-barred, ultra-cool 7-Up mascot.

Circa 1992, when Pepsi launched 7-Up in India, the campaign relived the Greenwich Village episode "" model Sheri Meher Homji sits in a cafe and, while sipping on 7-Up, doodles on a napkin. Only this time, Fido doesn't wait to be created: in his half-drawn state, he darts out of the napkin, snatches the pencil from the model's hand and completes himself. Then, he goes on to pour himself a drink of 7-Up. This campaign ran for two years. Then, Pepsi tells you, Fido took a break.

The official story is that the company believes in "constant innovation" and that none of its taglines have remained "constant" "" the only exception being brand Pepsi's "Yeh Dil Maange More" positioning.

The reason, says Shashi K Kalathil, executive director, marketing, Pepsi Food Private Limited, is that the soft drinks category is a "high-impact one where you can get stale very quickly" and the target audience is a "highly promiscuous set of young people who are always falling in line with changing tastes and value".

But starting April this year, Fido is back. "The current campaign is almost a frame-by-frame copy of the previous one, only it features a different model," says Kalathil.

Before we analyse the campaign's logic and figure out the reasons for Fido's resurrection, here are a few facts about his association with the brand. Fido became the mascot in the US in 1988, a year after he was born. The Indian communication started in 1992, at the time of the brand's launch here. The Fido campaign was taken off the air in the mid-nineties "" worldwide.

Fido, the trademark, is not owned by 7-Up "" the brand uses him from time to time. The US campaign, which is again pretty similar to the Indian one ("Our marketing is in complete sync," says a Pepsi spokesperson), is created by BBDO. In India, ad agency HTA borrowed the whole concept and gave it an Indian setting. And significantly, in the US brand 7-Up is not a Pepsi brand, but a Cadbury Schweppes' one "" in India, Pepsi has bought out the company, so it is part of the Pepsi portfolio.

Now, why is Fido Dido back in the reckoning once again? "When we sent him on the sabbatical, it was understood that he would be brought back again "" it was only a matter of time," says Kalathil. Brand research over the years threw up one overwhelming indication: Fido Dido was the most visible and enduring face of 7-Up. "What is interesting is that Fido's appeal straddles generations "" he is not a time-bound entity.

For instance, the early nineties' kids are now teenagers, and they all associate the brand with Fido. What's more, the teenagers then who are adults now feel the same way," he adds.

Fido may be the King of Cool, but there's more to him than that. "He is a highly evolved and fleshed-out character," says Kalathil. According to him, the brand properties of 7-Up match up to Fido's persona: 7-Up is "natural, clear, refreshing and sparkling" "" all these find brand extensions in Fido: "true to himself, simple, chilled out, quick-witted".

Let's consider the carbonated soft drinks (CSD) market in India. The industry is pegged at Rs 6,000 crore in terms of consumer spend (for the calender year 2002). The clear lemon category "" where 7-Up belongs "" is approximately 6 to 7 per cent of the industry.

This category is experiencing a strong double digit growth. In fact, 7-Up grew by 50 per cent in the last year (the industry per se grew at 25 to 26 per cent), and now has a 54 per cent share in the category (the main competitor is Sprite, a brand owned by Coca-Cola India).

"The main reason for the growth is that the cola segment has now hit saturation point with marketing games being played to the hilt," says Kalathil.

Like Fido did in the nineties, the cola segment is probably going to take a break from fast-paced growth. The time is right to market the lemon segment, which in India has historical implications. Nimbu paani is still the most popular "unofficial" drink. Lemon is widely considered a good digestive for heavy Indian cuisines. And so on.

The new thrust on the lemon segment is being helped by Pepsi's claim that Fido had been "sharpening his wits" while he was lying low. So what's in store for the brand?

For starters, Pepsi is doing aggressive ground promotions and street hoardings in pockets that are 7-Up's strongholds "" the south (Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in particular) and the east (Orissa). Then, the retailing strategy is being given a makeover.

In 7-Up's high-selling pockets, there are special danglers and bottle holders, which serve as points of purchase. For instance, the rack is a cut-out of Fido and 7-Up bottles are displayed strategically so that you get to view both the mascot and the brand.

There will also be new packaging. For instance, the 1.5-litre and 2-litre PET bottles of 7-Up will brandish the five "Fidosophies" (which embodies the 7-Up core brand values): (1) It's cool to be you, (2) Normal is boring, (3) Your best friend is your head, (4) Dare to be different, and (5) Life is short, live it up!

Then there is a radio communication being planned. With FM getting a boost in India, Pepsi plans to target consumers through FM in all cities which have access to it.

How has the campaign fared? Has Fido received a hero's welcome? "It's early days yet to track that but whatever initial feedback we have received has been extremely positive: people were delighted to see Fido back," says Kalathil.

Will Fido be able to keep it cool in a market that appears to be hotting up?