“I love you Rasna.” A bold statement for a brand to adopt in its marketing strategy. Such statements pose huge risks as they can easily receive tons of backlash if any fault is caught in the product. For Rasna, however, it worked beautifully. For a 80’s and 90’s kid, Rasna was the go-to option for a tasty, flavour-packed and refreshing beverage. With a variety of flavours available, it became one of the most popular homegrown beverages in the country. Every time summer came around, Rasna’s demand skyrocketed. They sold sachets for as low as Rs.2. Rasna became a staple at every Indian household. One could mix it in cold water and instantly be energised, add it to dessert options or simply freeze them to make popsicles. The possibilities were endless. For a kid, the product became something to look forward to consuming. That’s exactly what Rasna capitalised on. The feelings and emotions of young kids and the ability for a kid to be creative and have fun. The brand’s advertisements exuded the same fun and joyous emotions. Most Rasna ads were unique and brought a smile to one’s face. Rasna is India’s original startup. Founded by Areez Pirojshaw Khambatta, it is a world-renowned indigenous brand. Khambatta passed away on 19th November, 2022. His fruit-based products created multiple job opportunities for people from all walks of life directly and indirectly. He left behind a legacy of industrious and philanthropic efforts that will be beneficial for society for years to come. Over the years, Rasna has evolved as a brand but its core values have remained the same. Let’s take a look at some of the brand’s famous advertisements.
One of the oldest Rasna ads used to feature on the Doordarshan channel. A simple and straightforward ad, that highlighted the brands large line up of flavours and its popularity at every child’s birthday party. This ad, features a young and excited girl talking about her upcoming birthday party. She talks about how she was going to have a big party, invite all of her friends, cut a delicious cake and play many fun games. It is definitely a relatable ad as it captures a child’s excitement for their birthday perfectly. The ad ends with the child mentioning that her mother would serve all eleven flavours of Rasna at the party. Of course, it needed a separate mention considering how popular the brand is among kids. The ad ends with the popular tagline, “I love you Rasna.”
This ad highlights the new packaging options introduced by Rasna. It showcases how the brand has developed a new style of packaging along with the new sizes of offering. A large pack for large parties and a small pack for small parties. It also talks about the clever, pocket-friendly pricing. For example, one can enjoy a glass of Rasna for as low as 60 paise.
An old 80’s Rasna ad, that showcases the refreshing taste and energising capabilities of the drink. A father returns home from a long tiring day at work. The mother offers him coffee or tea but instead of the father responding, the young daughter seems to know what the father wishes to have, a tall, cold glass of Rasna. The refreshing beverage seems to do the trick and energises the father. The ad typically ends with “I love you Rasna.”
Probably one of the most popular Rasna advertisements. This ad features a young girl playing with her soft toys. She has prepared two glasses of Rasna. One to offer to her large elephant soft toy and one to drink herself. She, very cheekily, says that the elephant obviously can’t drink Rasna since he’s a toy, hence ends up savouring both the glasses of the drink. A fun ad that depicts that the taste is so enticing that no one can’t have just one glass.
In this campaign, Rasna cleverly capitalised on the fame Indian cricketers received post the 1983 World Cup. The spot features the man of the moment – the then captain Kapil Dev. Rasna released a new drink called the Yorker. A clever pun on the cricket term. The ad featuring Dev was a great tactic to introduce a new product and build demand.
A girl is seen eager, waiting for her turn to bat in a game of cricket amongst a group of slightly older boys. She is made to sit on the side, not allowed to interfere in the game. The mother then calls her in the kitchen to prepare Rasna for everyone. The girl’s face immediately lights up. The prospect of making and drinking Rasna is far greater than playing any game.
With times evolving, Rasna as a brand, too had to constantly innovate to continue to reclaim its spot as the market leader. This was visible in their advertising as well. This ad featuring the new ‘Rasna Milaofy’ tagline and Akshay Kumar, sways away from the classic, simple theme of all other Rasna ads. It involves Hip Hop and dance as a medium to attract a newer, more ‘up with the times’ audience. For its time, it was a great ad.
This ad featuring Kareena Kapoor Khan, uses various popular food items of India as a metaphor to convey that Indians have a very diverse taste palette. However, one thing remains constant a refreshing drink to be paired with each food item. Rasna is the drink of choice as its flavours are specially curated for and cater specifically to an Indian audience and palette.