Our campaign aims to encourage youths to help rebuild the nation

Coca-Cola has recently launched a new promotional campaign--Pheri Uthne Chha Nepal literally Nepal will rise again. Through this campaign, the company has tried to capture and praise the spirit of Nepali people in the aftermath of April 25 earthquake. Sujan Dhungana of Republica spoke to Alok Kohli, Country Manager of Coca-Cola for Nepal, to know more about the campaign and Coca-Cola's future plans. Excerpts:

What does the campaign 'Pheri Uthne Chha Nepal' focuses on?

The campaign is Coca-Cola's attempt to praise the selfless effort and voluntary service shown by Nepali people and the youths here after the April 25 earthquake. At the time of unprecedented adversity, the resilience, diligence and positivity, courage, fortitude and heroic attitude shown by Nepali people is remarkable. Through the campaign, we, on one hand, want to praise the work of Nepali people and on the other encourage them to continue the same spirit to rebuild the country.

How will the campaign move on?

'Pheri Uthne Chha Nepal' is the first of its kind initiative in Nepal. Through the campaign, we aim to take the message of hope and positivity to every corners of Nepal. For this, we have unveiled a special anthem penned by Ranjit Acharya and Jems Pradhan which highlights the bravery and resilience shown by Nepali people as an example to inspire others to come forward in rebuilding the nation. The anthem comes with the name of the campaign itself. The anthem has been sung by 12 leading singers including Sugam Pokharel, Indira Joshi, Adrian Pradhan and Deepak Bajracharya. With the launch of the anthem, we expect to leave a positive and inspiring note to Nepali people.

What inspired you to launch this campaign which is completely different than the regular campaigns launched by corporate houses?

It was some days after the earthquake that I was riding by Lazimpat roads. Suddenly, I saw graffiti on the wall which read 'Pheri Uthne Chha Nepal.' The underlying meaning of the graffiti caught my attention. Later, I visited some of the camps of earthquake victims. There I saw the amazing spirit of Nepali people where they were selflessly volunteering to help the affected ones. That inspired me to run the campaign and capture the spirit of selfless Nepali volunteers.

What role do you think corporate houses like yours should play at the times of natural disasters like this?

The response of private sector in Nepal after the earthquake has really been praise-worthy. After the earthquake, they came with both immediate and long-term relief programs and this comes to be the major responsibility of private sector at such times. Beside this, the core responsibility of corporate houses is also to ensure that they do ethical business and they pay their dues to the government at the time of disasters like this.

What role will Coca-Cola play in Nepal's reconstruction process?

The immediate concern for us after the earthquake was the situation of our employees here. We were concerned with Coca-Cola's chain in Nepal. After being assured of our employees and the entire chain of Coca-Cola in Nepal, we moved on to other relief activities.

In its effort to help providing healthcare, shelter and to help reconnect families, Coca-Cola Foundation has already contributed US $1 million to the American National Red Cross which is working in partnership with the Nepal Red Cross Society. Additionally, in the immediate aftermath, the contribution also included distribution of Kinley water bottles to various hospitals and temporary shelters.

Going further, Coca-Cola chain in Nepal will continue to work with communities to find opportunities to join hands and play a further role in Nepal's reconstruction process.

How is Coca-Cola's presence in beverage market of Nepal?

We are the leaders in the soft drink segment here. However, it is also the fact that the April 25 earthquake did impact our business. However, Coca-Cola believes in optimism and we believe that we will recover our business very soon

How do you compare Coca-Cola's market in Nepal with other South Asian countries?

Most of the South Asian countries like Sri Lanka, Bhutan, India and Nepal are in the state of evolution in terms of retail market. In this sense, I take Coca-Cola's market almost same in South Asian nations.

What are Coca-Cola's future plans for Nepal?

We will be centered to develop Coca-Cola as a stronger brand in Nepal. For this, we will launch different campaigns in a bid to go closer to the heart of Nepali people. Likewise, reaching different parts of the country is a big challenge for us. Thus, our focus shall also on building a stronger network across Nepal.

Source: Republica