Lahori Zeera has taken a direct swipe at the dominance of multinational beverage brands with its latest campaign, positioning itself as “Apna Desi Thanda” and “The Thanda of India.” The campaign appeared as a takeover of The Times of India on August 23.
The communication plays on the familiar Indian use of the word “thanda” for a cold beverage. The term has also been closely associated with Coca-Cola’s long-running “Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola” advertising platform, giving Lahori Zeera’s latest messaging a clear competitive context.
The campaign’s timing has its own story.
According to Lahori Zeera co-founder and CEO Saurabh Munjal’s LinkedIn post, the brand had originally planned a Times of India takeover across Hindi-speaking markets for August 15. However, heavy demand for Independence Day advertising inventory pushed up rates, and the brand eventually moved its campaign to August 23.
Rather than treating the change as a setback, Lahori Zeera incorporated it into the campaign’s narrative.
The brand’s message centres on the idea that being Indian is not restricted to one national occasion. By running the campaign after Independence Day, it extends the conversation from a single-day patriotic moment to an everyday expression of Indian identity.
The campaign is notable for choosing “thanda” as its battleground rather than directly attacking a specific competitor.
For years, multinational cola brands have dominated India’s carbonated beverage advertising, both in terms of visibility and cultural associations. Lahori Zeera instead attempts to create space for a homegrown beverage by attaching the everyday word “thanda” to its own proposition.
The approach fits Lahori Zeera’s broader positioning as a desi beverage brand, with its portfolio built around flavours such as jeera, shikanji and nimboo.
Rather than simply saying it is another beverage option, Lahori Zeera is trying to make “desi thanda” a phrase associated with its own brand world.
