How Celebrity Endorsements Helped Thums Up Navigate Market Challenges

Discover how Thums Up utilized celebrity endorsements to overcome market challenges and enhance its brand appeal. By collaborating with well-known personalities, Thums Up has successfully connected with consumers and solidified its status in the competitive beverage landscape.

Celebrity endorsements have long been a critical tool in the beverage industry, especially for brands trying to manage reputational risks, refresh their image, or re-establish relevance. When a cola brand like Thums Up brings a big name on board, the goal isn’t just to sell more bottles; it’s to rekindle consumer energy, inject attitude, and reinforce brand values like boldness, resilience, and “never back down” spirit. For Thums Up, these endorsements have been vital in navigating public controversies, market competition, and brand repositioning.

But not every celebrity endorsement is a win. The impact depends on timing, narrative fit, and execution. A successful celebrity tie-in can anchor a campaign, shift perceptions, and create a cultural moment, while a misaligned one can backfire, especially in a polarized marketplace. Thums Up’s history shows how carefully executed celebrity collaborations can help a brand overcome market challenges and emerge stronger.

Thums Up’s Rise in the Indian Beverage Market

Thums Up was launched in 1977 by Parle as a homegrown cola brand after Coca-Cola exited India. It quickly positioned itself as a strong, spicy and assertive alternative, both to Coke and Pepsi, resonating with consumers who loved its bold taste and “tough” image. Over the years, Thums Up became India’s leading cola brand, known for its signature tagline “Taste the Thunder” and iconography of an upside-down bottle representing defiance.

In the post-liberalization era, and especially after The Coca-Cola Company re-entered the Indian market in 1993, Thums Up faced stiff competition from global cola brands and shifting consumer preferences. To stay relevant and maintain its edge, Thums Up leaned heavily on bold branding, emotional storytelling, and celebrity endorsements that reinforced its status as a drink for those who don’t just follow the rules, they break them.

Iconic Celebrity Collaborations By Thums Up

Thums Up has consistently used high-impact celebrity partnerships in India to reinforce its bold, defiant brand personality and to respond dynamically to market challenges. Here are some of its most memorable collaborations:

1. Salman Khan – Thums Up (2012–2016)

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In October 2012, Coca-Cola India re-signed Salman Khan as brand ambassador for Thums Up, backing the cola’s bold, adventurous image and aligning with his mass appeal and macho persona. The campaign leveraged Salman’s rugged screen presence and his strong fan base to amplify Thums Up’s messaging around strength, excitement, and risk-taking.

However, the partnership ended in 2016 when Coca-Cola chose not to renew his contract, reportedly due to a conflict with Salman’s involvement in a TV show sponsored by a rival beverage brand. 

2. Shah Rukh Khan – #ThumsUpStrong / “Soft Drink Nahin, Toofan” (2022)

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When Thums Up brought in Shah Rukh Khan as brand ambassador, it wasn’t just a celebrity tie-up; it was a positioning shift. SRK’s action-hero persona and the dramatic “upside-down bottle” moment reinvigorated the brand's “never give up” spirit and helped revive its image at a time when public perception needed a fresh spark.

3. Vijay Deverakonda – “Soft Drink Kaadu, Toofan” (2022)

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The Toofan campaign with Vijay Deverakonda helped Thums Up reassert its “strong taste, strong attitude” identity. His mass appeal and rebellious flair made the Toofan positioning feel youthful and animated, specifically connecting with India’s action-loving youth. This regional and pan-India outreach helped the brand reaffirm its identity and extend its reach across markets.

4. Mahesh Babu – South Indian Campaigns

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Though less publicized in recent years, Mahesh Babu’s long-time association with Thums Up helped the cola brand penetrate Southern film markets and regional audiences. His South Indian stardom anchored the Toofan messaging locally and contributed to broader regional acceptance of Thums Up’s bold persona.

How Thums Up Upheld Its Brand Image Through Generations with Celebrity Collaborations

Thums Up has maintained its bold, “toofani” image across generations by consistently pairing its messaging with celebrities who embody defiance, action, and resilience. From cricketers like Sunil Gavaskar, Sandeep Patil and Ravi Shastri in early celebrity ads to larger-than-life Bollywood icons and regional stars, the brand has made sure its spokespeople reflect “strength in action,” turning a simple cola into a symbol of grit.

These campaigns didn’t just live on TV, they spanned print, outdoor billboards, and cinema posters, giving consumers repeated, powerful visual cues. The “Main Hoon Toofani” films starring Salman Khan used OOH and print alongside digital launches to reassert Thums Up’s no-compromise attitude. Similarly, the #ThumsUpStrong / Soft Drink Nahin, Toofan campaign with Shah Rukh Khan leaned heavily into spectacular visuals, upside-down bottle stunts, train-top action scenes and spread those through mass media, creating a sense of continuity with earlier “toofani” storytelling. 

The Google Trends graph shows search interest for “Thums Up” in India between September 2021 – February 2023. Here’s what stands out:

• From late 2021 to early 2022, searches for Thums Up were relatively stable, hovering around the same range without big jumps.

• In March–April 2022, there’s a sharp spike in keyword searches, peaking at nearly 160K.

• This period aligns directly with Thums Up’s collaboration with Shah Rukh Khan under the #ThumsUpStrong / “Soft Drink Nahin, Toofan” campaign (launched March 2022).

The SRK endorsement worked because:

1. SRK’s comeback effect – Fans were eagerly waiting for his return in an action-oriented role. Thums Up tied into this anticipation with high-voltage TVCs and the upside-down bottle stunt, generating massive online conversations.

2. Media Mix – The campaign ran heavily across TVCs, YouTube, print, and digital, with SRK’s image everywhere. This omnipresence amplified search behavior.

3. Emotional Connect – Positioning SRK as the “never give up” symbol of strength resonated with the brand’s long-standing macho identity while refreshing it for a new generation.

The result is visible in the chart: search interest for Thums Up spiked right after the SRK campaign went live in early 2022, reaching its highest point in this period before tapering off mid-year. In short, Shah Rukh Khan’s collaboration didn’t just boost brand recall; it directly drove higher consumer curiosity and online searches, showing how the right celebrity at the right time can significantly influence brand visibility.

Just Like Thums Up, Get a Famous Celebrity or Influencer to Promote Your Brand!

If one thing is clear from big campaigns, it’s that the right celebrity or influencer can change how people see your product. A famous face brings instant trust and wide attention, while an influencer shows the product in everyday life with honest demos. Together, they make your brand feel both desirable and believable, whether you sell skincare, fashion, food, or gadgets.

Use them the smart way: run a TVC or YouTube ad for mass reach, then amplify with Instagram reels, stories, and short demo videos from influencers. Push the same message on your website and in stores, add a simple offer (a discount code or bundle), and make it easy to buy. With Tring, finding and activating the right celebrity or influencer is simple, so your campaign not only gets noticed, it also drives real purchases and repeat customers.