The advertising, created by Mudra Communications is focused around building an air of excitement for the new products in the market place.

The agency has also snagged Kapil Dev to endorse one of the new products. ``Rasna Yorker peekar bolo Howzzat!'' says the cricket star in the advertisements.

The company has taken a new initiative in its packaging too. On each Yorker pack is inscribed the message: ``Hi kids! A good sportsman is not born. He is made. So, practice hard and drink a lot of Rasna. And nothing will stop you.'' In addition, Kapil Dev endorses a sporty message on each Yorker pack. One pack for example has fourtips from Kapil Dev on how to bowl an in-swinger.

Says Raj Pinjani, president operations, Rasna Enterprise: ``To catch the spirit of the World Cup Series, we have launched a new combination flavour called Rasna Yorker. The product is targeted at cricket lovers. Innovation is an on-going process at Rasna. Every summer, we introduce new flavours to lure new consumers.''

Last year, the company had launched a cocktail flavour called Jungle Fun, a green soft drink. Says Aurobindoo Mohanty, general manager, Mudra: ``It was a theme flavour. And the response to the product was immense. So, after seeing the success of Jungle Fun, we have now launched Aqua Fun. We shot the underwater commercial in Australia. For the first time, we have used kids in an underwater episode.''

According to Mohanty, the core strategy is to build hype around the new product in the highly competitive soft drinks market. As for the initiatives in marketing strategy, the agency has planned a multi-city promotional event with Kapil Dev.``We plan to take Kapil Dev to various cities to endorse Yorker. We'll be holding many contests too,'' explains Mohanty.

In addition to the new campaigns for the new flavours, the agency has also launched a series of print ads and television commercials for its other products. ``We have launched three theme commercials for Rasna, where we show a young kid talking to birds and animals,'' adds Mohanty.

It was in 1979, that the company entered the soft drink concentrates segment in India. Today Rasna claims to have a market share of 90 per cent in the category. ``From the beginning, we have positioned the product as the most economical high quality drink. The formula has proved to be successful over the years. So, why tinker with it now? But, we are constantly innovating new flavours to lure new users,'' explains Pinjani.

In an effort to make the brand more contemporary, the company conducts market research almost every year. The objective of the survey is to find the new idols and aspirations of youngkids across the country. ``Based on these findings, we devise new flavours. Our aim is to build an emotional bond with our young target audience. A dacade ago, it was Michael Jackson, who was the matinee idol for kids. Now the hero is Sachin,'' adds Pinjani.

The company has a wide distribution network across the country. According to Pinjani, the network includes four lakh retail outlets, 3,000 stockists, 22 depots and 200 sales personnel.