<p> Aiming to double its sales in the next five years, Coca-Cola India has initiated a strategy to take its brands to people in semi-urban and rural markets in local languages for better penetration and began the journey with Bengali.</p>.<p>Bengali is the pilot project before the beverage MNC decides to foray into other local languages of the country including Hindi, a senior company official said on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Coca-Cola in Bangladesh uses the Bengali language in branding its products and seems to have replicated that in at least some of its products in this side of the border.</p>.<p>"West Bengal has an independent supply chain of all products and the state is a key growth market for the company. This has encouraged us to pilot this hyper-local strategy from here," Coca-Cola India and South-West Asia president T Krishnakumar said.</p>.<p>In 2021, the company may take this hyper-local strategy with more languages including Hindi, he said.</p>.<p>"We have been growing in India and continue to remain bullish about growth here as a market as it offers both horizontal and vertical growth," Krishnakumar said amid the threats of novel coronavirus and FMCG slowdown.</p>.<p>The company has expanded its reach in 2 million additional outlets in the last two years.</p>.<p>He said the company has segregated the market into three broad categories - rich, mid-segment and aspirational - and the company will cater to the entire spectrum.</p>.<p>"We are strong in the mid-segment and will require to put more efforts in the other two segments," Krishnakumar said when asked about expanding products portfolio.</p>.<p>He rubbished the claim that carbonated drinks are shrinking in India, saying it is growing in double-digit, along with other categories such as fruit-based drinks.</p>
<p> Aiming to double its sales in the next five years, Coca-Cola India has initiated a strategy to take its brands to people in semi-urban and rural markets in local languages for better penetration and began the journey with Bengali.</p>.<p>Bengali is the pilot project before the beverage MNC decides to foray into other local languages of the country including Hindi, a senior company official said on Wednesday.</p>.<p>Coca-Cola in Bangladesh uses the Bengali language in branding its products and seems to have replicated that in at least some of its products in this side of the border.</p>.<p>"West Bengal has an independent supply chain of all products and the state is a key growth market for the company. This has encouraged us to pilot this hyper-local strategy from here," Coca-Cola India and South-West Asia president T Krishnakumar said.</p>.<p>In 2021, the company may take this hyper-local strategy with more languages including Hindi, he said.</p>.<p>"We have been growing in India and continue to remain bullish about growth here as a market as it offers both horizontal and vertical growth," Krishnakumar said amid the threats of novel coronavirus and FMCG slowdown.</p>.<p>The company has expanded its reach in 2 million additional outlets in the last two years.</p>.<p>He said the company has segregated the market into three broad categories - rich, mid-segment and aspirational - and the company will cater to the entire spectrum.</p>.<p>"We are strong in the mid-segment and will require to put more efforts in the other two segments," Krishnakumar said when asked about expanding products portfolio.</p>.<p>He rubbished the claim that carbonated drinks are shrinking in India, saying it is growing in double-digit, along with other categories such as fruit-based drinks.</p>