The ‘7UP SpiceIt Playlist’ is more than just a branded Spotify collection – it’s a multi-sensorial hack that leverages the power of music to amplify the sensation of spice. With Oxford University’s Professor Charles Spence on board, this innovative campaign is backed by science and aims to turn everyday spicy food moments into 7UP rituals.
- Spice isn’t just a taste – it’s a cultural signature in India, making it the perfect theme for 7UP’s latest campaign.
- According to Shailja Joshi, category lead for cola and flavors at PepsiCo India, the campaign builds on years of brand positioning that made 7UP the default cooler for spice-charged Indian plates.
- The playlist is designed for business impact, aiming to deepen 7UP’s role in the consumer’s food rituals.
| Key Architect | Role | Quote |
|---|---|---|
| Shailja Joshi | Category Lead for Cola and Flavors at PepsiCo India | “This alignment feels intuitive and authentic. We’ve enabled an occasion and channel unlock for 7UP in core geographies, leading to positive momentum in share gain and brand affinity.” |
| Vikram Pandey | Chief Creative Officer of Leo South Asia | “We anchored the playlist in behavioural science and cultural truth – not just marketing trends. It’s tightly integrated from packaging to digital, reinforcing consistency and memorability.” |
| Anirudh Ravichander | Artist and Music Composer | “I turned around the playlist which aligns with Professor Spence. It was an exercise along with the brand team to stay true to the science and still be entertaining.” |
“Spice isn’t just a taste – it’s a cultural signature in India,” said Shailja Joshi, category lead for cola and flavors at PepsiCo India. “This alignment feels intuitive and authentic.” According to her, the campaign builds on years of brand positioning that made 7UP the default cooler for spice-charged Indian plates. “This consistent focus on spicy food association has enabled an occasion and channel unlock for 7UP in core geographies, leading to positive momentum in share gain and brand affinity,” Joshi added.
Beyond the quirk, the playlist is designed for business impact. “It’s more than just a campaign; it’s a culture-forward experience,” said Joshi. With Spence’s insights and Gen Z’s love for spicy food and punchy beats, 7UP claims to have hit a sweet spot. “Early reads are promising – we’ve delivered three times the CTRs vs benchmarks on our asset. Playlist stream data is strong and growing.”
The campaign is also cleverly integrated into product touchpoints. Limited-edition 7UP cans and bottles, featuring QR codes, act as physical gateways to the playlist. According to Joshi, these digital activations have historically driven strong engagement. “When the payoff behind the scan is genuinely entertaining or enriching, conversion and interaction rates significantly improve,” she noted.
“Our brain associates fast-paced and high-pitched sound with spice that can send signals to your tastebuds and amplify the spicy taste.” – Professor Charles Spence
The brand is betting on the playlist to do more than spike streams – it wants to deepen its role in the consumer’s food rituals. “It’s about turning everyday spicy food moments into 7UP rituals,” Joshi explained.
Beating the branded playlist blues, 7UP has anchored the playlist in behavioural science and cultural truth, rather than just marketing trends. “We didn’t overthink it or over-brand it. We leaned into the tracks India already loves,” said Vikram Pandey, chief creative officer of Leo South Asia.
Music is personal, but the campaign needed scale. We leaned into the tracks India already loves,” said Pandey. The playlist was built to feel “more like something users would make for themselves than something made by a brand.”
Commercial collaborations often force artists to dilute their style. Not here. “It felt more like a creative exploration than a typical brand brief,” said Anirudh Ravichander, music composer and artist. “The idea of connecting spice and sound gave me a fresh space to experiment with energy, rhythm, and attitude – without compromising my style.”
Enter the 7UP SpiceIt Playlist, a bold mash-up of flavour, frequency, and feel-good energy. Akin to a sonic enhancer, it is built to dial up the heat of the food and the hype of the meal. This isn’t just another branded playlist; it’s a sensory experiment crafted for today’s spice-loving, beat-chasing Gen Z.
To keep the momentum going, Leo India designed secondary engagement loops from influencer trials to a food collaboration with Pizza Hut that paired playlists with meals. “We know digital attention doesn’t last long, so we built in ways to keep the idea alive beyond launch,” said Vikram Pandey.
Science versus gimmick is a delicate balance. Done wrong, it’s pseudoscience. “It started with a simple truth: India loves spicy food and 7UP tastes more refreshing after it,” said Vikram Pandey. “We wanted to create a new kind of consumption occasion. That’s where gastrophysics came in.”
Pandey adds that it was Spotify’s music intelligence that added rigour. The agency found tracks with the right tempo, rhythm, and energy to heighten spice, while being culturally familiar. The playlist includes tracks like Zingaat and Vaathi Coming – songs that already exist in the consumer’s emotional lexicon.
“We didn’t overthink it or over-brand it. The playlist was built to feel “more like something users would make for themselves than something made by a brand.”
So, does the ‘7UP SpiceIt Playlist’ move the needle? From the early data, it seems so. CTRs are higher, streams are rising, and Anirudh’s fanbase is turning ears into eyeballs. More importantly, it’s a rare example of branded content that goes beyond novelty, rooting itself in science, culture, and a clear consumer insight.
With taste now getting a soundtrack, and playlists turning into palate pleasers, the next frontier in FMCG advertising might just be sonic seasoning.
