In a landscape crowded with carbonated beverages vying for attention, 7UP India managed to cut through the fizz with a campaign that fused culture, creativity, and cutting-edge science. The result? A sensory symphony that got India grooving and sweating to the beat.
Partnering with Leo Burnett India and streaming giant Spotify, 7UP launched the SpiceIt Playlist, a sonic experiment designed to literally turn up the heat of your food. But this wasn’t just about catchy tunes. It was backed by serious science specifically, the research of Professor Charles Spence, a renowned gastro-physicist from Oxford University, who found that certain frequencies and beats can make food taste up to 10% spicier.
This multisensory campaign positioned 7UP not just as a palate cleanser but as an active part of India’s spice-eating ritual. The result was a campaign that was equal parts academic, experiential, and deliciously entertaining.
The Insight: India’s Love Affair With Spice
The campaign’s creative ignition point was rooted in a universal Indian truth our obsession with spice. Whether it’s the fiery heat of Andhra pickles or the slow burn of Rajasthani mirch, spicy food is both a challenge and a comfort in Indian kitchens.
Vikram Pandey, Chief Creative Officer at Leo Burnett South Asia, explained that this insight became the bedrock of the campaign. “Indians love spice not to avoid it, but to embrace and elevate it. That’s where the opportunity lay. We saw that people aren’t running from spice they’re chasing it.”
Rather than portraying 7UP as a soothing sidekick to intense flavors, the team decided to reframe the drink as a catalyst in the spicy food experience.
That’s when Professor Charles Spence’s research came into play. His studies in gastrophysics demonstrated that specific sound frequencies could amplify taste sensations particularly spice. Suddenly, a playlist wasn’t just entertainment it became a condiment.
From Refresher to Ritual
For years, 7UP had been promoting itself as the ideal drink to beat the heat, whether meteorological or culinary. Its previous “Kaara Saaram Eat, 7UP Repeat” campaign had successfully positioned it as a cooling companion to South India’s beloved spicy foods, especially with the support of local music icon Anirudh Ravichander.
But this time, the creative team wanted to take things further. “The vision was to make 7UP part of the ritual, not just the refresh,” Pandey said. And to become a ritual, the experience had to be more immersive, more emotional, and more… musical.
Enter Spotify a streaming platform with not just reach but rich listener data and musical acumen. Together, they crafted the 7UP SpiceIt Playlist, a carefully curated sonic journey engineered to intensify the perception of spice. A perfect fusion of art and science.
Making Music a Condiment
But this wasn’t just a case of slapping a brand label on a playlist and calling it a day. The campaign leaned into the science. The selected tracks were aligned with frequencies and beats that, according to Spence’s research, could actually enhance the taste of chili-based food.
The playlist became a “sonic condiment”, a new layer in the flavor experience. To make it accessible, the team didn’t stop at Spotify. They extended the experience to where the spice actually happens at the dinner table.
Quick commerce platforms like Swiggy Instamart carried 7UP cans with QR codes that led directly to the playlist. Pizza Hut joined the fun, adding QR-coded stickers on their pizza boxes, prompting consumers to hit play as they dug into their fiery slices.
The Execution Challenge: Standing Out in a Crowded Space
While music, spice, and refreshment might seem like a natural trio, the campaign had its fair share of creative hurdles. The beverage category is no stranger to food pairings. Brands like Thums Up and Pepsi have long advertised themselves as companions to rich Indian fare. The challenge for 7UP was to avoid becoming just another “drink on the side.”
According to Pandey, “Our question was: Can we do more than just accompany spice? Can we actually intensify it?” This quest led to the unique scientific angle that gave the campaign its edge.
But science alone wouldn’t cut it. To go from South India’s favorite refresher to a pan-India ritual, the brand needed cultural nuance, regional inclusivity, and platform agility.
Spotify helped deliver this. With its understanding of listener behaviours and musical trends across geographies, the platform helped shape a playlist that could appeal across North, South, East, and West India from Bollywood bangers to indie electronica, all tuned to turn up the heat.
Driving Results: From Streams to Sizzles
So how did this spicy symphony perform?
Pretty well, if the KPIs are anything to go by.
- 49,833 total streams of the playlist
- 126,000 minutes played
- +47.4% jump in daily streams and listening minutes over time
- 8.4 minutes/day of average listening per user an unusually high number for a branded playlist
These numbers show that the campaign didn’t just spark curiosity it held attention. People weren’t just clicking once and leaving. They were coming back, listening through meals, and making the playlist part of their dining habits.
This is especially significant in the context of branded content. Typically, engagement tails off after the first interaction. But with SpiceIt, the repeat value of the playlist became its biggest strength just like spice itself.
The Bigger Picture: A New Chapter for Sonic Branding
7UP’s campaign with Leo Burnett and Spotify isn’t just a case study in effective marketing it’s a peek into the future of multi-sensory brand experiences.
By integrating taste, sound, and behaviour, the campaign went beyond traditional media to deliver a lived, felt experience. It wasn’t just about being seen or heard. It was about being tasted quite literally.
And for a brand whose identity has long hinged on being “refreshing,” this pivot into the heat of the action marked a significant evolution.
It’s also a sign of how science is reshaping creativity. The involvement of Professor Spence added a layer of credibility and intrigue that elevated the campaign beyond gimmick. It allowed the brand to venture into neurogastronomy, a space few consumer brands have explored, especially in the Indian market.
Conclusion: Spicy, Smart, and Seriously Fun
With SpiceIt, 7UP managed to do what every brand dreams of reinvent relevance. It moved from being a drink that cools you down to an experience that turns the heat up, without losing its essence.
By blending cultural insight, academic research, digital innovation, and musical creativity, 7UP didn’t just create a campaign. It created a ritual, a reason to play music with your meal, and perhaps even a new kind of food habit for spice-lovers.
In a world where attention is fleeting and loyalty is rare, this is a lesson in how to turn up the volume and the heat on engagement.
