Coca-Cola sells record servings at Maha Kumbh. The final number may shock you
At the Maha Kumbh, where crores of devotees lined up for a dip in the holy waters, hoping to cleanse their souls, something else was flowing just as freely, Coca-Cola. Amid the chants, saffron flags, and spiritual energy, the fizz of Coca-Cola found its own place.While saints and seekers looked for divine blessings, the world's biggest beverage giant looked across the Ganga's banks and found its biggest crowd.advertisementCoca-Cola quenched the thirst of so many during the holy gathering, a number so massive, it found a spot in the company's Q1 FY25 results, making Prayagraj echo all the way to Atlanta.
Coca-Cola at Maha Kumbh (Source: LinkedIn)
advertisementDuring the spiritual gathering, where crores of people came to bathe in the holy river and take part in rituals, Coca-Cola found a large number of takers for its fizzy beverage.HOW MANY SERVINGS DID COCA-COLA SELL DURING MAHA KUMBH?To meet the high demand and serve the huge crowd, Coca-Cola set up hundreds of refreshment zones across the venue.It also installed nearly 1,400 mobile stations and created what it claimed was a world-record 100 cooler-door wall. These efforts helped the company serve over 180 million or 18 crore drinks during the 1.5-month period of the event.This Maha Kumbh, Coca-Cola India is out to ensure people are hydrated at every single step. It's a truly massive and meaningful integration, here's a look!@CocaCola_Ind #Collab #MahaKumbh #CocaCola #Innovation #Hydration #Sustainability pic.twitter.com/gQh4Ioytmm— Mad Over Marketing (@MadOMarketing) February 19, 2025This was the first time Coca-Cola attempted something of this size at any global event. Even if each person had only one drink, around 27% of all visitors at the Kumbh had at least one Coca-Cola product. That scale of reach is why the Kumbh sales were specifically mentioned in the company's quarterly results.'The Maha Kumbh Mela festival in India occurs every 144 years and is considered the world's largest in-person gathering with an estimated 660 million attendees in 2025,' the company said in its Q1 FY25 results statement. It added that its integrated marketing and distribution efforts during the event were a first in company history.Coca-Cola's performance in India during the quarter was strong. The company reported double-digit volume growth in the country in the three months ending March 28, 2025. It also noted that it added nearly 3.5 lakh new retail outlets during this time, which helped it increase its reach further across India.'In India, we had strong volume growth across our portfolio of global and local brands. Our system added nearly 350,000 outlets, which increased our penetration,' said James Quincey, CEO of Coca-Cola Company, during the earnings call with investors.Globally, Coca-Cola saw its unit case volume grow 2% in the first quarter. The Asia Pacific region, which includes India, saw a stronger rise of 6%. The top performing markets for the company were India, China, and Brazil.
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