We’ll keep playing around with ‘Oo La La La Le O’ jingle: United Breweries CMO

In 1996, Kingfisher introduced the jingle "Oo La La La Le O," which incidentally coincided with the brand's sponsorship of the West Indies cricket team. Since then, the jingle has gone on to become synonymous with the entire portfolio of the Kingfisher brand and totally captured the spirit of the brand as, ‘The King of Good Times.’ The popularity of the Calypso-inspired tune "Oo La La La Le O," has seen international cricketers and IPL teams dancing to the tune, and also being played at music concerts. The various iterations of the jingle have resonated with audiences for close to three decades, and recently the brand re-imagined and released an all-new avatar of this iconic jingle with regional music artists to expand its target base.

Bringing The Good Times To IPL

During the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, Kingfisher introduced two new brand films featuring Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) players. Set to two new tracks; Besabar, rendered by regional music artists Bharg and Lothika for the LSG film; and Vibe created by Tamil rapper Paal Dabba and producer Sickflip for the SRH film, the tracks captured the spirit of celebration, fun and refreshment that Kingfisher has stood for. Says Vikram Bahl, Chief Marketing Officer, United Breweries Limited (UBL), “We approached young artists, who had a connect with Gen Z, to compose songs which subtly incorporated "Oo La La La Le O," into it. Paal Dabba and Sickflip’s Tamil rendition saw more than four million views in a few days and many people also created their own additions of the song. Bharg and Lothika’s renditions were also a big success and both the songs were among the top trending.” He continues, “We then incorporated these songs in our IPL advertising and had the top teams dancing to these songs along with these artists. It was unique and has been spectacularly successful. Oo La La La Le O is iconic, but we injected fresh energy into it through these collaborations”

So, what makes Oo La La La Le O iconic – the melody or the brand’s consistency with it? Bahl states, “Some brands have had the same jingle or tagline for many years, and these are precious things that brands create and you should never let go of them. Kingfisher has been very consistent on that and we always say that ‘Oo La La La Le O,’ is the clarion call of good times. The way it is executed and rendered, about having a good time, will always be relevant. This combination has made sure that the jingle continues to be relevant and memorable. This time, we added a fresh twist on it, but it'll still remain ‘Oo La La La Le O,’ and we'll keep playing around with it to make it exciting, interesting and contemporary.”

Kingfisher is probably one of the few brands who have been associated with IPL since its inception in 2008, making its strong association with one of India’s passion points – cricket. Bahl says that connecting with cricket was a no-brainer and adds, “It was very visionary of the brand to associate with IPL since it started, and it has only gone from strength to strength. There is absolutely no reason for us to revisit IPL. In fact, our intent is always to keep doubling down on it and strengthen our association going forward. We do see that our brand becomes stronger every time we associate with IPL and that will be our intent going forward as well.” However, with a brand scramble for IPL, the challenge is to stand-out in the clutter. Here, what helps Kingfisher advertising during the T-20 series is its long history with IPL and has continuously reinvented and leveraged the ‘Oo La La La Le O’ anthem giving as Bahl says gives the brand a unique point of view and allowed it to stand out in the clutter.

Besides cricket, Kingfisher also deepened its association with sports and geared to bring the good times, as the presenting sponsor of the Indian Racing League (IRL) for the 2024 edition for its brand, Kingfisher Power Soda. Bahl says, “As a brand, Kingfisher is a trendsetter and we are always constantly looking at new trending avenues. Sports is a passion point for young male consumers and IRL was one of those partnerships we did. We have many more such partnerships down the line as well. Our intent is to constantly look at innovating and connecting with passion points of consumers. We are looking beyond cricket for opportunities to appeal to different sections of consumers.”

Creating Immersive Experiences

The other big passion point for the youth is music, another area where Kingfisher has partnered with major music artists. To make its presence felt during the event, the strategy is to amplify Kingfisher’s presence beyond the event by leveraging innovations. An example of such innovation, at a sponsored event, was using up to 300 drones where Kingfisher’s communication as the King of Good Times as well as a dedication to the artist was displayed in the sky, thereby creating a buzz and excitement about the event as well as the brand’s association with it. Bahl says, “We are constantly looking at ways and means of branding beyond just partnership, to make our association engaging and relevant for consumers and being innovative.”

Create A Twist in A Beer with Local Flavours

Kingfisher’s latest innovation was in product with the recent launch of two new variants: Lemon Masala and Mango Berry Twist, drawing inspiration from the Indian street culture. The merger of innovation with local consumer taste preferences, offers consumers a unique and modern twist on beer and redefines a premium beer experience in the flavored beer category. The insight behind this product was that Gen Z's were looking at new experiences, be it physical or in the products they consume – and when it came to beer, they were looking for sweetness, sessionable (relatively low in alcohol content and suitable for drinking over an extended period), making it easier to drink. When it came to flavours, Kingfisher looked at what connected with Indians and it was no surprise that traditional appealing flavours such as lemon masala and mango came up on top. To add a twist, the mango was combined with berries and the brews were ‘really liked’ during testing with consumers. The whole platform was executed sound street flavors and around all things street, such as skateboarding, street wear, graffiti. Currently, the two variants have seen a phased launch in Goa, Daman & Diu and Maharashtra and the initial response says Bahl has ‘exceeded our expectations.’

Driving Growth: Premiumization & Smaller Markets

A common trend across every sector, including the alcobecv, is premiumization. UBL boasts a portfolio of premium beer brands, including Kingfisher Ultra, Kingfisher Ultra Max, Heineken, and Amstel with the brands gaining market share. Commenting on the premium portfolio Bahl says, “Our premium portfolio is growing at over 30%; we are growing rapidly and this is significantly ahead of industry growth. Of course, the majority of our portfolio is still Kingfisher which is affordable premium, but the real premium segment is still a small part of the portfolio, but growing quite rapidly.”

The brand has also seen significant growth in Tier II and Tier III towns on the back of infrastructure growth, increase in socializing and access to experiences and events. This is also aided by the fact the alcobev companies are investing in infrastructure with coolers in retailers to ensure the availability of cold beer, which in turn has led to the increased sale of beer.

Headroom for Growth

In the Indian alcoholic beverage market, beer holds a relatively small share, around 10%, despite being a growing segment. This gives Kingfisher an opportunity and headroom for growth. Commenting on this Bahl says, “The alcohol of choice in India should always be beer because we are such a hot country. At the heart of it, beer is a refreshing drink. Beer is growing faster than the overall market and the growth is led by rise in socializing, people going out for eating, even in Tier II towns.”

Looking ahead, UBL has defined three pillars of growth - Growing beer as the drink of choice as category leaders, ensuring Kingfisher’s status as an iconic brand going forward, and taking advantage of the premiumization wave.