Coca-Cola soon to launch aluminium bottles for its leading brands in India

<p>Coca-Cola is planning to introduce aluminium bottles for their brands Coke, Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Sprite in India in the next three to four years, said a top executive from the beverage firm. <br /><br />The 200 ml aluminium bottle is already quite popular in countries like the UK, US, and China but costs about 40 per cent more for consumers than the now available PET bottles, said Dana Bolden, vice president at Bottling Investments Group at Coca-Cola. <br /><br />Aluminium bottles unlike aluminium cans debuted only a decade ago but thanks to their stylish design soon made their way on to marketplaces like eBay, upscale fashion magazines and shelves of luxury retailers. The packaging solution not only speaks of a revamped styling and new-age presentation but also makes transport easier while promising a longer shelf life of the beverage owing to aluminium's superior barrier quality. <br /><br /><img style="vertical-align: middle; display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="http://www.alcircle.com/uploads/images/coke.jpg" alt="News" width="400" height="300" /><br />Till recently, aluminium cans were the first choice for beverage brands for packaging, at least in the emerging markets. But with the evolving consumer preferences these regions are catching up with the western economies. <br /><br />"India is no different than any other market where Coca-Cola operates when it comes to drive acceptance of a new packaging, Bolden said. <br /><br />{googleAdsense}<br /><br />"If you put marketing strength behind any of your new product, that is what will drive acceptance. We launched Coke Zero in sleek cans 18 months ago. Had we not put any marketing muscle behind it, we would have probably not seen the uptake that we saw. So India is like any other market in that sense," he said.<br /><br />Bolden seems to be very optimistic about the aluminium bottles striking the right chord with Coke consumers in India. According to him, average age of the consumers here ranges between 25-35 years, and they are very up-to-date about the global trends and forward thinking at the same time.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>