Big Cola enter the English Premier League in 4 club deal

Toasting the new football partnership yesterday, Junior Shaw, CEO of Box2Box Solutions; Jorge Lopez Doriga, chief marketing officer of AJE; Chanin Thiencharoen, marketing manager of Ajethai; and Boonperm Intanapasart, CEO of Muse Group Bangkok.

The Peruvian maker of Big Cola has moved its global marketing division to Bangkok as part of a strategy to aggressively push sales in Asia as its biggest sales contributor.
Jorge Lopez Doriga, the chief marketing officer of AJE, said the company decided to relocate its global marketing office from Madrid five months ago, and the head of marketing for Asia was sent to join the team in Bangkok as well.

“Thailand is a very important market for Big Cola. It is the first market in Asia that we have entered. The Thai market is very creative and the country’s tremendous growth also makes it a hub for Asia,” Mr Lopez said yesterday in Bangkok.

In just five years, Big Cola has gained a 27% market share in cola drinks in Bangkok, and 22% for the whole country.

About 80% of Thai consumers drink Big Cola at least four times a week, the company estimates.

Mr Lopez said AJE aimed to increase the sales contribution from Asia to 70% of Big Cola’s global sale, from 30% currently, within two years.

About 70% of Big Cola’s business now comes from South America and the rest from Asia.

The company will consolidate its sales growth in Asia by expanding to new markets. The company just entered Mumbai with its 18 million population while India has a total population of 1.3 billion.

Currently, AJE operates four factories for Big Cola in Asia: in Chon Buri, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, and Pune, near Mumbai.

Yesterday, Big Cola signed agreements as an official partner of four English Premier League football clubs – Everton, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic – for the coming season.

The company believes the alliance will build its brand awareness in global markets, especially in Asia where the Premier League is popular.