For a while now, consumer goods companies have been experimenting with fad marketing – where a new product is introduced with a swift, highly targeted marketing campaign, in which a new product is abruptly put on sale for a short period of time and when it is sold out, is removed from the shelves just as abruptly. After having enjoyed a shelf life of just a few months, the product, in fact, is taken off the production line altogether. This launch of limited edition products is called fad marketing and is becoming a strong tool in the art of selling when it comes to creating brand awareness.

The soft drink giant Pepsi is a master at this gambit. Its Indian branch, almost every summer, fad-markets a new drink. Pritha, who works in the creative team at JWT-India, the advertising agency that handles Pepsi, explains the promotional technique: “We have introduced Pepsi Sorbet and Pepsi Cappuccino during the summer months and then taken them off the shelves once the season was over. We then introduced a new drink next summer and it’s worked very positively for the brand.”