As of February 2012, Thums Up is the leader in the cola segment in India, commanding approximately 42% market share and an overall 15% market share in the Indian aerated waters market.
History of Thums up :
Born: 1977
Launched in India by Parle Agro Pvt. Ltd. Now owned by Coca-Cola. Thums Up was launched by Parle Agro Pvt. Ltd to fill the void left by the government ban on American soft drinks giant Coca-Cola in the 1970s. The thumbs-up logo was adopted early on, but the brand was positioned differ .
The picture of the hill shows the Manmad Hills, popularly known as the "Thums Up Mountain" or the "Thums Up Pahaar" (in Hindi), because it has a natural top like the "Thums Up" logo and is a popular sight from trains.
Thums Up enjoyed a near monopoly with a much stronger market share often overshadowing its other rivals like Campa cola, Double Seven and Dukes, but there were many small regional players who had their own market. It even withstood liquor giant United Breweries Group (It was one of the major advertisers throughout the 1980s. In the mid-80’s it had a brief threat from a newcomer Double Cola which suddenly disappeared within a few years. makers of Kingfisher Beer) McDowell's Crush, which was another Cola drink, and Double Cola.
In 1990, when the Indian government opened the market to multinationals, Pepsi was the first to come in. Thums Up went up against the international giant for an intense onslaught with neither side giving any quarter.
In 1993 Coca-Cola re-entered India after a prolonged absence from 1977 to 1993, spurring a three-way Cola War between Thums Up and Pepsi. That same year, Parle sold out to Coke for US$60 million. Some assumed Parle had lost the appetite for a