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Tag: Barun Prabhakar

  • Collective Creative Labs and Liberty Shoes unite for a new campaign

    Collective Creative Labs and Liberty Shoes unite for a new campaign

    Mumbai: Collective Creative Lab’s latest campaign for Liberty Shoes “Mera Joota Hindustani” captures the essence of Indian pride and ownership for Liberty’s latest launch of graphic sneakers. Rooted in the Swadeshi concept, this campaign resonates with an audience that has a strong preference for homegrown brands over international ones, a sentiment we’ve leveraged to great effect.

    Set against the backdrop of Independence Day, the film showcases Liberty’s new range of shoes in a vibrant, celebratory environment. Collective Creative Labs has brought together people from various age groups, with a focus on the youth of India, to celebrate the rich diversity of cultures that make up our nation and the shared pride in being Hindustani.

    Five artists MC Square, Riar Saab, Shilpa Rao, Karan Kanchan, and Killa K were brought onboard. The music, produced and composed by Karan Kanchan, is an infectious, groovy track that unites these talented musicians in creating a phenomenal song. Collective Creative Labs took the reins of this campaign’s creative production, crafting a visually striking world that embodies the India of today, leaving the audience with a powerful message: being desi is undeniably cool. Collective Creative Labs is the production arm of Collective Artists Network, India’s pop culture marketplace.

    Collective Artists Network co-founder and chief revenue officer Sudeep Subash commented, “At Collective Artists Network, our mission is to be at the forefront of pop culture, and  ‘Mera Joota Hindustani’ campaign is a perfect example of that. We ensure we’re not just creating impactful campaigns, but also utilising an entire flywheel of Collective offerings that will create a lasting impact for our brand partners.”

    Liberty Shoes head of marketing Barun Prabhakar said, “Mera Joota Hindustani is more than just a campaign—it’s a celebration of our roots, our individuality, and the vibrant spirit of Indian youth. By blending new age instances with a strong Swadeshi narrative, we’ve crafted a campaign that resonates with a new generation, empowering them to wear their identity with pride. Working with Collective Artists Network has been a pleasure where we could package the entire project right from music, talents and creative production, all under one roof and create an impactful campaign.”

    Collective Creative Labs business head Sanjana Jain explained, “Pop culture drives today’s marketing, and our recent Liberty Shoes campaign proves how creativity and cultural relevance can hit the mark. At Collective, we’re your go-to for all things pop culture, offering brands fresh and unique solutions that truly stand out.”

    Prachaar Communications founder Rakshit Jain said, “Creating the ‘Mera Joota Hindustani’ campaign was a testament to the power of synergy. Collective Artists Network helped bring this vision to life by seamlessly integrating talent, music, creative production and execution. Partnering with Collective, we crafted a campaign that not only celebrates our Indian identity but also resonates with the youth in a way that’s truly viral.”

    Director & DOP Nikunj Singh shared, “I envisioned an extravagant and celebratory piece that captures the spirit of our nation, where celebration serves as a unifying force amidst our diversity. Keeping this vision in mind during the conceptualisation phase, Collaborating with Collective Artists Network helped blend the finest elements with subtle quirks to breathe life into the project.”

  • Economic slowdown: Smart marketers will not make cuts in advertising

    Economic slowdown: Smart marketers will not make cuts in advertising

    MUMBAI: As India battles, probably, the worst of its economic crisis since independence, a lot of industries are battling to keep their businesses going but it seems like the advertising industry is immune from the ill-effects. The marketing industry and the advertisers are seeing the slowdown as a need to advertise more and get more consumers.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on the subject of economic slowdown, Liberty Shoes marketing head Barun Prabhakar said that while the financial crisis is real, it is not going to hamper their business or marketing prospects. “Some 10-20 years back, Indians used to earn first and then burned it. But in today’s time people are spending first and then thinking about earning the money back. So, the challenge for the brands is to stay visible even in tough times, as there is a lot of competition out there, especially from smaller businesses.  The marketing becomes very competitive and you have to evolve your strategies and budgets accordingly.”

    Pidilite Industries Ltd CEO Fevicol division Nitin Chaudhary shared similar thoughts as he quipped that smart marketers will not do short-term cuts in marketing budgets.

    He said, “For brands in our category, there is no direct link between media spends and demands. We advertise to build the brand and keep it salient. I think, in tough times, it is all the more important to make sure that your brand is visible and that’s why the smart marketers will not do any short term cuts. In fact, when the times are tough, they invest in the brands accordingly.”

    Auto industry has taken a serious hit because of the economic slowdown but it also seems positive about the future and denies any chance of revising their marketing spends to lesser amounts.

    TVS Srichakra Ltd executive vice president sales and marketing Madhavan P noted, “Though the industry has been impacted by slow vehicle production in the past few quarters, we expect the domestic tyre demand to grow by 6-8 per cent in the next few years. We are totally confident about the growth of two-wheeler tyre segment, both motorcycles, and scooters. The industry is expected to grow not only in urban and semi-urban areas but also considerable growth will be witnessed in the rural areas in the coming quarters. We are totally confident about the growth of two-wheeler tyre segment, both motorcycles, and scooters.”

    Isobar South Asia group MD Shamsuddin Jasani, however, differed a little in his perspective as he communicated his fears of marketing spends getting slaughtered with a dip in sales. He said that in such cases, advertising takes the first hit.

    But he was positive about the growth of the digital medium. “Advertisers consider reviewing their spends when the times are tough and that gives us a good opportunity to come forward as consultants and help them modify their business so they can have a bigger impact.” He also added that broadcasters who don’t have a sound digital strategy will take a hit in terms of ad revenues as the lines between digital and TV are blurring.

    Prasad Shejale, co-founder and CEO of Logicserve Digital also noted that digital medium is going to strive despite an economic slowdown and many advertisers might take chunks away from traditional spends to invest online.

    He said, "Digital is a way of life and brands will like to be where consumers are at various stages of the buying lifecycle. Thus, the digital industry will see a sustained rise in short as well as long term. In the current scenario, I am not seeing a slump in digital ad spend. Since digital channels are more measurable and efficient, I foresee more number of brands driving budgets from traditional media to digital, and this trend will continue to rise."

    "Brands are certainly cautious while allocating advertising budget but digital continues to be the preferred medium," he added.

    Prabhakar had also hinted a similar trend as he mentioned that dropping ad revenues on TV channels can't be attributed to economic slowdown but a change in the viewers' choice of medium.

  • Independence Day Special: ‘In The Name of Liberty’ campaign asks simple yet pressing questions

    Independence Day Special: ‘In The Name of Liberty’ campaign asks simple yet pressing questions

    MUMBAI: Every Independence Day, a number of brands come out with campaigns that are targeted at celebrating the freedom that we have or to salute those who helped us attain this freedom. And every year, a campaign or two stands out with a slight shift in the narrative that makes people think and act to preserve this freedom.

    This year, it is Liberty Shoes’ ‘In the Name of Liberty’ that is creating the buzz. The campaign is being loved by everyone because of its simple yet hard-hitting narrative. The video covers day-to-day scenarios of our freedom being misused by us trough acts like littering, using racial slangs, and being uncompassionate to make a very important point. The team behind this great campaign, which is running across digital channels and in PVR cinemas, recently interacted with Indiantelevision.com to share what went behind in the creation of this gem.

    Liberty Shoes marketing head Barun Prabhakar shared that he started conceptualising this video a few months back, in May, with the simple thought that do we respect the freedom that we have or not.

    He said, “We people are privileged as we are born free. And we really don’t care about how difficult it would have been for people who were living in an era when they were struggling to get even a single thing done. We have taken our freedom for granted. We have a liberty to choose and liberty to reject, but the biggest problem in the country is that we restrict it to just ourselves. We don’t think what our liberty for expression can cultivate in society.”

    Prabhakar shared that when he was developing this concept, he wasn’t sure if he will be taking it to such a big platform or not as it could have appeared as a political campaign to a few, thus suppressing what it actually stood for.

    “When I started conceptualising this thought, there were several more chapters to it. I will not like taking any names but the murder of a certain journalist in Bengaluru and the lynching of a certain individual in a village in Noida, were some of the events that were a part of the narrative. But when you make a two-minute long video and put such episodes in it, it can start appearing as a political campaign to a few,” he said.

    Prabhakar continued, “But now, if you look at this video, there are certain incidents that we have portrayed which might appear smaller than the instances removed but are equally important. For example, the first sequence shows a man urinating on the road. It might seem like a small thing, but it has a big impact on us as a society, on our upbringing, and on our learning. When you start watching this video, it might appear as a comic sequence but if you continue to travel with it, you will realise what this actually stands for.”

    He noted that it took immense efforts of the whole team to come out with the final product. “I was looking after the concept and ideation, we had Flamingo Digital on board for execution and the Indian Ocean was working with us for the music. They created a number of tracks, which were reworked on for over a month to come with the final tune that we have.”

    He added, “Also, Piyush Mishra was my first choice for narration. He was in my head even when I had started conceptualising. It took a few calls for him to come on board.”

    There was a 20-25 member team from Flamingo Digital working on the execution of the project as shared by Prabhakar.  

    Flamingo Digital Pvt Ltd CEO & co-founder Dev Batra and NCD & co-founder Yeshwant Miranda said, “The work is not the effort of one single individual or a handful of them. There are countless who have worked behind the scenes to make it successful and we are thankful to everyone who made it possible.”

    Speaking about the process that they undertook to deliver the final ad, Batra and Miranda shared, “Barun, wanted an idea that can create buzz, at the same time tread a bold path, so that the brand can stand out. We looked at several insights and decided to do negative narration as a means to grab the audience's attention. Hence we decided what if we turn the lyrics of 'Saare Jahan Sey Accha' on its head, in a modern scenario. Once we knew where we're heading, Nishant our copywriter, got down to identify things in society that, we take for granted in the name of freedom. However, the process to identify the right was co-created with Barun's feedback and inputs”

    The whole team is proud of the response that the campaign is getting online. Prabhakar shared that he was not aware that the campaign will create such wonders while working on it. “I knew that this will go a long way and might attract some criticism too but I was prepared for that.”

    Batra and Miranda added, “As an agency and as a brand, if we are able to drive some goodness into people's way of thinking and changing behaviour for the same, it makes us feel, we are in a far responsible place than just propagate consumerism.”

  • Liberty Shoes joins hands with Piyush Mishra for Independence Day campaign

    Liberty Shoes joins hands with Piyush Mishra for Independence Day campaign

    MUMBAI: Freedom is the right of choice and liberty is right to choose. Today, do we even realise what independence means? Is the definition limited to getting out of your homes and travelling to any part of the country or probably holding a peaceful gathering in an open playground and expressing your opinions? More importantly, is freedom restricted to providing your fundamental rights as a citizen? Freedom has come down to a plastic celebration these days.

    Liberty, a brand to reckon with is the synonym of freedom that describes the quality or the state of being Independent and Free. 

    Considering the reality of today, Liberty has come with an action rather than a solution to evoke the sense of urgency and seriousness amongst the audience. ‘IN THE NAME OF LIBERTY’ is Liberty’s initiative to exemplify the current scenario. They took examples from everyday life like racism, gender inequality, disrespectful behaviour towards women that we encounter and choose to ignore. It’s not the actions we blame, but also the mindset we carry.

    https://www.facebook.com/124816674226948/posts/3002667236441863?s=543236168&v=e&sfns=mo

    To showcase this above-mentioned agenda, Liberty Shoes has shot an in-house production, a short film and to express its voice, renowned singer and lyricist Piyush Mishra has joined hands with Liberty for the campaign. The strong and subtle music is given by the Indian Ocean band. The expression and execution are led by marketing head Barun Prabhakar who believes in the concept of visualising the current scenario and changing the mindsets through self realisation.

    He says, "There lays a very slight difference, a very thin line between using and miss-using our freedom in the name of Liberty but the impact of this is vast. We are planning to expand the visibility of this initiative through digital media and cinema. As the responsible brand of the country Liberty came with the initiative to be the change they want to see because freedom is a right and Liberty is a conscious effort.”