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Tag: Ogilvy and Mather

  • O&M makes senior hires; names Alok Sinha as president planning

    O&M makes senior hires; names Alok Sinha as president planning

    MUMBAI: With an aim to strengthen its top brass of management, the Gurgaon office of Ogilvy and Mather has made a number of additions to its senior management team – the prime one being the appointment of Alok Sinha as the president – planning.

     

    “As our business gets more dynamic and interconnected every day, we are constantly looking for leaders who can join the dots effectively and enable a better, more integrated creative product,” said Ogilvy North executive creative director Ajay Gahlaut.

     

    Sinha, who comes with over 20 years of experience across fields like research, advertising, media and digital, finds his new position at Ogilvy’s Gurgaon office as a “homecoming.”

     

    “I’m quite excited at the prospect of bringing a ‘no boundaries’ approach to account planning for clients – having traversed the entire spectrum myself. The communication business is at the confluence of two tectonic forces – content and data. Ogilvy Delhi has some of the most prestigious clients and talent in the country and my job is to try help both our clients and our talent effectively navigate this confluence for business success,” adds Sinha.

     

    Priot to this, Sinha led the strategic digital mandate for Mindshare in South Asia, where his focus was on strengthening Mindshare’s planning product and the strong integration of digital thinking on businesses including futuristic projects like the Loop Room. He has also had extensive experience across South East Asia, in a regional communications planning role at Aegis and subsequently as lead on the P&G businesses at Carat, Philippines.

     

    This move was the first amongst a series of new appointments that Ogilgy and Mather’s Gugaon office has undergone. The other key addition to the team is Chandana Agarwal, who has taken up the role of managing partner of the advertising function. 

     

    Agarwal has been with Soho Square and Ogilvy Gurgaon for over four years now. In her role as managing partner, she will work with Ogilvy Gurgaon branch head Kapil Arora to steward the advertising business of Ogilvy.

     

    This was followed by bringing Namrata Balwani on board as senior vice president and head of OgilvyOne, Gurgaon. Balwani moves in from Media2win, a digital agency she co-founded, where she was CEO.

     

    “I am excited to lead an amazing OgilvyOne team in Gurgaon. Digital platforms and connectivity, especially mobile, are transforming India at a speed never seen before. This is the best time to not only be a part of the transformation but also lead the charge and OgilvyOne is well poised to do that for all its brand partners,” Balwani said.

     

    Speaking on the new appointments, Arora said, “Over the last three years, the office has grown significantly across disciplines and we felt the need to bring in the right talent to help navigate our clients’ businesses through a rapidly changing environment. Between Alok, Chandana and Namrata, we have some of the best talent at hand, to fuel the creative product and to partner our clients in building their businesses.”

  • O&M’s ‘Giant Footprints’ campaign bags silver at Cannes Lion 2015

    O&M’s ‘Giant Footprints’ campaign bags silver at Cannes Lion 2015

    MUMBAI: Filaria (vernacularly known as Haatipaon) is a venomous disease which gallops million lives in India due lack of awareness amongst people. The mandate to generate this awareness amongst the target, so that they could accept medication was given to Ogilvy and Mather Mumbai. The result of which was the creation of TVC ‘Giant Footprints’ by O&M executive creative director Sumanto Chattopadhyay.

     

    The TVC got not just a million feet to medical centers but also garnered a silver Lion at the ongoing Cannes Lions 2015.

     

    “I pushed hard to get the campaign registered at Cannes Lions, but the fact that it did not win any accolades in India was raising doubts in my mind. Now the fact that it indeed won a silver Lion is extremely satisfying,” says Chattopadhyay to indiantelevision.com.

     

    The TVC was shot in Apte village in Bhor district of Maharashtra, and was targeted towards all the rural and semi rural parts of the country. “The core idea behind the video was to make it look like a universal India video which is relevant to each and every part of the country. So, be it for someone watching it in east or south India, it should resemble his or her locality,” informs Chattopadhyay.

     

    “Cannes Lion is an amazing recognition but the number of people who reached medical centers after watching the video is something more inspiring,” asserts Chattopadhyay.       

     

    Besides O&M’s silver Lion is for the ‘Giant Footprints’ campaign for Sabin Vaccine Institute, Indian Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (Filaria Dose) India had one more winner in the Pharma category. Medulla won a bronze Lion for the ‘Spinning Living Room’ campaign for Johnson & Johnson’s Cinnarazine in the Print section.

     

     

    McCann won two silver Lions, one for its campaign for Dabur’s Gastrina and other for Essel Group’s Dish TV. The agency is the only Indian organization so far to win two Lions in 2015. Grey won one silver Lion for its campaign for DHL while Taproot Dentsu bagged a bronze Lion for its Pimp creative for Bennett Coleman’s Mumbai Mirror.

  • Piyush Pandey breaks stereotypes with Anouk ad

    Piyush Pandey breaks stereotypes with Anouk ad

    MUMBAI: Famous for coming up with out of the box ideas, Ogilvy and Mather executive chairman and national creative director Piyush Pandey has managed to touch a raw nerve with the Bold Is Beautiful campaign orchestrated for Anouk.

     

    Anouk is an apparel brand that specializes in Indian and traditional women clothes and is promoted by Myntra. Pandey and his maverick bunch were looking to convey the message that it’s not just the westerners who are progressive in their thinking and are breaking stereotypes and that traditional Indians are also very much doing it. To convey this message, O&M launched an ad featuring a lesbian couple in a live-in relationship. One of them has invited her parents to meet her partner and the ad emphasizes on their preparation to encounter The Visit.

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com about the ad Pandey says, “No idea is drawn without keeping the brand in my mind. Anouk is an Indian wear specialist and there are a number of other brands who specialize in the same so we had to come up with something that stands out and that’s how Bold is Beautiful came into existence.”

     

    The ad went viral and has garnered more than one million views on YouTube. The ad began trending on social media too, and also kick-started a debate as to whether this ad featuring a lesbian couple was the first of its kind.

     

    When queried if the debate made a difference to the creators, Pandey replies, “I don’t know if this is the first or not and I wasn’t really concerned about that either. For me, if there is an understanding of the brand and the creative, you create complements or add value to that. And that’s what really matters. Of course we wanted our work to stand out and leave a mark but we were not concerned whether it was the first ad to feature a lesbian couple.”

     

    “The reaction we got so far is overwhelming and frankly speaking I did not expect it to be so positive. This only goes to prove that we have taken a step forward. I knew people will talk about it positively but such a wide reaction is highly satisfying. It’s almost like the viewers and the client telling us, Bold Is Beautiful,” Pandey adds.

     

     

    Breaking stereotypes has been a key facet for Pandey and his India team. Not long back the ad men did something similar with Her Life, Her Choices campaign for Titan Raga, which got again got more than one million views on YouTube.

     

    The film begins with a lady sitting in a cafeteria and a reading book. A man asks her if the seat is occupied and without looking at him she says that it’s empty. Eventually when she looks at him she finds the interruption was by her ex-lover. When she asks him how he has been, he makes a reference to her leaving him. As they talk and catch up, it is revealed that both of them are still single. On being asked why it is so, she tells the man that she never gets time from work. This being something he knew all too well, he makes a passing comment about how their relationship would have worked had she stopped working. She retaliates by saying that he could have also quit. Offended, he tells her that he could not have quit; seeing how he is a man and says, “How can a man not work.”

     

    Amused, she looks down at her Raga and tells him that he is still the same man that she had left all those years ago. She then proceeds to offer the ashamed man coffee as she goes on talking.

     

    The film ends with a shot of the watch and her voice over saying, “Khud se naya rishta.” (A new relationship with one’s self).

     

     

    Taproot also made an ad that broke stereotypes in recent times in their commercial for Airtel, where the wife is shown as being the boss. Both husband and wife work in the same office where the woman is the boss. The ad shows her giving assignments to her husband and also assigning constraint deadlines. However, post office hours, she goes home and cooks for him while he is busy working. The ad brings a smile to every viewer and also sends a strong message across.

     

     

    Sanitary napkin brand Sofy has also launched a non-conventional TVC where they ask why girls say they are down while they have their period and a send across a strong message that having their period is not something to hide. A few years back, daily broadsheet Hindustan Times launched a commercial featuring two homosexual men out for a date and a spectator stares at them with suspicion. At that very moment another man slaps him with a HT newspaper and the tagline says, “It’s time to open up.”

     

    Later, Fastrack came up with a commercial featuring a lesbian encounter as a part of its quirky series of ‘Move On’ ads.

     

    With Indian ads becoming progressive and open-minded, the message is loud is clear that the saree and kurta are apparels not thoughts and people should not be judged based on what they wear. The Indian ad fraternity is setting a strong example of a progressive nature and it is being lauded by the one and all.

     

    This time it was Ogilvy’s Piyush Pandey and his ‘men in black,’ who took the country towards liberalism one step at a time… tomorrow it will be someone else from another organization who is bold enough to break typecasts and come up with something liberally different!

  • Titan’s Celestial Time campaign features actor Raj Kumar Rao

    Titan’s Celestial Time campaign features actor Raj Kumar Rao

    MUMBAI: Titan Company’s new moon phase watches – Celestial Time – will see versatile actor Raj Kumar Rao featuring in the ad campaign.

     

    Titan Company watches and accessories CEO H G Raghunath along with Rao unveiled the collection.

     

    The ad shows Rao as a young, successful entrepreneur meeting his ex-boss. Through their conversation, we learn of the young entrepreneur’s success streak and that he is looking for a CEO for his company. The young entrepreneur says he has someone in mind but is unsure of how to make an offer for the post. His ex-boss says it’s no big deal; all he has to do is go up to the person and say, “You’re the guy for the job.”

     

    The young man looks down at his treasured Titan Celestial Time watch and gathers the confidence to look at his ex-boss and tell him – “You’re the guy for the job,” taking the senior gentleman by surprise. The film ends with a splendid shot of the Celestial Time watch and a resounding message: Your time has come.

     

    Remarking on the thought behind the commercial, Titan Company general manager – Titan Rajan Amba says, “The new ad immediately strikes the core idea behind Titan’s new range of moon phase watches. It is carved for young men in their twenties, who dare to be creative and start their own business, who raise multi million dollar funds through their start ups. This watch embodies that spirits and the Rajkumar’s character in the ad film is the representative of these young CEOs and entrepreneurs.”

     

    According to Amba, the total spends on the ad campaign was around Rs 10 – 13 crore.

     

    Conceptualised by Ogilvy and Mather, the 70 second ad was directed by Vivek Kakkar, a close friend of Rao under the production house Curios.

     

    “India is home to a rapidly growing number of entrepreneurs.  We wanted to weave this in a story that would reflect the values of the brand in a very honest, charming and an intimate way,” says Ogilvy and Mather Bangalore executive creative director Steve Hough, reiterating Amba’s words.

     

    With a price ranging between Rs 12,000 – 14,000, Celestial Time is expected to be crucial to Titan plan of premiumisation of the brand. Powered by Titan’s state of the art technology in coming up with their own patent of moon phase dial, the watch didn’t fail to live up to the ad campaign’s hype.

  • Kyoorius Awards 2015: Ogilvy makes a clean sweep with 15 Elephants

    Kyoorius Awards 2015: Ogilvy makes a clean sweep with 15 Elephants

    MUMBAI: In possibly the best organised award shows in town, Kyoorius, in association with D&AD, announced the winners of the 2015 Advertising & Digital Awards at the DOME at the NSCI, SVP Stadium in Mumbai.

     

    Ogilvy won 15 Blue Elephants, 13 in advertising and two in digital awards. DDB Mudra won six Blue Elephants and was the only agency to bag the Black Elephant. Contract India bagged five Blue Elephants followed by Ideas@work with three Blue Elephant and BBDO India with two Blue Elephants.

     

    The night, which was presented by Colors, brought together over 1200 professionals from the advertising, digital and marketing industries and clients across India to celebrate in Indian creativity. Like it is said, in typical ‘Kyoorius fashion’ the night was unlike any awards ceremony – from the Times Square-inspired sets, to the sound and motion graphics. The entire visual experience for the night was created by Dutch studio Addikt.

     

    A total of 1419 entries (up almost 40 per cent from the previous year) were submitted across Advertising & Digital categories. Of the 163 In Book winners, 48 entries were awarded Blue Elephants, and one entry was awarded the ever-elusive Black Elephant.

     

    DDB Mudra, Ideas@Work, Ogilvy, Contract Advertising, Scarecrow Communications, Soho Square, BBH, BBDO India, Dentsu Webchutney, Madison, Madison BMB, ITSA Brand Innovations, Experience Commerce, Rediffusion Y&R, BBH, Famous Innovations, Havas Worldwide, Fanatics, Grey, Linen Lintas, PHD India, Sapient, Web Maffia, River Advertising, Creativeland Asia, Blink Digital, Whyness Worldwide, and TBWA were some of the agencies who were awarded the ‘Baby Elephant’ trophy as In Book winners.

     

    Of the 163 In Book winners, also nominees for Blue Elephants, the advertising and digital juries awarded 36 Blue Elephants in Advertising and 12 Blue Elephants in Digital categories.

     

    In the advertising categories, the 36 Blue Elephant winners included campaigns by Contract Advertising, Ideas@Work, Creativeland Asia, Ogilvy, Early Man Film, DDB Mudra, BBDO, Fanatics, Grey, TBWA and Linen Lintas.

     

    In digital categories, 12 Blue Elephant winners included work by PHD India, Pigeon & Co., Quasar, Quidich, Dentsu Webchutney, Experience Commerce, Leaf Design, Madison Media, Sapient and Ogilvy.

     

    Black Elephants are reserved for work that redefines the category it is entered in, by taking risks, creating a new conversation with the audience or lasting impact on the industry.

     

    DDB Mudra was awarded the only Black Elephant this year for the direct marketing campaign, Health Cha Shree Ganesh. The campaign for Nutralite, gave everyone’s favourite portly idol a healthy makeover – With a physically fit statue and equally fit priest, accompanied by sugar free modaks and offerings at a pandal in Mumbai. Devotees could participate in Zoomba workouts while waiting in line and donate calories while working out on a treadmill.

     

    Kyoorius founder CEO Rajesh Kejriwal said, “We are overwhelmed by the response this year, the 1419 entries are further acknowledgement of the industry’s support for the Kyoorius Awards. Our international jury and open format ensure that we are a truly neutral and transparent platform that stimulates the industry and nurtures future creative talent. Every year we notice certain trends that prevail in the work entered. This year we saw a lot of work around gender equality and women’s rights, reflecting the national sentiment surrounding these sensitive issues. And of course, in a World Cup year, plenty of cricket.”

     

    D&AD CEO Tim Lindsay added, “The Kyoorius Awards continue to grow in size and stature, and are an important indicator of the world class standards of the Indian creative scene. But the real heroes are the creatives themselves, who are producing ever more engaging, emotional and beautifully crafted work. D&AD are proud to partner.”

     

    Colors CEO Raj Nayak said, “Colors is proud to be associated with the Kyoorius Awards, and we are happy to see that it’s become so successful in the second year. Congratulations to all the elephant winners.”

     

    Alongside the Elephant winners, all nominations will be featured in the Kyoorius Advertising Awards Annual and the Kyoorius Digital Awards Annual – distributed to over 5000 corporate and creatives across India – providing an invaluable and unrivalled source of creative inspiration.

     

    The awards night marked the end of the two-day festival of creativity in advertising, media and marketing developed by Kyoorius in partnership with ZEE, GroupM and D&AD.

     

    Terminology

     

    Unlike other awards programmes, Kyoorius Awards have no gold, silver or bronze, and it is the jury’s prerogative to award more than one Blue Elephant in a category, or none at all.

     

    In-Book: Work that stands out above the rest and meets the three judging criteria, for being 1) An original and inspiring idea, 2) Well-executed, and 3) Relevant to its context. Amongst the best pieces of work in the year, in-book winners are the nominees for Blue Elephants.

     

    Blue Elephant: Checks off all three criteria and reaches the Kyoorius Awards benchmark of creative excellence. Recognised as a symbol of the very highest creative achievement.

     

    Black Elephant: Best of Show. The ultimate prize. Work that is truly ground-breaking amongst all the judged work.

  • Ad men endorse Crash the IPL, but say agencies need not worry

    Ad men endorse Crash the IPL, but say agencies need not worry

    MUMBAI: PepsiCo is known for its innovations when it comes to television commercials, from Yeh Hai Youngistan Meri Jaan to the Cricket VS Football ad, featuring football legends like Frank Lampard, Fernendo Torres, Didier Drogba and Indian youngsters Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Harbhajan Singh. Be it cricket or football world cup or Indian Premier League (IPL), Pepsi has always maintained its elegance while promoting them by hiring a top class creative agency, roping in big names as brand ambassadors and spending bagfuls of money. However, the 2015 IPL saw an absolute new initiative from the cola giant, where it handed the creative reigns of its ads to the consumer.

    Pepsi launched an ad film competition where consumers were asked to submit a 30 second ad film. The best of the lot would be showcased as a TVC (television commercial), besides that the winner of a phase would get a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000. Five such winners would be judged by a panel which comprises Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor, music director Pritam Chakraborty, film producer and director Gautham Menon, Pepsico India senior director marketing Ruchira Jaitly and advertising veteran-turned author Anuja Chauhan. Besides, the cash prize winner also gets the opportunity to enjoy the match from the Pepsi VIP box.

    Not many knew about Nikita Deshpande before the ad she made got recognition and was telecast on television. Deshpande is an aspiring filmmaker and has been working in the film industry. With the help of her friends, she ensured that they don’t leave any stone unturned. From VFX to colour correction, from set designing to voice modulation, from creativity to technicality, the ad ticked all the check boxes. Practically by paying just Rs 1,00,000, Pepsi got a quality ad without holding numerous meetings with creative agencies.

    PepsiCo India Holdings chairman and CEO D Shivakumar was asked during Goafest if consumers started making ads, what will agencies do? He replied, “The agency is very much involved in the campaign as a jury member and they will ensure that the content that’s showcased isn’t derogatory or controversial.”

    Ad filmmakers are the best story tellers and have the capacity to change the fate of brand with just one ad. However, here instead of making TVCs, they are judging them. This opens the door for many other companies too. If they aren’t satisfied with the creative agency or vice versa and they have a good consumer connection, they may ask consumers to make ads instead of agencies. However this has the possibility to irk the advertising fraternity.

    Ogilvy and Mather national creative director Rajiv Rao believes that Pepsi’s campaign is an amazing example of crowd sourcing. He says, “I don’t think advertising has to worry about anything. Crash the Pepsi IPL is also a creative idea. It is an amazing concept to engage consumers and if you have a platform like IPL and a product like Pepsi, you can experiment and implement such ideas. All the ads that have been aired would have been rejected if an agency would have approached with it. The concept behind crash the Pepsi IPL is not the video but the engagement and this is not something new. Twenty years back also agencies interacted with consumers for taglines and slogans. This is a one of a kind campaign where the motto was to make the country a part of it. At the end of the day, people want to see quality ads executed exclusively, which only the ad agencies or evolved ad film makers can produce. Whenever an ad agency make an ad its tested, well researched and then executed and hence in my opinion Crash the IPL is a great concept but advertising agencies have nothing to worry about. The bottom line is – Not everyone can make an ad.”

    On the possibilities of the advertising fraternity getting impacted by Crash The IPL campaign, Lowe Lintas + partners national creative director Arun Iyer says, “I think it is an interesting and creative idea when it comes to engagement. People will submit good videos and some would be silly too. I don’t see any possibility of the advertising fraternity facing a blow of any sorts. The agency will stay relevant the way they are and we will keep making ads for various clients.”

    A source from the advertising fraternity asserts, “There will be few more attempts by different brands and not all will succeed. Pepsi’s campaign has given an option to brands not satisfied with the agencies to try something different and this thought will stay in the mind of the agencies when they go for a client meeting. Overall, if we keep doing quality work, no one will be able to take our place. Yes, while consumers are making the ad, the brand is also surrounded by popular figures like Virat Kohli and Ranbir Kapoor. We have to keep that in mind too.”

    Maxus managing partner South India & South Asia Sanchayeeta Verma opines, “Our world has changed. Both professional broadcast content and amateur but exceptional user-generated content co-exist today and there is a place and need for both. This is a brave move by Pepsi, acknowledging what is happening in the real world and acting on it. The communication solutions that agencies provide don’t exist outside the real world and they should embrace this trend, rather than worry about it. Our content teams at Maxus have spotted this trend in the past and done some very compelling work for our brands, using this trend.”

    Stalwarts like Satyajit Ray and Christopher Nolan started their career making ad for different brands, and the breed keeps multiplying with time. Ad filmmakers are always tagged as the best story tellers but sometime the standards does tend to dip. Crash the IPL campaign is a wakeup call for agencies… till they manage to stay unique, creative and allusive, no one can take their place, but if they ever become lackadaisical, there are other options too.

  • Love story to be flag bearer of Tata Sky’s disruptive initiative

    Love story to be flag bearer of Tata Sky’s disruptive initiative

    MUMBAI: Indian DTH player Tata Sky rattled competitors when it launched the world’s first ‘Daily Recharge’ plan for a meager Rs 8, which gave viewers the choice to enjoy TV on a daily basis.

     

    In order to promote this disruptive concept, Tata Sky introduced a first of its kind ad campaign in association with Ogilvy & Mather, comprising a series of 13 TVCs. The campaign weaved into a love story, showcases the Daily Recharge of Rs 8 as the catalyst, igniting a love interest between two youngsters.

     

    Set in a small town in Kashmir, 13 episodes will slowly unveil how the product works and cleverly amplify the benefits of Daily Recharge, through Mannu (Prit Kamani) and Neelu (Himani Sisodiya) the protagonists of the love story. Keeping the thrill to know ‘what happens next?’ alive, each TVC will smoothly highlight how the Daily Recharge enables convenience and value for money. The ad will also aptly shows how Daily Recharge empowers subscribers to be in control of their TV expenses, conveying – Jis din TV dekho sirf uss din ke paise do (You only pay for the day you watch TV).

     

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com on the campaign insight, Ogilvy & Mather executive creative director Sukesh Nayak says, “We had to make the small towns and rural India fall in love with Daily Recharge – a product that was designed to make DTH accessible and affordable to rural and small towns in India. We launched this product with a unique love story that promotes everyday usage in an interesting manner. The promise: “Daily milenge toh pyaar to hoga hi” is a simple expression of the product benefit and the brand promise. To further reinforce daily usage, the campaign evolved over multiple episodes.”

     

    When queried on the reason behind choosing Kashmir as the location for the ad shoot, Nayak says, “We wanted a quaint and beautiful small town setting for a romantic story, and Gulmarg is a place you would fall in love with at first sight.”

     

    Every successful one of a kind campaign tends to start a trend and is copied by others. When queried as to whether he sees this concept becoming a trend, Nayak says, “It is not necessary that the multi-film concept will start trending, as it is the idea that drives an execution like this.”

     
    The ads were launched during the Indian Premier League (IPL) with one episode being played each day. Of the ad’s 13 films, every episode is released simultaneously on TV and on the digital platform.

     

    All the videos garnered substantial number of views, but an unusual trend has emerged from the campaign. Of all the eight videos released so far on the social media platform, the first has the least views while the last has the most. Talking about the same, Nayak says, “In an episodic campaign, the response peaks as the story unfolds, hence the ascending views on YouTube. We are extremely happy with the response we have got. This campaign pitches a value offering in a very emotional and endearing manner. If we look at the category both the product and campaign have a very innovative approach.” 

     

    The ads were launched during the Indian Premier League (IPL) with one episode being played each day. Of the ad’s 13 films, every episode is released simultaneously on TV and on the digital platform.

  • Cricket World Cup 2015: A festive ground for new TVCs

    Cricket World Cup 2015: A festive ground for new TVCs

    MUMBAI: The India vs Pakistan cricket matches are always a nerve tester for players, but this time the test was not restricted to the green field alone. The test went on to the creative desks of advertising agencies. The mission being: to make a unique presentation for their client and garner viewer attention.

    The marketing blitz was started by Star Sports, the official broadcaster for the ICC Cricket World Cup, when it launched a TVC emphasising on the history of the two teams in 50 overs World Cup since 1992. Named Mauka (opportunity), the TVC depicts how Pakistan has never been able to burst crackers after a match against India in the World Cup. The TVC starts with a young man buying crackers in 1992 when Pakistan played against India for the first time in the World Cup. Pakistan lost the match and since then after every four years he gets the box of crackers out but Pakistan loses. Eventually his kid starts getting optimistic and removes the box but Pakistan continues to lose, so the dejected father and son keep waiting for a mauka (opportunity). The campaign has been planned and executed by Star India and its internal creative team.

    Star, as an extension to the mauka campaign, has now launched another TVC. This time it emphasises on how India has never won a match against South Africa in the World Cup. The two teams face each other on 22 February and it remains to be seen what Star comes up with after that.

    If Star’s TVC was about competition and comparison, Pidilite came up with a totally different concept. The brand used the emotional quotient of the neighbouring countries to garner attention with its todo nahin jodo (don’t divide, unite) campaign. The film opens with an arched gate. One soldier each from both sides is seen parading and marching. Each is trying to outdo the other, and as they go through their marching routine, the Indian soldier notices the peeled shoe sole of the other soldier. Fearing a loss-of-face, as crowds look on, he looks appealingly at his rival on the other side. The other soldier waves his arms about in a flurry of movement following which the shoe is shown as being fixed. A slow motion replay reveals that the soldier has in fact pulled out a tube of Fevikwik and mended the shoe instantly, the action hidden by the speed of his movements. The march continues and the soldiers salute each other at which point, a Super appears on screen while a VO is also heard saying –Fevikwik. Todo nahin, Jodo! (don’t divide, unite).

    Commenting on the campaign O&M executive chairman & creative director South Asia Piyush Pandey told Indiantelevision.com, “Fevikwick is a brand of bonding so while there was animosity everywhere we decided to take the path of unity. The ad depicts competitiveness but ends with a smile and Fevikwik is about bringing a smile on the face of everyone in the world. The ceremony is something that happens every day.” 

    The ad is buzzing on social media, and will certainly trend for a while. While the entire world was supporting either of the teams, the Pidilite ad successfully brought a smile to each and everyone irrespective of their domicile.

    Madras Rubber Factory (MRF) also launched its campaign during the India vs Pakistan match. The film begins with the Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli getting a call from a girl and Formula 1 driver Narayan Kartyekein connected to the technical team in the racing circuit. Both of them are given five minutes to reach their destination. Kohli drives a sedan while Karthikheyan drifts on his racing car. Both start racing to meet their respective deadline. The ad emphasises on the tyres and with a motto to establish itself as all utility tyre brand. The film ends with the message– ‘There’s a lot riding on us.’ That is symbolic of the hopes of millions of Indian fans who want the team to return with the World Cup just like MRF tyres that undertook the journey of making the players reach safely to their destination. The ad has a very abstract ending. 

    Speaking about the campaign Lowe Lintas executive director G V Krishnan asserted, “MRF has been serving the country for over 60 years by providing new age solutions in the tyre category. We have been in the forefront of tyre technology and go to great lengths to test the performance of our tyres and subject them to rigorous tests on the race track.  All with an intent to provide the very best of customer experience. We chose Virat and Narain as both are performers and stretch themselves to deliver consistently. The story with Virat and Narain depicts how both perform their task cut out effortlessly on a MRF tyre which was born on the race track to perform on any road.”

    On the target audience, he said, “The entire Indian Diaspora was our target. It certainly communicated the message that we were trying to and we have received good feedback.”

    Indian telecom network Airtel also used the platform to launch its One Family One Plan scheme. The brand used family drama as its unique concept. The ad shows how a child is being extremely nice and sweet to his father. The Airtel One Family One Plan enables member of the family to share his or her plan with the other. So the kid behaves nicely to his father to get blessed with a share of the family postpaid plan. The mother is also very much present throughout the ad and encourages the kid. The ad uses famous Bollywood song Phoolon ka taroon ka sab ka kehna he ek hazaroon mein meri behna hai with some modification. Keeping the tune same, the song is re sung where the behna (Sister) is replaced by papa (father). 

    Speaking about the commercial Taproot co-founder and chief creative officer Santosh Padhi said, “The TVC has nothing to do with sports. We decided the cricket World Cup as the right time to launch the campaign. The ad is made to depict family emotions as the product is one family one plan. Depending on the product, we execute our creative plans and we did the same this time too.”

    Dettol India also used the platform to launch its Maa Mane Dettol Ka Dhula (mother trusts only Dettol) campaign. The hygiene product manufacturer launched two TVC’s during India – Pakistan clash. Both the commercials emphasise on the mother’s care for their children. Dettol dettol chants are used in various parts of the ad.      

    Cricbuzz.com, a property of Times Internet which provides all round cricket coverage of international  and other domestic cricket tournaments from around the world has launched its first marketing campaign in the form of TV ads. It revolves around the concept Cricket Ka Keeda To Hoga Hi, Jab Ho Cricbuzz Ka Mobile App, which translates to – The Cricket Bug will surely bite you, when you have the Cricbuzz mobile app on your smartphone. The TV ads present real life scenarios and how the Cricbuzz App changes the way you react to them.

    Cricbuzz Milk Ad: The ad starts with a man engrossed in his phone while entering the door. He apparently was asked to get milk by his wife. When the wife sees him she asks for the milk, he replicates the bowling action and throws the packet on her head. When he sees his wife’s stunned face he says, Bouncer tha, duck karna tha na baby! (baby! You should have ducked, it was a bouncer).

    Packaged food brand Lay’s, too came up with a new ad titled Yeh Game Hi Hai Taste Ka (the game is of taste). The brand has used the timing as its unique selling point. The World Cup timings are indeed problematic for a cricket fan. The Ranbir Kapoor starrer TVC emphasises on how Ranbir successfully manages to rescue his friends out from their respective work place to catch the World Cup action live on TV. 

    Mobile app Saavn also roped in Ranbir Kapoor for its pitch jo bhi ho playlist saavn ka ho campaign. The video emphasises on how an Indian gets carried away by the world cup fever and uses abusive language to depict emotions.

    Another video from Saavn sees Ranbir informing viewers on the new ways of playing music. Narrating rhythmic dialogues the film star explains the evolution of mobile music. The video ends with Ranbir saying Saavn daalo Music barsao dialogue and entering a theater.

    Besides the new advertisements, many brands kept their old TVCs running during the World Cup. E-commerce venture YepMe continued with the Shah Rukh Khan starrer TVC. Ceat tyre too stayed with the chik (sneeze) ad featuring Irfan Khan. The TVCs were well complemented by innovative L bands throughout the match. 

    Overall, the ICC Cricket World Cup is turning out to be an exhibition of TVCs where creative minds are going all out to leave an impact on the viewers’ mind. While some are going for high profile celebrities, others are trying to win hearts conceptually. Todo Nahi Jodo is amongst the most popular videos on YouTube and certainly leads the lot.

  • Kabaddi gets a new life with ‘Pro Kabaddi League’

    Kabaddi gets a new life with ‘Pro Kabaddi League’

    MUMBAI: After various leagues around cricket, hockey, badminton, football and tennis, it was time for Kabbadi to make a foray. Not missing the opportunity to bring back the rustic Indian sport to the limelight, Mashal Sports and the International Kabaddi Federation (IKF) launched the Pro Kabaddi League at the National Sports Club of India today.

     

    The sport has progressed from being a loved Indian game to the international platform. The League aims to extend its reach further to the international arena by bringing Indian and international players along with acclaimed Indian personalities and sports authorities on the same platform.

     

    The official website www.prokabaddi.com will be a repository of information on all things related to Pro Kabaddi as well as Kabaddi in general while Star Sports will be the official broadcast partner for the League, the matches of which will be held on a ‘home and away’ format with daily, LIVE, prime-time coverage.

     

    Star India COO Sanjay Gupta said: “Our association with Kabaddi is in line with our stated objective of transforming the sports landscape and enabling the growth of a multi-sport culture in India. Pro Kabaddi will build an ecosystem that can potentially take this game to the next level. We plan to offer an immersive and engaging experience for the Kabaddi viewers.”

     

    Mashal Sports co-promoter Anand Mahindra, who will play a key role in taking Kabaddi to another level, tweeted: “Had asked you about supporting indigenous sport, specifically Kabaddi. Well proud to be a co-promoter of #ProKabaddi league we launched today.”

     

    During the launch of the league, he also stated: “A vibrant, professional sports league can bring about a transformational change for the sport and its players. Pro Kabaddi is our attempt at bringing this change to our very own, extremely popular sport of Kabaddi. The modern, international, competitive form of the quintessentially Indian sport is already extremely popular across the world and with good television coverage and passionate team owners; Kabaddi’s massive following has the potential to make it the next big thing in sport.”

    Mashal Sports MD and well known commentator, compere and quizmaster Charu Sharma, who is the force behind conceptualising and organising the league recalled how he was pleasantly shocked to see the power, passion and reach of Kabaddi while commentating during the 2006 Doha Asian Games. “I just knew, instinctively then, and more surely now, that modern, international Kabaddi has all the ingredients required to make it a major, visible force in the world of sport. I am truly grateful to the many visionaries who have made Pro Kabaddi possible,” he remarked.

     

    World Sport Group (WSG) is the official commercial and event partners of the Pro Kabaddi League that has seen significant franchisee interest. Already pledging their support as team owners are leading entrepreneurs such as Ronnie Screwvala, Rajesh Shah (Mukand Group) and Kishore Biyani. Advanced discussions are on with other corporate giants such as the GMR Group and Murugappa Group. Even Shah Rukh Khan is known to be interested in it.

     

    The league has been organised in association with International Kabaddi Federation, Asian Kabaddi Federation and Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India.

     

    All Pro Kabaddi League matches will be played on a specially developed mat in state of the art indoor stadiums across eight cities. Top Kabaddi players from across India and the globe will participate in a show of intense competition and sporting camaraderie. A 10-minute exhibition match between top players in an ‘arena-within-an-arena’ at the NSCI Indoor Stadium, Mumbai spectacularly showcased the fresh, exciting and international face of Kabaddi. 

     

    Ogilvy & Mather executive chairman and creative director South Asia Piyush Panday said: “Kabaddi is the ultimate combination of power, agility and tactics. It is one of India’s unique treasures and I am glad that we are able to present it an international stage in such an exciting format.”

     

    The matches will be preceded by a player auction, where each of the teams will get equal opportunity to build their squads. Almost 100 players will be auctioned, out of which 72 players will be Indian and the rest will be international players from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, England, Indonesia, Italy, Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan, United States of America, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

     

    The League is set to take the sport to a new level of prominence and ensure that stars such as Navneet Gautam, Rakesh Kumar, Ajay Thakur and Rajaguru are bound to become the new sporting heroes.

     

    Matches will be played as per the current international rules and regulations of the IKF. The Federation is also seriously considering making some small but significant changes to the game, to enhance its appeal on television. 

     

    Pro Kabaddi League, will have robust marketing strategies. Each franchisee will not only have their team colours and star players but also create their own fan following with innovative media outreach strategies. Sports enthusiasts, in India and across the world, can keep track of the matches, scores, and players as well as participate in the game through social media platforms such as the league’s website www.prokabaddi.com, Twitter handle @prokabaddi and Facebook page Pro Kabaddi.

  • Tata Sky launches new TVC focusing on services

    Tata Sky launches new TVC focusing on services

    MUMBAI: Creative agency Ogilvy and Mather‘s Mumbai team has created the latest TVC for DTH provider Tata Sky. The commercial is based on the insight that the value of quality service has been lost and that consumers have the right to get prompt and proper services on purchase.

    The campaign showcases how the customer is pleasantly surprised, thanks to the “efficient service offerings” brought to them by Tata Sky. The campaign aims to highlight two features by the digital service provider – all India relocation service and 24 X7 helpline service.

    These ads of the ongoing campaign build on one particular service in each story. And signs off with a charming apology: “Sorry Sir, Tata Sky ki service, kuch hai hi aisi!”