MxMIndia

Tag: Alia Bhatt

  • As brand ambassador to promote new mantra to 'Take It Light'

    Cadbury Perk brings back Alia Bhatt

    By Our Staff

    Cadbury Perk has roped in Alia Bhatt yet again for a new campaign. The film encourages consumers to face life’s twist and turns with tagline ‘Take It Light’.

    Said Anil Viswanathan, Senior Director, Marketing (Chocolates), Insights and Analytics, Mondelez India: “Cadbury Perk has been rooted in the youth culture, since its inception almost 25 years ago, owing to its fun persona and relevant messaging – we propagated the message of ‘Masti’ from 2015 which resonated well and helped establish Perk as a fun brand. This time, we wanted to be rooted in the product and reinforce the delightfully light eat-experience of Perk. Today’s youth believe in facing life’s stresses with lightness. Our launch film and tagline ‘Perk khao, Light ho jao’ attempts to land the message that Perk is THE light chocolate, in a fun manner, through the route of levitation. In the past, we have had lively and high-spirited personalities to cater to the youth cosmos like Preity Zinta, Genelia D’souza and Ananya Panday who embody what Cadbury Perk stands for – youth, fun and Joie De Vivre. With Alia Bhatt back on-board as the face of the brand, we are positive that she will bring the ‘Take It Light’ proposition to life effortlessly with her bubbly persona and strong youth connect.”

    Added Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy India: “This is a super fun idea on lightness, executing this was truly a ball. Working with Alia, Pavail and Bob was just lots of masti. I believe, the social surround around the idea and the film will beautifully bring the core idea to life – Perk khao, light ho jao.”

     

     

  • ‘Wear The Next’ Fashion will use targeted communication for brand lovers, trendsetters and spotlight stealers

    Flipkart gets Ranbir & Alia for new campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Flipkart, the homegrown e-commerce marketplace now majority-owned by Walmart, has launched the sixth edition of its ‘India Ka Fashion Capital’ campaign. Featuring Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, the campaign is aimed at inspiring fashion-lovers across the country to upgrade their fashion quotient with the latest styles available on Flipkart.

     

    Speaking about the launch of IKFC 6.0, Nishit Garg – Vice President, Flipkart Fashion, said: “Consumers today are fashion-conscious, value-seeking and aspire to own the latest celebrity fashion trends. We believe in addressing these needs meaningfully by collaborating with the best in the industry and are constantly onboarding new brands, sellers and partners in order to enhance the customer shopping experience. Fashion is an important growth driver for us and we believe there is a world of opportunities out there for us to explore. Through our latest campaign featuring Ranbir and Alia, we want to inspire consumers across the country to explore the latest trends and create their own personal style that they have always wished  for.”

     

     

  • The film is titled ‘Har Rang Har Kisi Ka’

    TBWA creates ad JSW Paints with Alia Bhatt & Ayushmann Khurrana

    By A Correspondent

     

    JSW Paints has signed actors Alia Bhatt and Ayushmann Khurrana as brand ambassadors and is set to release its first ever TVC along with a marketing campaign featuring the duo that will be rolled-out across the company’s current markets in South and West India.

     

    The film ‘Har Rang Har Kisi Ka’, conceptualised by TBWA\India celebrates the diverse colours of the country and encourages India to #EmbraceEveryColour.

     

    Commenting on the new campaign, Parixit Bhattacharya, Managing Partner (Creative) of TBWA\India, said: “True beauty lies in the way we look at the world. This campaign makes the painting experience more than just about adding colours to homes. It’s about being able to embrace every colour by looking beyond labels. It puts an end to the divide and makes colours truly for all, one wall at a time.”

     

    Added Govind Pandey, CEO TBWA\India: “Colours have a special significance in India. It is a country of rich diversity that is celebrated by the language of a million colours. But over time, we have attached parochial meaning to these colours, putting them into the boxes of cast, creed, gender and emotion. This campaign aims to liberate colours from the narrow boxes that society has built around them. It tells the story of an India where all colours are meant for everyone. And what better duo than Alia Bhatt and Ayushmann Khurrana to carry this thoughtful message.”

     

    Said Parth Jindal, Managing Director of JSW Paints said, “At JSW Paints, we believe that being thoughtful is beautiful and our #EmbraceEveryColour campaign embodies this spirit. Our new campaign showcases the India we grew up in; a land of colours, resplendent with more colours than the rainbow. However, today these very colours discriminate and divide us. So we decided to give colours an entirely new dimension of unity and togetherness. We wanted thoughtful ambassadors to take this idea to an India that is getting younger and better every day. We believe Alia Bhatt and  Ayushmann Khurrana make a perfect duo to carry JSW Paints’ fresh message of unity.”

     

     

  • … writes Bhuvi Gupta in a new fortnightly column on marketing and advertising

    Why Brands have a Responsibility to Step Up & Help in Economic Recovery

     

    By Bhuvi Gupta

     

    Bhuvi GuptaIndia has been under a full lockdown since March 24, 2020. After three subsequent extensions, a relatively unsuccessful Unlock 1.0 & 2.0 in June and July, spikes in positive cases are forcing many Indian cities to go under full lockdowns, again.

     

    As the economy degrows, unemployment rises and sales decreases and every subsequent FY21 GDP forecast is worse than the previous one, the future seems bleak and unlikely to bounce back soon.

     

    Basis a GroupM report released in June 2020, India’s GDP will contract by 3.7% and subsequently overall advertising spends will decline by more than 20% this year.  This follows, as advertising in current scenarios is an after-thought, with most companies focused on reviving production and distribution. The drop in advertising has led to unprecedented job losses in the ad-dependent media industry, so much so that industry body International Advertising Association (IAA) has been running a campaign, ‘Let’s Advertise’ to spur advertising, since June 2020.

     

    The campaign seems to have made some impact  – brands in the Health & Hygiene categories or those that can pivot their messaging to sound Covid-wise have started advertising. However, this is a small portion of the market, and for the economy to revive, brands which can afford to, should, play a bigger role in recovery.

     

    As Keynesian economics espouses, spending spurs consumption during times of economic downturns. If brands (which can) spend monies, this will spur demand, and the money will help the economy as a whole. In such pandemic times, the messaging of many brands is irrelevant, a great way to remain visible is by running Public Service Announcements (PSAs) campaigns.

     

    While a decade ago, PSAs were issued by govt bodies, with the advent of social media, brands regularly run socially relevant campaigns because they help the brand earn respect and hence brand equity while also doing social good. Due to their affirming messages, PSAs also have higher than average trend-worthiness, i.e. audiences share these ads more because it helps them feel good about themselves to do something socially relevant.

     

    With the notable exception of Mumbai Police PSAs, most PSAs released by government bodies in India, are pedagogical spiels, which are not engaging, even when starring celebrities.

     

    In March 2020, just as the lockdown was announced, the Maharashtra government released a pedagogical PSA on Covid-19 headlined by the biggest stars of Bollywood including Amitabh Bachchan, Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Alia Bhatt, Akshay Kumar etc. A month later, Sony launched a PSA with a similar Bollywood lineup but a much better storyline. (The PSA can be viewed here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQk0VrL2I-w

     

    Short film – ‘Family’, conceptualised and virtually directed by Prasoon Pandey for Sony Network starring celebs from across the country used storytelling creatively to communicate the importance of staying at home. It was telecast in April 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju7ku–S6F4

     

    Hence, in Covid-stricken times, effective PSAs can help brands kill many birds with one stone  – create brand equity, earn public goodwill, spur good behaviour, meet annual CSR target spends as mandated by Indian law and, most importantly, help the economy recover.  Earned goodwill will also spur trials for those whose loyalties lie with competitors.

     

    Budget-struck brands can collaborate with other brands; conduct digital-only campaigns to give the push to the economy to help its recovery.

     

    As brands with diverse target audiences release PSAs, different strata of society will get targeted which will help in overall compliance. This is backed by research conducted by 2019 Nobel laureates in Economics, Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. In a paper released last month, they have shown that frequent celebrity messaging, in addition to the existent large-scale government messaging on Covid-19, can positively impact behaviour by nudging people to follow best practices. The research also shows that there are spillovers of good behaviour in the entire community even when a few are targeted.

    In a CSR initiative, waiting to be replicated by national dailies, Kashmir ‘s Urdu newspaper Roshni, affixed a mask on the front page of the paper on July 20 to drive home the message about mask usage. Kashmir was under complete lockdown from 22-27 July, due to a rise in Covid cases.

    VIRALITY TO BEHAVIOURIAL CHANGE

    The challenge even for good PSAs is translating virality to behavioural change. The ease of communication brought on by social media has made armchair activists of the majority of the population. However, while these activists enable knowledge-sharing with other people they don’t bother much with acting upon the gained knowledge before moving on to the next trending topic. Which is why, despite the dangers of inobedience, many who wear a face mask, style it as a chin-guard.

     

    Hence, brands should be careful to create PSAs which are not just a retelling of facts, but facts communicated in way to appeal to their targeted audience, whether it is through high quality storytelling, a new ‘Hook Step’ or a ‘Challenge’ which is creative enough to warrant sharing.  Basis the research by Banerjee and Duflo, leveraging brand ambassadors signed on for lavish multi-year contracts will also help to drive behavioural change. So brands, any takers?

     

     

    Bhuvi Gupta is a marketer with over 10 years across industries, of which the last six have been in Media & Entertainment. She has been a part of many launch marketing campaigns – specifically at the Times of India group, Republic TV and the latest in marketing a Bollywood film. She will write on A&M (mostly marketing, but often on advertising too). Her views here are personal. She tweets at @bhuvigupta3

     

     

     

     

     

  • Starting with the late Sushant Singh Rajput’s Dil Bechara, the OTT plaform will launch potential blockbusters Laxmmi Bomb, Bhuj, Sadak 2 and The Big Bull amongst others

    Disney+Hotstar to release films starring Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt & others

    By A Correspondent

     

    Starting July 24, Disney+Hotstar Multiplex will release a slew of potential blockbuster Hindi movies on its popular OTT platform. The films and the performers include: Akshay Kumar and Kiara Advani in Laxmmi Bomb, Ajay Devgn, Sonakshi Sinha and Sanjay Dutt in Bhuj: The Pride of India, late Sushant Singh Rajput, Sanjana Sanghi and Saif Ali Khan in Dil Bechara, Sanjay Dutt, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Pooja Bhatt in Sadak 2, Abhishek Bachchan in The Big Bull, Vidyut Jammwal in Khuda Haafiz and Kunal Kemmu and Rasika Dugal in Lootcase amongst others.

     

    Existing subscribers of Disney+ Hotstar Premium and Disney+ Hotstar VIP can enjoy these blockbuster movies at no additional cost to their existing subscription. Non-subscribers can simply purchase an annual membership of Disney+ Hotstar VIP at Rs 399 to catch all these movies and other fare.

     

    The first movie of Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex will be Dil Bechara, starring Sushant Singh Rajput and to commemorate his contribution to Hindi cinema, this movie will be available to all subscribers and non-subscribers of Disney+ Hotstar.

     

    Said Uday Shankar – President, The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India:  “At Disney+ Hotstar, we firmly believe in pushing boundaries to achieve the unexpected. A few years ago, we took an audacious step of bringing sports closer to people by streaming it live on mobile devices – a move that forever changed the course of live sports in India. Today, as we launch Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex, we find ourselves yet again at the cusp of making a revolutionary change by bringing the biggest Bollywood movies directly to millions across the country. We are happy to partner with the best directors and most talented actors; and provide them with a platform to present their masterpieces.”

     

    Speaking about this initiative and its effect on the overall industry, he further added, “Theatres are a special experience. So, they will always exist and thrive. But the potential of the industry can’t be capped by the number of release windows and theatres available. Our initiative will dramatically increase the number of films that can be made, giving film-lovers more films to enjoy and the creative community more films to make. We firmly believe that this will generate a massive momentum for more and different kinds of films to be made in India. It’s a win-win for all.”

     

     

  • Leading Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt named as the brand ambassador of Vicco

    Vicco gets Alia Bhatt as ambassador

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a bid to overhaul its brand image, Vicco has signed on Alia Bhatt as its brand ambassador. Alia will be representing the brand’s headliner product, Vicco Vajradanti and its variants. The brand has been a heavy advertiser on cinema screens but now with Alia on board, the ads will be seen across media platforms.

     

    Talking about roping in Alia for the campaign, Sanjeev Pendharkar, Director, Vicco said:” Vicco Vajradanti has been a household name since 1952. It has a large base of loyal users. The marketing task was to appeal to the younger generation, the millennials and also make a pure ayurvedic paste a part of their daily regime hence helping them with good oral health and who better than Alia as a brand ambassador to do this.”

     

    Added Virendra Saini, Business Head Mumbai, Triton Communications: “An opportunity to work on Vicco Vajradanti is a dream come true and a privilege. Years have passed but this brand has never compromised on its quality of being pure Ayurveda and in a time when so much of chemicals are being consumed which are harmful for the body, the millennials of today need to connect with this trusted ayurvedic brand for their oral hygiene. The idea was to build on the famous brand jingle by modernising it and making it stick with the youth of today.”

     

     

  • The campaign targets youth between the ages of 18 and 25

    Uber Eats launches #EatsNewEveryday marketing campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Uber Eats has launched a new marketing campaign #EatsNewEveryday featuring Alia Bhatt and Dulquer Salmaan. The campaign targets youth between the ages of 18 and 25 and addresses their need to seek new experiences while ordering food.

     

    Said Bansi Kotecha, Head of Operations, India & SA, Uber Eats: “It gives me immense pleasure to launch our new marketing campaign #EatsNewEveryday featuring Alia Bhatt and Dulquer Salmaan. The campaign aims to create awareness and generate brand love amongst consumers, especially youth who’re looking for convenience and want to maximise their experiences on the platform. We know our consumers love variety and are very excited to try new cuisines and restaurants. With Uber Eats, we hope to make this easy for them so they can access great food choices every day.”

     

     

  • The campaign will go live on television and digital platforms for a period of over five weeks until December 15

    Ranbir-Alia promise stress-free shopping in Flipkart’s latest campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Actors Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor will appear on-screen for the second time this year for Flipkart Fashion’s ‘India Ka Fashion Capital’ campaign.

     

    Sharing his views on the latest edition, Vikas Gupta, Vice President and Head of Marketing at Flipkart said: “We are excited to launch the fourth edition of ‘India Ka Fashion Capital’ with Ranbir and Alia. They are not only fine actors, but also hugely popular style icons. While the previous three editions established Flipkart as India’s most preferred destination for trendy and affordable fashion, our research indicated that online fashion purchases are still impacted by certain inhibitions. Through this latest campaign and our proposition of ‘Don’t Stress, Karo Impress’, we are confident that we will help address consumer concerns and encourage them to interact with our platform and make the best fashion choices.”

     

     

  • The campaign brings Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor to the screen together

    Lay’s unveils #SmileDekeDekho ad campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lay’s has launched its latest series of TVCs for the ‘Smile Deke Dekho’ campaign featuring actors Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt. The TVCs capture how smile is a universal language and sharing a pack of Lay’S chips with a smile can help build connections effortlessly.

     

    Said Dilen Gandhi, Senior Director, Marketing – Foods Category, PepsiCo India: “Lay’s Smile Deke Dekho is based on a simple premise that just like a smile, a pack of Lay’s can build connections between people. And when you combine a smile and Lay’s the results are magical. To tell these stories we have brought together two of India’s best actors – Alia and Ranbir – for the first time on screen together for a series of stories told by one of India’s foremost filmmakers – Dibakar Banerjee. These stories are just the latest chapter in the brand’s two-decade history of building connections. And judging by the response we are getting on social media, one of our best yet.”

     

    Added Senthil Kumar, Chief Creative Officer, Wunderman Thompson, India: “In this emoticon crazy world, we wanted to give actual emoting a chance. Our device – the most beautiful emotion ever – a smile. We asked the country to try sharing theirs and that resulted in #SmileDekeDekho. The journey started with packaging design – giving each flavor the smile that went best with it. Then we went live with spots featuring Bollywood heartthrobs Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor – casting them in TVCs as strangers, acquaintances and as a couple – where they taught the country how to use the packs. Slotted for right after – we’re going live on mobile screens across the country – giving those hooked to it, reason enough to look up, and share a smile with the lovely people around them. Just how? You’ll know when it happens, keep watching the series of TVCs on the campaign.”

     

  • Sunfeast Dark Fantasy strengthens its brand positioning as an indulgent offering by embarking on ‘meetha moments’ in its latest TVC

    Alia Bhatt endorses new Sunfeast Dark Fantasy range

    By A Correspondent

     

    Sunfeast Dark Fantasy has rolled out its new ad film which features actor Alia Bhatt. With this new communication, the brand aspires to position itself as the ‘New Meetha’ which people can take pride in serving their guests.

     

    Commenting on the ad film, Paritosh Wali, Chief Operating Officer, Biscuits & Confections Cluster, Foods Division, ITC Limited said: “We endeavour to elevate the dessert indulgence experience of Sunfeast Dark Fantasy by positioning it as the ‘New Meetha’ for all celebratory occasions. Sunfeast Dark Fantasy focuses on special moments with family and friends to make the indulgence more exciting. The TVC emphasizes on joy of sharing  and showcases the premium look & feel of Dark Fantasy as a meetha. Sunfeast aims to break further barriers and scale new heights in the indulgent biscuits segment by entering the space of meetha.”

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Swati Bhattacharya, Chief Creative Officer, FCB Ulka, added: “The story beautifully captures the idea of ‘Everyday Chocolate Cravings’, while establishing Dark Fantasy as a superior and unique alternative during Meetha occasions. Alia plays a character of a chocolate addict and Dark Fantasy, with its ultimate chocolate credentials, gives you an irresistible chocolate experience. With this film, the brand takes its idea of heightened irresistibility to the next level.”

     

     

  • Flipkart Fashion gives you a reason to shop everyday with the third edition of ‘India ka Fashion Capital’

    Ranbir and Alia star together in Flipkart Fashion’s latest ad campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Flipkart has brought together celebrity duo Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt for the first time ever, in the latest edition of the brand’s India Ka Fashion Capital campaign. Having collaborated with the brand individually in the past, the couple will share screen space for the first time in a national campaign by Flipkart Fashion.

     

    The campaign will be live on television and digital platforms, for a period of eight weeks till July. Flipkart is supported by Lowe Lintas and Dentsu Webchutney for the complete planning, launch and execution of this integrated brand campaign.

     

    Sharing his views on the campaign, Anil Goteti, Senior Vice President, Marketing at Flipkart said: “Flipkart Fashion today is India’s preferred fashion platform, with the latest, trendiest styles, updated daily. We are excited to have partnered, yet again, with some of India’s finest actors including Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor, for this campaign. We are certain that with our unique proposition to offer Something New Everyday, our consumers will find reasons to visit and interact with our platform daily.”

     

     

  • Brand MMT must watch social media chatter as in the last few months, there has been a marked increase in MMT consumer complains on social media and reviews, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: MMT needs more than Magical Advertising

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Three years back ‘Make My Trip’ (MMT) signed Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt as Brand Ambassador in a strategic move to connect with younger customers. The audience was intrigued, as the two have not done a movie together. Gully Boy will be the first movie for the pair. The audience has seen some brilliant, interesting, engaging and straightforward advertising.

     

    Ranveer – Alia: a Perfect MMT Choice.

    The duo of Ranveer and Alia with their versatility and on-screen chemistry did justice to every possible freaky character the advertising agency served to them. The talented duo enacted a spectrum of roles with equal expertise. Each of the TVCs has an experimentative, adventurous, confident yet concerned and doubtful traveller as its mainstay.

     

    MAGICAL Engaging Creative

    All the films represent a ‘Get to the point and present the advantage loud & clear in a memorable episode’ strategy by setting up a believable contextual situation. Be it about the awesome room, helpline, discount, pay at the hotel, zero cancelling, international food  or reminding the audience that MMT also makes hotel bookings.

     

     

    Each of the TVC scripts is fantastic. The script leverages the brand ambassador pair chemistry and does justice to the crazy Ranveer and the big smiling, playful innocence of Alia Bhatt.

    There has been no slag or hint of complacency in creative output even after so many episodic TVC. The client-agency team must be complimented for it.  Here is the client-agency combination that knows how tough it is to deliver a higher degree of engagement once the benchmark is set. More importantly, a focussed client team has ensured a seamless migration of account from one agency to another, retaining the magic and playfulness.

     

    https://youtu.be/In2dukXrtxw

     

    The films have a template approach. There is a problem or a doubt followed by a smart solution ending with one-upmanship delivering the MMT advantage and an unforgettable lesson to the viewer.

    How cool it would have been if the reel life could deliver on the real-life promise.

     

    Ranveer Alia Can’t Solve Service Delivery Issues.

    Brand MMT must watch social media chatter.  In the last few months, there has been a marked increase in MMT consumer complains on social media and reviews. Most of them deal with broken promises, missed reservations and non-transparent pricing. The overactive bots and resultant thread of communication have shaken the confidence and image of a caring company with consumers.

    It’s a reality that very few travellers compliment excellent service delivery whereas the errors are over-amplified. A reality every service provider including MMT must face.

    It does not matter if the ratio of service delivered and complaints are the same across service providers. The complaints consumers see and react to, are important. Being one of the largest in the field, the expectations are much higher. MMT needs to be the benchmark. It seems something is definitely slipping.

    I personally had no problem with bookings and travel on MMT. But the recent hike in social chatter has shaken the confidence in even loyalist like me.

    Meeting customer expectation is a hygiene requirement in a service brand. Frustrated customers have no option but to shift loyalties.  Saying sorry serves no purpose.  The urge to check other travel-hotel portals is too powerful, and Trivago has been fuelling it big-time. Something the client cannot leave on Ranveer-Alia team to playfully address.

     

     

    On a lighter note, may be the social media can do with a compliment for excellent service delivery and not just crib. And that is not about MMT only.