Happy McGarry bowen has unveiled the latest film for Fastrack titled ‘Shut the fake up’. With this campaign, Fastrack challenges the norms and carves a pathway for millennials.
Speaking on the new direction, Suparna Mitra, Chief Marketing Officer at Titan said: “Following our tradition of being in tune with the language of the youth, this campaign fits in, seamlessly. Fastrack has always spoken the language of the youth and this TVC is no exception. Set in a relevant background, the film represents many quintessential elements to today’s youngster; from a simple chat, to actually meeting the person. The TVC borrows from the archetypal ‘boy meets girl’ narrative and showcases two versions of your life – with and without Fastrack.â€
Added Ayushman Chiranewala, Head of Marketing, Fastrack: “Fastrack being a young brand has always been the candid voice for the millennial generation. The brand has always stayed true to being unapologetic and bold in its communication. The new ‘Shut the Fake Up’ campaign is testament to the brand’s longstanding philosophy of being true to yourself and breaking status quo. As part of the larger campaign, the brand looks to ignite amongst its audience the thought of living their lives on their own accord, and we at Fastrack celebrate this individuality.â€
Said Kartik Iyer, CEO Happy Mcgarry bowen: “The common thread we found was that the youth today are less and less afraid of baring themselves and showing who they truly are. We thought this was a great point of view for Fastrack to stand up and own.â€
Said Shiv Parameswaran, Executive Creative Director, Lowe Lintas Bangalore: “Sometimes, the product itself can lead to an idea. In this case, it was the perforated design pattern of the watches. The typography we created for “Loopholes†also became the escape route for all our characters. After all, every situation has a loophole. You can get away if you spot them.â€
Added Ayushman Chiranewala, Head of Marketing –Fastrack:  “The Loopholes collection is inspired by perforations on sports apparels blended with the unique Fastrack design language. It’s made for the youth who is always on the move. The campaign highlights the ‘holes/ perforations’ on the watches and adds a quirky and fashion forward touch which depicts how the consumer is on the look out to get out of sticky situations by finding out loopholes. The collection has 36 Watches sporting various functions like day date feature and multifunction feature, split equally between guys and girls.â€
Speaking on the agency’s work produced for the brand, Hari Krishnan, President (South) – Lowe Lintas said: “When Fastrack showed us their new range of perforated watches, we saw the quirk right there. Every perforation is a loophole and every loophole, an opportunity.â€
The campaign will be visible in the online media on YouTube and social media platforms. A series of outdoor communication augmenting the design idea will also bolster the campaign’s visibility.
Fastrack has unveiled its new ad campaign titled ‘Gear up for some action’ which bears the signature brand persona. Synonymous with the progressive mind-set of millennials, Fastrack has designed this campaign specifically for Reflex, a dynamic new product in the smart wearables category which tracks calories, monitors sleep, counts steps and is high on style. The latest campaign launches the new category in Fastrack’s portfolio of youthful, trendy products, in a manner that’s uniquely Fastrack.
Elaborating on the concept behind the ‘Gear up for some action’campaign, Suparna Mitra, Chief Marketing Officer, Watches & Accessories at Titan, said: “The youth have evolved and so have their needs, especially their love for technology. Millennials look for multifaceted products and we want to provide them with empowering productsthat meet their continuously changing lifestyles. The latest campaign for Reflex goes beyond conventional communication in the wearables space. It’s a fun way to celebrate the needs of the youth, who desire a combination of smart features and trendy design.â€
Said Hari Krishnan,President (South), Lowe Lintas:“Fastrack is a brand that has always tried to be the candid voice of youth. In that context, when Fastrack decided to launch Reflex, a new range of fitness/activity trackers, it was another opportunity for the brand to present its own candid view on ‘Fitness’. The word ‘activity’ has a different meaning in the youth lexicon. From chatting to jogging to even flirting, almost everything is an ‘activity’ and that’s exactly what we decided to trip onâ€, says.
Sharing his thoughts on the campaign, Rajesh Ramaswamy, Executive Director, Lowe Lintas Bangalore says, “Activity trackers is a totally new category. But we had to always keep in mind that this product is by ‘Fastrack’. Fastrack has always had a lighter take on everything. Probably just like the audience we want to connect with. Very few seem to be having fun with a topic like ‘fitness’. So we came up with a tongue-in-cheek take on fitness. We had fun making it. Also because we had Vinil Mathew making it for us. Hope they all love it like we do.â€
Fastrack has unveiled a three-film campaign, ‘Never Have A Never Have I Ever’ that hit the screens on 20th February, 2016.
Fastrack’s latest campaign is a reflection of the way the youth lead their lives in the face of constant pressure to do something worthwhile and different. These quirky yet relatable commercials show the youth living up to these expectations in their own creative way. They don’t take setbacks or themselves too seriously and handle the lemons that life throws at them, in the best way they know how. Whether the conversation is about recycling, upholding the law or saving water, the brand tells its audience to never have a ‘never have I ever’ moment.
Sharing his thoughts on the latest campaign, Hemal Panchamia- Marketing Head, Fastrack says, “As a brand we encourage our audience to look at the lighter side of things. In true Fastrack style, our latest three-film campaign is quirky, relatable, fun and unapologetic. The campaign redefines certain social causes in the language of today’s youth, encouraging them to chill out and lead interesting lives.â€
Speaking about this campaign, Rajesh Ramaswamy, Executive Creative Director, Lowe Lintas says, “It’s always fun to work on Fastrack but we had an especially great time conceptualizing and executing this campaign. Coming up with situations for these films didn’t feel like work at all. It felt like one long party, sitting around with friends, recalling or making up crazy stories. The director, Vishwesh of Corcoise Films brought his own quirky vibe to the table and we’re very happy with how the films have turned outâ€
Youth brand Fastrack has taken a quirky and wild approach to raise awareness about the issue of counterfeiting at a consumer level via engagement by unveiling a new campaign. Fastrack has rolled out the #DontFakeWithMe consumer engagement campaign, sending out a message to all those consumers who carry fake products, with a focus on Fastrack bags. To drive the point home, the brand has decided to give some fake bags what they really deserve, capture it on video and roll it out as a sweet little precursor to a larger on ground and digital campaign. Fastrack has set up a Destruction Room in two locations in Bangalore, where just about anyone can dish out some tough love to a fraud, and walk home with an original Fastrack product.
Sharing her thoughts on the campaign, Suparna Mitra, CMO – Watches & Accessories Division, Titan Company Limited says, “Fastrack, being the irreverent brand it is, always approaches things in a fresh and interesting manner. In an attempt to raise awareness amongst its consumers about choosing to buy authentic and quality products over counterfeits, the brand is proud to present its latest campaign – #DontFakeWithMe. With both online and on-ground components involved in the campaign, Fastrack invites its audience to use weapons and destroy fake bags in a fun, quirky and engaging manner. We look forward to engaging with our audience in a truly unique format while bringing to life the ethos of what runs in this brand’s DNA.â€
A three day pilot of the on ground campaign went live in Bangalore from 6th November, 2015 and will be taken across the country in the coming months. The brand set up Destruction Rooms in two locations, where they invited consumers to use weapons and destroy fake Fastrack bags in a quirky manner. The Destruction Rooms are set up in an exclusive Fastrack Store on CMH Road and in Garuda Mall.
As a brand, Fastrack has lived to its reputation of being cool and irreverent and is a leading youth accessories brand today. This year, Fastrack has unveiled in summer 2015 its collection of sunglasses called Springers, an edgy range in colours and styles.
It has unveiled a new television commercial that features Fastrack Springers flaunting the new sunglasses and chilling to a catchy track composed exclusively for it. With the contagious head bobbing and playful colours, they get in your face, in true Fastrack style. Unapologetic, as they stake their claim to live life on their own terms. Letting everybody know that no matter what hits them, nothing can knock them down.
Extending this campaign to its audience, Fastrack gives people a chance to be featured in its Springers Sunglasses look book. To take part, people need to visit the nearest Fastrack store, try on a pair of Springers sunglasses, click a picture and send it to fastrackspringers@gmail.com or tag @fastrackworld on Instagram. The best pictures will be featured in a downloadable digital look book available on a microsite created specifically for this campaign.
The Springers microsite is an online extension of the television campaign featuring an integrated interface around product, allowing users to browse through 62 different types of sunglasses from the Springers collection. The site will have a dedicated section for the Springers crowdsourced look book.
The Brief: We wanted a new take on Move On with a short snappy film.
Research insights: We don’t use research but our thought process behind the campaign was that we wanted people to Move On from social taboos and live an uninhibited life.
[youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCD2j4q726A[/youtube]Media vehicles chosen: TV and Digital
Key issues kept in mind while executing the ad: The key issues that we kept in mind while executing the ad was the length of the film, simplicity of thought and impact of the final ad.
What is the differentiating factor about the ad? The differentiating factors are the way it has been shot, the stark sets and the music.
Client comment: Arun Iyer, national creative director, Lowe Lintas said, “In the past, we have done Move On, which had a young couple moving on from each other. And then the last one was why the World Moved On, which was a quirky commercial. This time we decided to take on themes, which are conventionally considered taboo. Youth today are not really bogged down or defeated by rules society lays down.”
Agency comment: Simeran Bhasin, marketing & retail head, Fastrack said, “We got the fresh take on Move On and a clutter-breaking film. From the response that we are getting it is clear that the ad has created quite an impact.”
Kids prefer fire and pointy tails to clouds and wings. Dave Banerjee, CEO & Strategy Head, Fisheye Creative Solutions Pvt. Ltd, says, “Doomsday predictions are a fabulous way to draw attention. If it were not for their doomsday prediction, how many of us would be discussing the Mayans right now? Or their forgotten calendar? So when we at Fisheye saw the impending apocalypse as an opportunity, we were just following in the footsteps of the Mayans. Here was a moment that a youth brand could seize to cock an irreverent snoot at beliefs and predictions (and our obsession with them). When it came to irreverence and youth, we could think of no better brand than Fastrack.”
The thought process behind the creative:
As there already was social media chatter about the Mayan calendar and the end of the world, Fastrack decided to use the trending topic to launch ‘End of the World Gear’. The integrated campaign centers around the website, www.makehellcool.com, that assumes everyone’s going to hell, and those with Fastrack gear can make hell cooler. The website seeks confessions, obituaries and last words from Fastrack customers to make them eligible to join ‘Hell’s Finest’.
Media vehicles chosen:
Television, Billboards, Radio, Retail, College Festival, Digital, Social Media
Key issues kept in mind while executing the ad:
Time. The entire campaign was conceptualised and executed in 10 days! Definitely an incredible feat by both agency and the client.
What is the differentiating factor about the ad?
It’s the daredevil approach by an adventurous brand.
Client comment:
Simeran Bhasin, Head, marketing and retail, Fastrack, said, “We were looking for ideas to make Fastrack relevant for the end of world, as youth seemed interested about the prophecy and it had become a buzz word. Besides, our target group is not the squeaky clean, goody-two-shoe lot and so, the campaign fit in perfectly.”
Am stepping on a few toes here and other people’s territory but then wothehell. As much news as you watch on TV (or as much TV that you watch, be honest) you’re forced to watch as much advertising as content.
But what does one make of Priyanka Chopra squirming about on the ground to a song that does not match the bizarre dance she does as she tells us she hates the “chip chip”. All that happens for Garnier is that most people throw up and switch channels.
Through the telecast of Wimbledon on Star Sports you get to hear that “amazing Thailand always amazes”. Well, duh, couldn’t they think of another word? Or has someone done Thailand tourism in?
The Kelloggs ads with that vastly annoying mother who does something as simple as throw a few almonds on a bowl of cereal and pretends she’s invented sliced bread is anodyne as such ads normally are.
But the winners of the most irritating ads have to be Reliance Foundation and Coca-Cola. Insensitivity seems to rule the Coca-Cola ad in which a group of not very well off (how do I say this politely?) children play cricket in some dusty desert scrub land as a voice over tells us poetically how they have no cricket bat, ball, stumps, the pavilion has no roof and so on and ends some poignant note about how this is not play but the call of the earth or something. Then Sachin Tendulkar with his strange new hairstyle drinks a Coke and says play on. The children and Tendulkar never meet and you get the feeling that the children cannot afford to drink Coca-Cola, certainly not one each.
And there’s the Reliance Foundation. I’m not getting to the connection with the programme Satyamev Jayate. For one, the ad looks like a copy of the Vedanta ad, which claimed to be saving the lives of various village children with schools and food and making their dreams come true. The ad ran into as many problems as Vedanta does with its mining projects and the company’s attempt to redeem itself with this real or exaggerated NGO social work effort did not work.
If indeed Nita Ambani is moving into social work, an ad that copies an already discredited ad is surely not the best vehicle. Also, the figures put up for the number of children fed or schooled or clothed is embarrassingly small for a company the size of Reliance. Even worse, Nita Ambani’s look is so carefully crafted that it looks just that. Also makes her ears look unnaturally large.
Hidden persuasion is fine. But these are attempts at such blatant manipulation that they are not just exploitative, they may not even work.
For those interested in advertising and how it works, try and catch The Gruen Transfer on the Australia Network or Youtube. Hosted by Australian comic Will Anderson, it is funny, incisive, intelligent and hard-hitting. And did I say funny?
Launched 16 years ago as a music channel, Star India’s Channel V is now turning into a full-fledged youth entertainment channel. Starting July 1, V will stop airing music programmes in India and focus on fiction and non-fiction shows. The reason: “Over the last two years, there has been an explosion of ‘music only’ channels, but everyone’s playing identical playlists,” says Prem Kamath, executive vice-president and general manager at Channel V. “In order to grow as a channel and as a brand, it has always been critical to have an offering that is unique in our competitive space,” he adds on being quizzed on the decision.
Many experts feel that it was bound to happen as more and more channels try to mould themselves to stay connected with what their target audience wants. But there many questions arise: could this mean the beginning of the end of music on TV? What is the future of music genre? Where is it headed?
The beginning
The scene for Indian music channels was set with the launch of MTV in the early 90s. Soon after, Channel V was launched in 1994, and since then there has been no looking back.
The launch of these music channels also led to a boom in international as well as Indie pop culture. However, it was shortlived and Bollywood music took over, and the two channels, along with many other launched afterwards, started playing popular filmi songs. But over a period of time, these two channels moved beyond playing only music with shows like Roadies, Splitsvilla and Dare 2 Date.
Hemant Kenkre
According to music columnist Narendra Kusnur, somewhere down the line for these channels, music took a backseat: “I’m sure any channel would do thorough research while trying to change their gameplan. So, if a music channel shifting towards being a youth entertainment channel is proved beneficial – for viewership as well as revenue – then it wouldn’t harm them to take such a step.”
He’s not alone in voicing this. Even Hemant Kenkre, a former music channel professional and a corporate and brand communications veteran, feels that channels are now branding themselves differently to reach out to their TG. He, however, does blame the availability of music on various platforms – radio, cellphones, laptops, iPods – as the reason for this shift. “Today, the youth is moving towards reality shows and they want it from the channels meant for them. As for music, they get their share of it from other mediums too.”
Luke Kenny
Former VJ, musician, actor and 9XO programming head Luke Kenny, on the other hand, feels that the channel (Channel V) decided to shift long back and has been moving slowly towards it, but there are still many who want music on television. “If music was dead on TV, then how would you explain other new music channels cropping up and doing well too?”
He added: “Having said that, I do believe that with more channels showcasing Bollywood songs, music channels have lost their niche and have just became promotional channels. Therefore, if a channel decides to change colours, it might work. And you never know, Star India might come up with a new music channel called Music OK.”
Industry talk
If one takes a look at various channels, be it music or a GEC, they will find that, there is a great deal of music in some or the other. We have music trailers/songs aired across all channels. Award shows, too, have musical performances and talent shows like Saregama, Indian Idol, DID and even celeb dance show Jhalak Dikhla Jaa are high on ratings.
Mohit Joshi
Therefore, according to media planners, the existence of specialised music channels is a difficult game. “Today, unfortunately for the masses in India, music equals to Bollywood. This is the challenge. This was not the case in the ’90s when there were a lot of private music albums that were launched -Silk Route et al, and the music channels were used for their amplification. So, there was something more than Bollywood, which is not the case today. In the current scenario, if music channels do not experiment with music or the content, then there is a fear that they will dilute their relevance over a period of time,” says Mohit Joshi, managing director, MPG India.
Adds Carat Media India’s senior VP Himanka Das: “Channel V’s decision to discontinue music is a welcome change and would offer interesting opportunities to build engagement content with the youth, considering the very little content that is available to them in entertainment beyond music. Music as a genre gets 6-7 per cent share in the youth segment of viewers with Channel V contributing 24 per cent to this share amongst 20+ channels. Channel V vacating this space is someone else’s gain!”
Punit Pandey
Meanwhile, other music channels aren’t perturbed and are waiting to see how the channel is accepted in its new avatar. As per TAM (CS4+, All India market), there has been a consistent growth in the music genre. In 2007, the genre share of music channels was 2.02 per cent whereas in 2012 (till week 24) the share has grown to 3.62 per cent.
Punit Pandey, senior VP and business head, 9X Media Group, agreed with Mr Das and added: “Music has, and will continue to, work on television. It is close to a Rs360-370 crore industry (in the HSM belt) and growing. More and more people are ‘watching’ music, so there is nothing to worry about for music channels at large.”
Nikhil Gandhi
Similarly, the view from UTV Bindass which started out as a Youth Entertainment Channel (YEC) and has been a pioneer in the segment is that though in the recent past music channels, especially MTV and Channel V, have started shifting focus from music to fictional and non-fictional shows, there is no reason for sleepless nights. “We have an advantage over other channels entering the YEC genre as we have already created a connect with the TG,” says Nikhil Gandhi, Disney UTV Executive Director – Youth Channels, Media Networks. And adds an alert: “So, I would like to tell other channels entering the YEC genre to work on their strategies well.”
Apprehensive marketers?
The change in positioning is due to the feeling that youngsters now have a strong spending power. And, hence, are targeted by various brands more than ever before. TV forms a core part of advertisement for these brands as youngsters also spend a lot of time in front of the television sets.
Simeran Bhasin
But what happens to youth brands if a channel changes its content strategy? According to the various marketing heads, the apprehensions will emerge if the channel isn’t clear about the shift and isn’t able to help a brand reach its TG.
“If the TG of a brand matches that of the channel, it won’t matter if they decide to change over a period of time. However, if there is a shift in TG then a brand would think twice before advertising on that channel,” says Simeran Bhasin, head – Marketing and Retail, Fastrack.
Harkirat Singh
MTV’s latest show Sound Trippin was partnered by Woodland because the brand feels that youth oriented channels helps them reach their TG. However, the brand is clear that it get associated with channels or shows only if it feels there is a connect between the brand and the viewers. “Like any other brand, while media planning, the TG of a certain channel is important for us. We look for shows which are able to reach and connect with our TG. So, if a channel changes its content plan, we will want to go through their new strategy to figure out where do we figure and how it can benefit us,” says Harkirat Singh, MD, Woodland.
Will the shift work?
According to the industry professionals, the change in content plan by a channel is done after a lot of research and only time can decide if it will work in its favour or not. However, they believe that a channel should remain true to its philosophy because otherwise it will lose its identify as well.
Samyak Chakrabarty
Expanding on it, Samyak Chakrabarty, MD, Electronic Youth Media Group and Chief Youth Marketer, DDB Mudra Group believes that ‘youth’ is a very misunderstood word and youngsters cannot be defined in one category as all depends on the exposure and the background one comes from. “In their perception to become ‘youth’ channels, they are getting muddled up and don’t know where they are headed. Today, a youngster cannot associate MTV or Channel V with anything like they do for other brands. For instance, technology means iPad, connectivity means Blackberry etc. I think music channels should have remained with what they started as, instead of losing their identify to gain more TRPs. Such moves will only lead to their downfall, in the long term.”
From being largely optimistic to one predicting a downfall, we received mixed reactions to the proposed change in Channel V’s identity. However, one thing is clear, no matter what Star India decides, there will be many who will wait to see what this mean for them and the genre, at large.
Youth brand Fastrack has taken a quirky and wild approach to raise awareness about the issue of counterfeiting at a consumer level via engagement by unveiling a new campaign. Fastrack has rolled out the #DontFakeWithMe consumer engagement campaign, sending out a message to all those consumers who carry fake products, with a focus on Fastrack bags. To drive the point home, the brand has decided to give some fake bags what they really deserve, capture it on video and roll it out as a sweet little precursor to a larger on ground and digital campaign. Fastrack has set up a Destruction Room in two locations in Bangalore, where just about anyone can dish out some tough love to a fraud, and walk home with an original Fastrack product.
Dave Banerjee, CEO & Strategy Head, Fisheye Creative Solutions Pvt. Ltd
Media vehicles chosen:
