Fevicol, the adhesive brand from Pidilite Industries Limited, has unveiled its latest campaign, ‘Jugalbandi’ – a film which celebrates musical journey of two brothers with a blend of traditional charm and quirky humour. It is crafted by Ogilvy India and Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films.
Said Bharat Puri, Managing Director at Pidilite Industries Ltd: “Fevicol, as a trusted household name, continues to uphold its core value of building Mazboot Jod (Strong Bond). Our latest Jugalbandi film humorously portrays Fevicol as an emblem of lasting connections and enduring strength. We are proud to launch this campaign in a year that holds special significance, as we celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Fevicol’s founder, Balvantray Kalyanji Parekh.”
Added Piyush Pandey, Chief Advisor at Ogilvy India: “Fevicol’s Jugalbandi campaign underscores Fevicol’s unbreakable bond. Using a combination of Pidilite’s unique humorous style and quirky musical journey of two brothers, we bring alive Fevicol’s commitment to forging enduring connections and resilience across generations.”
Pidilite Industries, manufacturer of adhesives and sealants, construction chemicals, and craftsmen products, has unveiled its new digital campaign (DVC) for Fevicol “Glue Drops” – a drop adhesive that promises to redefine the way you decorate and adhere things.
Said Kashyap Gala, Senior Vice President of the Arts & Crafts Division at Pidilite Industries Ltd: “At Pidilite, we are always looking ahead, and Fevicol Glue Drops is a testament to our forward-thinking approach. This groundbreaking adhesive product is poised to redefine the category. While the campaign begins with decoration space as one of its uses, the versatility of this adhesive caters to countless temporary sticking needs. The campaign will go live across multiple digital touchpoints and will be complemented by a strong influencer component as we showcase the many use cases of this truly disruptive innovation.”
Commenting on the campaign, Piyush Pandey, Chairman of Global Creative & Executive Chairman, Ogilvy, India, added: “Fevicol, the mother of all adhesives, keeps looking for need gaps to fulfill them with innovative products. This time, it’s Fevicol Glue Drops that do the job better than ordinary tape without leaving any marks. The ad captures the use of Fevicol Glue Drops in a day-to-day situation in a fun way, providing an easy demonstration with interest value for the family.”
Brand Engagement is always relevant and more so during the lockdown. Brands are using different tricks for engaging with consumers. Some of them are relevant and impactful, few original and innovative. I believe if there is nothing to say, being silliest is a better option.
The car manufacturer shares tips on how to take care of the parked car. Banks deliver newspaper in your inbox. Antiseptic cream makes sanitisers. Porn site gives free access to premium content so that you stay at home! Soaps shouting about washing the virus and Apps are updating for smoother operations.
Brand engagement during lockdown is part of the strategic initiative in preparedness for the post-lockdown market. Naturally, every brand wants to be on the top of the consideration-set whenever markets open. So, they need to keep the brand connect alive through brand engagement. It is known that the brands engaging the consumers now are most likely to emerge as the front runner post-coved scene.
BRAND ENGAGEMENT
It was interesting to see Durex playing mindgames in its territory. The brand also suggested an innovative way to help out the audience like using it to cover the finger while pressing buttons in the lift.
On the other level, DOVE went ahead to celebrate the Beauty called Courage. It remains credible as the brand is operating within its pre-Covid coordinates defined by inner beauty.
Consider, ‘TAKE THE LOAD’ by Ariel, and it falls in place. The brand is continuously thinking of engaging consumer in different ways and situations. It is an attractive proposition, but I have a problem with it. The brand still addresses housework as a woman’s load. I will discuss this some other day.
Keeping the conversation going during such a crisis is a sensitive area. Some brands have learnt their lessons the hard way. The strategy and the message must remain incomplete internal and external sync. The brand can not have different visible standards or expectations across geographies, product lines and services, internal or external.
BRAND ENGAGEMENT – A TWO WAY STREET.
The brands must realise that ‘The consumer will treat you exactly the way you treat them during this period of crisis’. Remember, we live in an era of information democracy, and it is driving everyone crazy. Once the message is released in the public domain, you no longer are in control. If you are in the arena to commercially exploit the situation, your life will become miserable, sooner than later. At the same time, it is a beautiful space for brands with real purpose and empathy in engaging the audience.
BRAND ENGAGEMENT – PLAY WITH RELEVANCE.
During the crisis, sometimes it is best to remain silent. The well-informed consumer is aware of the situation. Brands are looking towards contactless delivery, but it still is no time for impact-less irrelevant engagement.
The consumer’s transactional deal is restricted to the brand delivering the best at a reasonable price. Or the brands are playfully engaging the consumer while sending a positive, relevant message of importance. Just like the various brands supported Social Distancing by playing around with their logo’s.
BRAND ENGAGEMENT – BE SIMPLE.
One of the compelling ways beyond talk play and intent is to act the intention. Let sharing of the news surrounding the Brand Act be amplification, instead of trying to send out a video in the social space. However, when brands move beyond transactional arena to show their soft touch treating consumers as part of the extended family, the equation shifts from being purely a stakeholder to an active partner. It required empathy, care, understanding and being sensitive to the ecosystem. The brand needs to understand the covert -overt needs and continuously re-defined expectations. It is a tough and risky territory to walk. The brands that see it as only a commercial leveraging opportunity, they fail to understand the double-edged dimensions and in effect do more wrong than the right to their image.
BRAND ENGAGEMENT – ACCEPTANCE COMES WITH RELEVANCE.
Such situations like coronavirus and the lockdown demands that the brands demonstrate care and empathy. However, there is an un-stated boundary between compassion and pity. The brand operating within the bandwidth of experience and tonality have higher chances to succeed.
Mumbai police use of citizen vigilance for Stay Home campaign makes sense. People relate to it, knowing that ultimately police can do that much only. They emerge as a partner- as a peer.
Nearer home, Surf team remains true to the thought Daag Aache Hai. And extends it with Daag Bhai Ghar par Rahenge. The brand extends engagement by sharing fun activities for home on Instagram.
Now, this was brilliant as it came well in the early phase when people were still thinking about how to manage work. It works for Sony It works as the scope remains restricted to helping the daily wage earners in the film and television industry. But what is the Kalyan Jewellers link?
When EMIRATES tells you to stay home and assures with positivity that we will fly soon, you like the approach and the tonality. They are, in fact, not making any new point.
https://youtu.be/IRoAQ3dmOUw
On the other side, when UBER uses a similar tone to thank you for not using them, it seems forced. It is the result of earlier experience and perception of the brand ethos, culture and expectations.
Vodafone used both their famous hugely loved mascots, the ZOOZOO and the PUG to deliver the message. The Pug communication still has something going for it, but the ZooZoo fails to impress.
ASIAN PAINTS keeps the tone of voice consistent in ‘Jab Ghar Mai Saab Ho Toh Ghar khilkhilata hai’, #stayhonestaysafe. It remains within known brand coordinates using a picture of everyday life. Similarly, TATA SKY talks about ‘Ghar Baite Kuch Seekhe’. It is an example of excellent connect with its known educative and activity-based channels.
BRAND ENGAGEMENT – CAN ALWAYS MOTIVATE.
And when there is nothing -nothing to say and the brand still wants to keep the conversation going. They fall back on positivity to keep people motivated, usually with a dose of singing and celebrities.
When you overstretch and try being arty like HUL. It snaps because of a hyper stretch. It fails to evoke similar emotions.
However, when Mahindra says,- Some wheels will keep moving, you relate to it. And the treatment makes you feel so much better.
BRAND ENGAGEMENT- AUDIENCE AWAIT ACTION.
Though travel is a bad word during the lockdown, I was looking forward to engaging relevant and sharply focussed communication from Samsonite. It had reoriented its coordinates when they made the earlier communications including the one during Kerala floods. It will be a waste of a marketing opportunity if Samsonite does not subtly engage the audience in this crisis.
……………………
BRAND ENGAGEMENT- LIGHTER MOMENTS.
On the side, the crisis also made room for some absurd but thoroughly enjoyable videos. The one that is my favourites features Shekhar Gupta and @HoeZaay. He tries explaining the concept of tomorrow in a Swami Nityanand style. Shekhar Gupta may not need new audiences – but this viral must have worked for him.
Fevicol has launched a new radio innovation that turns simple phone calls into reminders that stick. Through a partnership with a leading FM radio network, it has set up a phone number which lets anyone use this service. Conceptualised by Ogilvy, the radio innovation rolled out on January 9, through a series of radio spots.
Piyush Pandey
Said Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman – India, Ogilvy: “Repetition is an age-old memory trick we’ve all used in school while growing up. Through Fevi-call, we wanted to apply it to simple everyday reminders and make them stick in people’s minds. So, we turned an old medium like radio into a fun platform that anyone can use to reach their loved ones in a more effective way.”
On its 60th anniversary, Fevicol has pleasantly surprised its audience with a gem of a 90-second TVC.
Art Vs. Commercial Films
Earlier there were art films of what was known as parallel cinema and commercial films. Then someone bridged the gap by making art films that were a commercial success. Films like Arth, Salaam Bombay, Chakra, Masoom, Saaransh, Ardhsatya, Akrosh, 36 Chowringhee Lane, Mirch Masala, Utsav, Newton and others defined a new paradigm by engaging the audience. Now, we no longer have the term art films, but we have a parallel cinema of a different order. Cinema with empathises on experimentation, sequels and bold differential storylines.
Are We Seeing Birth Of BrandOperate Films.
In the advertising world, there have been classical corporate films and brand films. They were all about corporate glory and not really meant to make the consumer react to increase revenue, and they had a shorter life and audience. On the other hand, there was the 30-second Brand TVC meant to work in the market. Some brand like Tata Steel, Tata Tea, Ambuja Cement, Hamara Bajaj, Maruti were successful in bridging the gap to some extent.
Come Fevicol, maybe the first real example of a BrandOperate Film. It has all the ingredient of a corporate film, including the occasion and subtle message and the power to engage the audience.
What Makes Fevicol’s BrandOperate Communication Work?
Here the client thoroughly trusts the agency. They have a DNA of experimentation. They understand that the team consistency, along with adherence to the brand tonality and a clear benefit/purpose/role/focus is a must for engaging the audience and strengthen the brand. Remember the old ads of illogical examples having a foundation in real-life understanding. Fevicol took you places. You met the fisherman, an overcrowded bus, Boatman, a Mooch that gets stuck through generations, an egg that does not break and many more. These films stayed with well-defined film and brand grammar. Even in this 60th-year communication, the graph moves through locale, type of houses, people and growing affluence, as the colour pallet kept moving with the time.
The team and client must be complimented in their belief and eye for detail, not that we expected any less from the team at Fevicol, Piyush Pandey, Prasoon Pandey and the name Ogilvy.
Learning From Fevicol BrandOperate Communication.
It does prove that no commercial is long if its story engages the consumer. And when the brand has a focussed engaging and involving story, it does not need a celebrity to push the cause. If the brand idea is focussed, if it has been delivering the promise consistency through the ages, If it has adapted and evolved with the time and changes in the brand ecosystem, the brand name, logo or product shot tend to become immaterial to a large extent. It develops Positive Immunity. Similar thoughts were expressed by Anant Rangaswami in his article ‘Five Reasons Why The New Fevicol Commercial Sucks’.
Possibilities
I believe, brands like AajTak, Amul, TataSteel, Bajaj, Mahindra, Makemytrip, Stayfree can attempt such BrandOperate communication successfully.
Here are some other Fevicol films for watching again.
Fevicol is celebrating its 60 years of operations in India. Launched with a single product, Fevicol today has over 75 variants like Marine, HeatX, Hi-per, EzeeSpray and defines the adhesive category.
To celebrate this milestone, Fevicol has unveiled a new campaign that captures its bonding qualities. Conceptualised by Ogilvy, Pidilite’s creative agency partner for over three decades, the new TV film highlights the Fevicol’s journey over the years in its typical human and humorous fashion.
Bharat Puri
Said Bharat Puri, MD, Pidilite Industries Ltd: “Fevicol is one of the rare adhesive brands to feature in the most trusted brands in Indian households. It is loved by Indians for its reliable performance as well as its earthy, humorous and contemporary advertising. The 60-year Fevicol campaign celebrates its unbreakable bond with generations of Indians.”
Piyush Pandey
Added Piyush Pandey, Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman India, Ogilvy: “To me, Fevicol is not just an adhesive, but a cultural glue that salutes the people of India. Fevicol as a brand, has followed this principle for 60 years. Advertising came into the picture much later. The 60-year TV ad and the entire communication salutes the carpenter and her or his craft. Fevicol is the message. Ogilvy is only the messenger.”
Fevicol has rolled out a new ‘Govinda’ themed TVC based on ‘dahi-handi’ celebrations to reinforce universal bonding that Fevicol has come to stand for.
Conceived and developed by Ogilvy & Mather, the TVC highlights how a strong bond and teamwork are central to forming the several-storey high human pyramid that characterizes ‘dahi-handi’ celebrations. Through the trademark ‘humour’ thatFevicol ads are known for, the TVC reinforces the promise of a strong bond that binds people to their culture, strengtheningFevicol’s positioning of being the ultimate adhesive.
Piyush Pandey Executive Chairman and Creative director, Ogilvy & Mather – South Asia says, “Fevicol has always stood for ultimate bonding. Bonding beyond its physical manifestations, bonding of culture and humanity.The new film takes the festival of Govinda (Lord Krishna’s birthday) which is celebrated across the country by people making human pyramids to climb and break the clay pot which is symbolic of Lord Krishna stealing buttermilk from the Gopis (or Gopikas which in Sanskrit refers to a person in charge of a herd of cows). Fevicol in its tongue and cheek humour has created a hyperbole by making a pyramid that can even move from one location to the other.
Vivek Sharma, Chief Marketing Officer, Pidilite Industries said, “Over the years, Fevicol has established itself as an iconic brand that has become synonymous with forging a strong bond. Fevicol has embedded itself in Indian consciousness and culture and is now part of everyday lingo. The new TVC reflects this generational bond and affinity that the people of India have for Fevicol.â€
It’s a bond one thought would last forever. For many years, Ogilvy & Mather India has been known for Piyush Pandey. So strong is the association with Pandey that the agency’s name could well be prefixed with a Pandey.
But over the last five years, National Creative Directors Abhijit Avasthi and Rajiv Rao have come into their own and established themselves as creative gurus with their own standing, albeit a notch below Pandey.
The news of Ogilvy India National Creative Director Abhijit Avasthi parting ways with the agency after working there a decade-and-a-half sent shockwaves in the industry. Confirming this development, Avasthi said he was mulling his next steps. He said he was in discussions with Mr Pandey (coincidentally also his maternal uncle) for a few months.
Last evening, Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman & Creative Director, Ogilvy South Asia sent a mail to Ogilvy & Mather employees announcing the development. Rajiv Rao, who also shares the creative charge of the agency as National Creative Director (NCD), will be the sole NCD with effect from December 1.
Mr Avasthi will be with the agency till November 30 and continue to be associated with small projects, Mr Pandey said in a mail. According to sources, Mr Avasthi is likely to set up his own creative agency, a move that he has been contemplating for a while. The outgoing NCD though is tightlipped about his plans and would talk about them when the time is right.
A metallurgist by formal education, Kinu, as Avasthi is known in the fraternity, got into advertising after working in a steel plant, manufacturing textile dyes, trading in saris and even exporting playing cards and match-boxes. He started as a copywriter with Enterprise Nexus in 1997 and joined Ogilvy in July 1999. Other than winning several awards and being on the jury of many award shows, Avasthi has been several acclaimed advertising campaigns to his credit. These being for: Fevicol, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Google, Tata Sky, Bajaj, Centerfresh, Mentos and Unilever amongst others.
Friends in Ogilvy, say that while he is a creative, Kinu has a sharp business mind and in his quiet, affable way can win over clients and make decent monies for his agency.
Watch this space for more.
Image: Part of a Fevicol ad was doctored to show a hand (Abhijit Avasthi’s) getting unstuck from that of Ogilvy’s
Fevicol has rolled out a new TV commercial that reflects the current prevailing election environment in the country. Continuing its strategy to develop communication based on situations, the new TVC rides on the ongoing election bandwagon subtly imbibing brand messaging in the script.
In the new TVC developed by O&M, the communication is more than just functional, and has kept in line with brand proposition of strong bonding. Aptly titled ‘Crazy Chairs’ the TVC brings a unique and humorous take on the current election scenario with the help of carpenters and contractors. This TVC builds on earlier ads where the Fevicol brand used day to day situations in a funny way to communicate.
Anil Jayaraj
Anil Jayaraj, Chief Marketing Officer, Pidilite Industries said, “Most of our advertising bases the core brand proposition of “strong bonds” in an extremely creative and yet simple way. Our previous TVCs on Fevicol have aimed at exploring situations where this proposition can be communicated in a memorable and consistent way. In this TVC, we have experimented with the elections. We believe this new communication takes our brand ahead, and stands out.”
Piyush Pandey
Commenting on the concept,Piyush Pandey Executive Chairperson and Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather- South Asia said, “Keeping in mind the tone and manner that Fevicol has had for the last 21 years, Fevicol Crazy Chairs TVC captures the atmosphere created by the general assembly elections in the country. It borrows the excitement and interest of a common man and thereby creating a sync with the audience.”
The TV campaign will be an integrated campaign including outdoors and digital. In addition Pidilite is also executing a number of demand generation initiatives for Fevicol to support this campaign. The ad will be aired across key markets including entire Hindi speaking belt for a month period starting April 16, 2014.
Adhesive brand leader Fevicol has rolled out a new ad campaign series on television to stay connected and strike an emotional cord around the festival season.
In the new TVC developed by O&M, the communication is more than just functional, and has kept in line with product attribution especially with the use of Fevicol mascots – The Elephants. Fevicol has taken an interesting route of animation advertising and brought its elephants to life. The animated elephants have maintained the wit and humor quotient as in a Fevicol fashion way. The TVC reinforces the promise of a strong bond of togetherness on the festive occasion of Raksha Bandhan.
In an independent study conducted by media and entertainment research firm Ormax Media, Fevicol leads the list of at least 12 brands that tied up with Salman Khan’s blockbuster Dabangg 2. At no. 2 and no. 3 position are Colgate Active Salt and Suzuki Hayate respectively.
However, most other brands that associated with the film have not benefited from the association, with no significant recall in the study conducted in the week after the release of the film. These include brands like Thums Up, Gillette, Dixcy Scott and Fastrack, among others.
Fevicol evidently benefited from the usage of the brand name in the chartbuster Fevicol Se, featuring Kareena Kapoor with Salman Khan. Colgate Active Salt ran a contest called the ‘Colgate Active Salt Dabangg 2 Challenge’, with Sonakshi Sinha featuring in the ad. Suzuki Hayate, a brand endorsed by Salman Khan anyway, almost ran a multimedia contest, with bikes as prizes.
However, despite these associations, Revital emerged as the brand with the strongest association with Salman Khan. Revital didn’t have any co-branded ads for Dabangg 2, but their consistent brand endorsement by the no. 1 star over the last few months has ensured that it benefits from any Salman Khan event, including a film release like Dabangg 2.
Shailesh Kapoor
Speaking about the research, Shailesh Kapoor, CEO, Ormax Media, said, “Upto 15-20 brands tie up with big films, but only about 3-4 actually derive any real value out of the association. We had conducted a similar study when Ra.One released, and now plan to conduct such researches for big releases at regular intervals. Using such research, brands can benefit from learnings derived from associations of various kinds, and use these learnings as an input into their own film associations.”
The makers of Fevicol have launched a new variant called Fevicol Speedx, and as the brand name suggests, the promise is speed of bonding. And I must say Fevicol has disappointed me this time, I have always been a huge fan of their ads. This one just doesn’t have the usual Fevicol spark.
In the commercial, a man orders a bed to be custom-made, and the conversation with the furniture supplier happens over the telephone. The buyer has many specifications, but as soon as he finishes the call, the bed arrives. A lot faster than a mass produced pizza. Yes, the furniturewallah makes and delivers stuff at lightning speed, courtesy Fevicol Speedx, of course.
Now if you examine the TVC in isolation, there’s nothing really wrong with it. It’s catchy and it’s single minded. Usually, one would give such an ad decent points. But this ad is from the house of Fevicol, and these guys have set a very high benchmark for themselves. (Think of the ‘unbreakable egg’ and the ‘packed bus’ commercials from the past.) And when you view the new ad in that context, it’s a let-down. Sure, the exaggeration route has been used again, but this time the idea is much too literal and predictable. After the first exposure, the TVC has as much charm as a regular pizza ad. The commercial doesn’t pack in the X-factor we usually associate with Fevicol adverts.
Not happening, I say. Looks like the ad agency literally lived up to the brand name, and speeded to the client’s office with the first storyboard.
Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 2.5. And that’s a very poor score for a Fevicol advert.
Brand Engagement is always relevant and more so during the lockdown. Brands are using different tricks for engaging with consumers. Some of them are relevant and impactful, few original and innovative. I believe if there is nothing to say, being silliest is a better option.
Adhesive brand leader Fevicol has rolled out a new ad campaign series on television to stay connected and strike an emotional cord around the festival season.
By Anil Thakraney