VML and Tirupati Edible Oils have launched a campaign celebrating the joy of healthy living. It stars actor Kareena Kapoor Khan.
Said Shaileen Patel, General Manager, Business Development & Marcom at N K Proteins Pvt. Ltd.: “Through ‘Healthy Wali Happiness’, Tirupati Edible Oils aspires to motivate families to make thoughtful decisions regarding their health and well-being, ensuring every festive occasion is truly special. We aim to highlight the intrinsic link between health and happiness, showcasing that a healthy family is indeed a happy family. Our continued association with Kareena Kapoor Khan as the brand ambassador only helps us to organically build our new proposition even stronger.”
Added Sameet Soni – ECD VML India: “We look forward to festivals, meeting friends, family and celebrations. However, if you’re a foodie, you look forward to all the good food that’s served during these festivals. We wanted to celebrate the foodie in each of us with Kareena as brand ambassador.”
MyTrident, the flagship home furnishing brand of Trident Group, has released a festive campaign with its brand ambassador Kareena Kapoor Khan. The festive campaign revolves around the theme of “My Love for Home,” and includes a range of new festive collection.
Said Neha Gupta, Chairman, MyTrident: ‘The idea behind the campaign was to push our creative boundaries and bring out choice and value. With Kareena Kapoor Khan on board we aim to inspire seamless fusion of luxury with high performance.’
We love its sambar veggie mix though don’t always find stocks on the online food delivery apps. Pluckk, India’s leading lifestyle-oriented fresh fruit and vegetables brand, has announced a partnership with actor Kareena Kapoor. The partnership not only marks a milestone for Pluckk but also sees Kareena Kapoor taking a stake in the company, cementing her position as an Investor and Brand Ambassador in the F&V industry.
Pratik Gupta, CEO & Co-Founder of Pluckk said, “Our vision is to build a PAN India fresh food brand dedicated to service the needs of Indian families and homes with our network of over 1,000 farmers. Kareena Kapoor Khan’s partnership with Pluckk is set to propel us towards our unwavering goal. We warmly welcome her to the Pluckk family.”
Kareena Kapoor Khan said, “I am delighted to be associated with Pluckk as an investor and brand ambassador, a brand that is at the forefront of providing safe and high-quality fruits and vegetables to consumers. As a mom personally the quality of food is very important to me. I look forward to being a part of Pluckk’s remarkable journey and commitment to help consumers eat right in all of India.”
Springfit mattress has signed Kareena Kapoor Khan as its brand ambassador. Through its series of campaigns, the association aims to promote and make people aware of the importance of choosing the right mattress to ensure a peaceful sleep.
Said Nitin Gupta, Executive Director of Springfit: “We are absolutely happy and excited to have Ms. Kareena Kapoor Khan on board as our brand ambassador for Springfit. We, as a brand firmly believe that the power of better sleep can rejuvenate you, uplift your mood, and act as a tonic for your overall wellbeing. We were exactly looking for a face who could identify with our motto and help us spread the right message among the masses of prioritizing sleep for your own good health. Mrs. Khan is not only a youth icon but also a fitness enthusiast who believes that it is important to adopt a correct sleep pattern for a healthy state of mind.”
I have been constantly writing about this year’s IPL being unusual. In many ways. And now when we are reaching the business end of the league, it’s getting obvious that the three most unfancied teams are set to qualify for the playoffs. Paying an ode to the unusual season, this column is also going to be unusual. This time I am taking up one category campaign and talking about it extensively.
In the midst of edutech, fintech, transport aggregators, there is also the medicine aggregators. And some brands like Pharmeasy and Pharmeasy have advertised heavily on IPL. Both have used celebrities. Both have done multiple ads. Both promise multiple benefits. And both, over-promise.
When anyone needs a medicine, usually it’s because there is an urgent need. The delivery needs to be in minutes. But my experience with both the apps show that the usual delivery time is anything between one to four days. Maybe because I am in a small town therefore the medicine logistics is still to be sorted out. But isn’t that an irony. A small town should be able to deliver much faster. Netmeds, I have walked into Reliance Smart stores with prescription, which have a small Netmeds dedicated pharmacy area, and the standard answer is that they will check and call me back. And call back is after a few hours which confirms that the medicine will take another 12-24 hours. Both times that I tried Netmeds, by the time the call came, I had already bought the medicines from an offline pharmacy. And of course the app showed at least two to three days to deliver.
Therefore, when I see the Kareena Kapoor ads which talk about quick delivery, the brand loses all credibility. Ditto with Pharmeasy as they clearly say same day delivery. Maybe they deliver cosmetics and other non-medicine products fast. But then are they just a Swiggy Instamart or Dunzo? They need to be Swiggy Instamart and Dunzo in medicines or else stop making these claims.
The Kareena Kapoor train ads go on to show other benefits like quality or range. Again, I am not sure if one needs to highlight these benefits for medicines. The app claims to sell medicines against prescriptions. So, do we assume that quality of the prescribed medicines is a suspect? Range is more confusing. Yes, generic drugs can be available but how many of us actually know about it or are willing to even order a generic and ignore the doctor’s prescribed brand? I suspect they are pushing more of the cosmetics or supplements or tonics rather than the prescribed medicines.
Pharmeasy with Aamir Khan on the other hand has chosen some relevant benefits. Ordering medical equipment like sugar meter or even organising for home medical tests. These definitely are relevant and benefits that matter to the category. And I quite liked the exaggeration execution of three Khans belabouring each point.
Ultimately, both these brands cannot overcome the lure of discounts. Medicines, by Indian standards are definitely expensive. So double digit discounts work. And the lure of a minimum discount always is music to ears. Specially, when one is on long-term medication for ailments like diabetes, cholesterol, arthritis etc. These medicines are expensive, they are required on a regular basis and most importantly can be ordered in advance, keeping two-three days delivery time in mind. So discounts do play an important role in both the brand communication.
As a marketer, I have always wondered at multi0benefit communication. Does it really help? Do the consumer remember all benefits? The classical theory says that let one benefit be emphasised so that it sticks. And can be owned. My thinking is that well executed multi benefits work if they are relevant. The target consumer picks out the benefit that he needs or that matters to him and that sticks. So, if we take Pharmeasy, someone who needs to buy a medical equipment or needs to do tests will remember the brand. But the irrelevancy of quality or range for medicines, makes me doubtful about Netmeds communication. And discount is almost like a must. It is a category given without which no brand will survive. In fact, discount is like a blind spot. Its presence is almost like a reassurance but its absence will be most glaring. As for speed of delivery, the brands need to either improve their delivery or not talk about it.
Episodical ads, which seem to be like a continuing story narrative, always create interest. And using a celebrity to anchor it is a good idea if the celebrity becomes an integral part of the narrative. The Netmeds ads with Kareena Kapoor reprise her role in Jab We Met. So all the episodes have good empathy. Pharmeasy, on the other hand is not episodical but Aamir lends it a nice ethereal quality which again piques our interest.
As I sign off this week’s column, I am aghast at seeing the new Budweiser ad. But in the spirit of being unusual, let me leave it at that. More about it, next week.
Pune-based Parakh Group has announced actor Kareena Kapoor Khan as brand ambassador for its brand Samrat Atta & Flours.
Said Director Mayank Parakh: “At Parakh Group, our efforts have always been focused on sourcing the best raw materials to manufacture high quality products with a detailed focus in maintaining product hygiene. The pandemic taught all of us more about the importance of hygiene even in our own homes and we were proud to see the country’s women taking a stance to shift away from atta grinded in olden chakkis to Samrat Atta in large numbers, hence trusting us with our professional expertise in raw material selection and hygienic & touchless manufacturing and packing processes. Who better to further spread this message of home food hygiene than Kareena Kapoor Khan? Now a mother of two, Kareena has set higher standards for mothers in all avenues of child upbringing along with an excellent example of work-life balance. We share her ideology on health and hygiene for oneself and our families and we hope to spread this message out to our patrons together.”
Malabar Gold & Diamonds has kicked off the 9th edition of its Brides of India campaign with a special wedding theme song titled #MakeWayForTheBride. It features brand ambassadors of Malabar Gold & Diamonds, actors Anil Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor along with brides from diverse regions of the country. The Brides of India 2021 wedding anthem has been conceptualised by the creative agency Dentsu India and directed by Kookie Gulati.
Said Malabar Group Chairman MP Ahammed: “The Brides of India Campaign is our tribute to the new-age brides and their awe-inspiring individuality. Over the last ten years, Brides of India has played a pivotal role in showcasing our versatility in catering to all bridal jewellery needs from all around the country. The theme of Brides of India 2021 encourages all to make way for the bride. Because this is her moment, it’s her big day, and she’s here to own it! She’s here to shine and make sure the world knows it. With the launch of Brides of India 2021 campaign, we celebrate the brides who choose to make the big day all about her. With designs that cater to varied sensibilities of new-age brides across regions, there is something unique for every bride to complement her unique entry.”
Recently a new advertisement featuring Vectus and the power couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor was released. The theme was romance and the campaign line said: ‘India ki waterline ‘.
You may not have heard of Vectus before, but now you have with all the talk surrounding this ad. Vectus is a fairly large brand with a range of products in polymer-based water storage and piping solutions. Headquartered at Noida, the brand caters to residential, commercial, industrial, infrastructure and agricultural sectors.
Vectus Industries Limited has three brands of water storage tanks. Ganga and Waterwell with features like micro-ban (no smell), virgin raw material, no heavy metal use and threaded lid!
Vectus, the brand in focus with Saif Kareen Romance claims to be anti-microbial, free of heavy metal usage and made as per European standards.
The Vectus earlier communication is about the importance of water and healing preventing leakage and seepage as the brand feature or purpose. These features and promise have not changed.
Kareena and Saif Ali Khan were announced as Vectus brand ambassadors in March 2020. It was the first time the brand was associating with celebrity. Fair to presume that the scripts were ready by that time. Rajesh Alagh, President-Sales & Marketing joined the group in April 2020. So one assumes he got the campaign in legacy and maybe is not part of the development.
There is a second Saif Kareena film titled Dance and has light flirting between the couple. It is no longer available on the Facebook page. However, one can be accessed on Youtube.
https://youtu.be/lKWMF76SpsY
Look at Instagram post. You see an unmasked crew in behind the scene which was well covered and reported. So, it is a pre-lockdown shoot. One more excuse goes down the drain. Picture from Bollywoodshaadis.com
Water Storage tank and pipes are primarily B2B category with a very regional bias. There is not much TV advertising. Digital media has opened a new window for the category to reach out to a broader audience.
This romance E film of Vectus has got a reaction that the brand was not expecting.
One tweet read, Zenith of advertising has been reached.
People questioned who wrote this? No clue. How this gets approved? Like all ads do, by the person funding making and release. Why did said Kareena agree? She has not shared the reason. They equated it end of advertising.
An industry senior tweeted, ‘Once the celebrity fever enters on Industry, all brands jump in. Chappals to Banyan to Tank/pipes now!’. What’s surprising? Are these categories not authorised to use a celebrity. Another in his style tweeted, ‘Now we are really tanking in ‘Chullu Bhar paani‘ I suppose.
They are right and wrong at the same time. These tweet experts have the right to an opinion, and most may agree with them. And I presume they must not have seen the two films.
Definitely, Vectus could have better used the celebrity couple.
Maybe the script could have been better.
The features of leakage and seepage prevention could have been told differently. Remember the MSEAL ads which were also about leakage and there instead of the MSEAL it could well be the pipe.
Or even SHEETAL tank ad tried making some sense with wordplay.
https://youtu.be/zss6k66-LfU
People presuppose that Vectus Saif Kareena is a client written and produced the film. See the second film, dance, and it does not seem so. But no agency has come forward to take the credit or the blame or to defend it.
Brands like Vectus do not have high exposure to advertising. They are small-town brands ( Vectus registered office- Gwalior), and they are trying to open up, dream big.
The water storage and piping category has brands which have in the past tried being creative. These brands are still evolving in their communication. Maybe the category is yet to see the real advantage of investing in advertising agencies and creative product then media. Or perhaps they are happy for having done something that was out of their reach. Maybe in the case of Vectus, this Saif-Kareena Romance and dance is creative enough.
Most of us did not make an excellent piece of creative the first time in our professional life.
We may not have done right in mathematics in our school. However, today we wonder why the fourth standard student is unable to do the simple maths.
Why should every advertisement from every brand be great? Be error-free? Why must they be evaluated on the same parameters? This Industry also follows the bell curve. There will be brands at the outer spectrum. We should not be worried and raise the alarm if the brands do something better every time. We should be encouraging and not laugh at the efforts.
The brands will learn with time and experience.
Yes, it will cost them money and efforts. But then, brands and owner-driven brands rarely gives consultant or the creative agencies complete freedom to start with. Maybe they will now listen to and hire better consultants with experience of working in owner-driven company culture. Perhaps they will re-evaluate three brand strategy against a mother brand and adapt if it fits with their future dreams.
WHY BLAME THE CLIENT?
On seeing an advertisement like the Saif-Kareena Vectus film, why do people presuppose it to be an advertisement written and produced by the client? Why do they think that some crazy agency is not responsible for it? Yes, finally the client is responsible, but the client acts basis the experience, expectation and the advice it gets.
CATEGORY CUES.
Sometimes actions are category -driven. The brands may see the use of celebrity as an easy way out. Or no other way out. Maybe such communication is usually a play for dealer distribution enhancement and confidence buildup.
Look at the other brand PLASTO work here.
And here is PLASTO earlier work from before 2014. You see the change. Good or bad. Evolution part of any brand journey. Yes, they can look at professional help to reduce the mistakes.
And then there are brands which have been category leaders. Sintex is one such example. It originated sometime around the late eighties and joined forces with Mudra. Here is some of their work of. SINTEX WORLD RIVER DAY 2017. SYNTEX WATER STORAGE SOLUTIONS.
https://youtu.be/hNhvPqxLbUM
So, let us not be harsh and accept that in Industry, we will get creative of every nature. Yes, ultimately, the client gets the creative they deserve. They grow and evolve with experience and expectations. Let us hold hands and see how well we can contribute.
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OTHERS ADS IN THE CATEGORY.
And then here are links to more ads. Topline 5 Layer Tanks. Mangalam Water Tank.
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MORE ABOUT VECTUS.
In one of the videos, Vectus claims to be the world’s largest manufacturer of Molded Water Tanks. In 2015, Latinia Limited, an affiliate of Creador II LLC invested Rs 100 crores (USD 16.7 million) for a minority stake. This stake as per shareholder pattern in 2018 was 21% in an otherwise privately held Vectus Industries Limited (Vectus) between Bahetie’s and Ladha’s.
Now the brand has been in the market for the last 20 years. In fact, it has a network of 4300 dealers and distributors, 13 manufacturing plant and 5 depots across the country; thus making it one of the leading and fastest-growing water storage and Piping system company of India.
Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior brand and marketing strategist and educator. An IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, he has more than three decade of experience. He writes every Wednesday on MxMIndia, and sometimes on other days as well. His views here are personal.
Vectus Industries Limited, a leading water storage and piping solutions provider company, has roped in actor couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor as its brand ambassadors.
Commenting on this announcement, Managing Directors of Vectus Group, Ashish Baheti and Atul Ladha said: “We are delighted to have the most popular Bollywood star couple Saif and Kareena onboard as our brand ambassadors. It’s the first time Vectus has been associated with any celebrity couple for brand promotion and it’s rare to see a perfect match between the brand and the brand ambassadors, who share the same attributes of class and sophistication. Obviously it’s a winning association that will take brand Vectus to a higher level of popularity and growth.”
Rasna has announced the launch of Rasna Masala Orange, a new spicy drink flavour with actor Kareena Kapoor Khan as its brand ambassador.
Speaking on the launch of the variant and association with Kareena Kapoor Khan, Piruz Khambatta, Chairman & MD, Rasna Pvt Ltd, said: “Kareena Kapoor Khan is a critically acclaimed actor, fearless and believes in quality. As we venture into this new era of spicy drinks, our association with Kareena Kapoor Khan as the brand Ambassador of Rasna Masala Orange will help reach out to more consumers.â€
Presenting Celebrity Endorsement Data which comes from TAM AdEx and Celebrity Buzz Data that is from Eikona. Here’s how this data can be helpful for the media industry and professionals:
Eikona Data(Celebrity Buzz): While selecting a celebrity for a brand, the connect between brands and a celebrity is always important. The brand personality and celebrity personality have to complement each other. Eikona data with the help of attributes/adjectives used to describe the celebrities can be helpful for the advertiser/advertising agencies to select the proper fit for the brand.
TAM AdEx Data (Celebrity Endorsement): Celebrity Endorsement Data showcases the visibility of celebrities during the breaktime on TV through Ad Volumes. This can be a great help for advertiser, advertising agencies, celebrity management companies to keep track of their celebrity brand endorsement.
When we are talking of celebrities and the buzz they create, why have words. Let the figures (no pun intended) do the talking.
In India, every brand would like to be Salman Khan. His stimulating record-busting success, his driving-the-country-crazy chutzpah, his mass hysterical rock-star appeal are sure ingredients no brand would like to let go of.
Zandu reaped a windfall for Emami, the balm’s maker, with the provincial and saucy lyrics of the item number in Dabangg, Munni badnaam hui, to which Malaika Arora-Khan jigged irrepressibly with Salman into the heart of India. Now Fevicol, a brand that already has a deep connect with the country, has jumped jauntily on to its sequel, Dabangg 2, hoping that the new rustic and pert item song keeps the swelling club of Salman fanboys glued to it. Pidilite Industries, maker of Fevicol, has signed a marketing and promotion deal with the film’s producer Arbaaz Khan for the song where top actress Kareena Kapoor plays the item girl.
Anil Jayaraj, chief marketing officer at Pidilite, said the association did not involve any financial deal, but the company will co-promote the song and the film, which releases on December 21, through television commercials, hoardings and other media. “Fevicol’s core proposition of bonding and sticking comes out well in the song,” he said.
Shreyas Khedekar, executive producer at Arbaaz Khan Productions, said the producers did not make an effort to accommodate Fevicol in the song. “The composers came up with the suggestions and we liked it,” he said. “Unlike last time, we had a promotional tie-up for Fevicol much in advance. The idea was to avoid any complications later,” Khedekar said.
Last time, they did not take permission from Emami to use Zandu balm in the song that made Munni badnaam, and the Kolkata-based company had served a legal notice on the production house.
Later, both parties settled the dispute amicably and decided to use grabs of the chartbuster song for Zandu balm’s promotional campaigns. Emami also signed Malaika Arora as the brand ambassador for the balm.
Pidilite’s Jayaraj said that while Fevicol has done in-film placement in several movies, including recent ones such as Son of Sardaar and Golmaal, this is probably the first time the brand has become part of a Hindi song’s lyrics. Adman Piyush Pandey, head of creative agency Ogilvy & Mather, said the brand Fevicol was mentioned in a Tamil song a couple of years ago.
“When translated, the line in the song meant ‘I want to plant Fevicol kisses on your cheeks’,” he said. “Even news headlines have used the word several times to convey the sense of bonding and sticking. We don’t mind this,” said Mr Pandey, who has been instrumental in boosting the Fevicol brand through a series of clutter-breaking ads.
The song in Dabangg 2 goes: ” Angdaaiyan leti hoon mein jab zor zor se, Ooh aah ki awaaz hai aati road se, Mere photo ko seene se yaar, Chipkaale sayiaan Fevicol se…” The brand has no problem if somebody uses it to stick a photo on one’s heart. “As a brand we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Mr Pandey says.
I have been constantly writing about this year’s IPL being unusual. In many ways. And now when we are reaching the business end of the league, it’s getting obvious that the three most unfancied teams are set to qualify for the playoffs. Paying an ode to the unusual season, this column is also going to be unusual. This time I am taking up one category campaign and talking about it extensively.
Pune-based Parakh Group has announced actor Kareena Kapoor Khan as brand ambassador for its brand Samrat Atta & Flours.
By Sanjeev Kotnala
Vectus Industries Limited, a leading water storage and piping solutions provider company, has roped in actor couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor as its brand ambassadors.
Presenting Celebrity Endorsement Data which comes from TAM AdEx and Celebrity Buzz Data that is from Eikona. Here’s how this data can be helpful for the media industry and professionals: