Tag: Sumeet Narang

  • Bajaj V’s ‘Postcards of Pride’ film pays homage to soldiers

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bajaj V has launched ‘Postcards of Pride’ film under its Invincible Indians series.Through the film, it urges all Indians to spare a moment to remember over 22,000 bravehearts who laid down their lives in military actions since 1947, and display their respect through a small gesture of lighting a candle outside their home at 8 pm on today, March 23, which is also celebrated as Martyr’s Day.

     

    ‘Postcards of Pride’ captures the story of Jitendra Singh Gurjar, a Surat-based security guard who has been writing postcards to martyrs’ families for the last 19 years. Till date he has written letters to 4000 families. Through the film Bajaj V conveys a message to all the Indians to come together on Martyr’s day at same time to pay tribute to our

     

    Speaking about the initiative, Sumeet Narang, Vice President- Marketing Motorcycles, Bajaj Auto said: “Bajaj V has created Invincible Indians, a platform to showcase the stories of solid Indians who, by their resolve and determination, performed extraordinary acts for our society. We feel that like Medicine Baba, Ambulance dada and others, Jitender Singh Gurjar is also a true Invincible Indian and hope that his story will inspire millions of Indians to do their bit to pay tribute to our Martyrs.”

     

     

  • Bajaj Discover campaign celebrates the boy in every man

    By A Correspondent

     

    Discover from Bajaj Auto, has released a new campaign that has been conceptualised by Mullen Lintas. Bajaj Auto had recently re-launched the Discover with an upgraded Discover 125, and an all-new Discover 110.

     

    The new Discovers carry forward that legacy of exciting performance with an all-new long-stroke engine. It also has the additional advantage of exciting looks with first-in-class LED DRLs, first-in-class digital instrument display panel, all new stylish graphics, and a host of other style and performance upgrades.  The new campaign shows how an exciting ride on the new Discover makes you as ‘zindadil’ as in your younger days.

     

    Said Sumeet Narang, Vice President – Marketing, Bajaj Auto: “Discover is our brand which offers an energetic and spirited riding experience to daily commuters. It differentiates itself from the rest of 100-125cc commuter brands by offering a more fun bike to our customers who see themselves as hard working family men burdened with responsibilities. Finding a relevance for Discover’s promise of performance was critical. Immersions with family men between 30-40yrs in large and small towns helped us arrive at the brand insight of how the boy in every man is always alive. Discover’s spirited riding can help him come out, once in while”

     

    Added Ayyappan Raj, Executive Vice President, Mullen Lintas: “It’s quite an important and significant campaign for us, considering the task of reintroducing brand Discover. The brief from the brand team was about how the new Bajaj Discover with stylish features, powerful engine brings out the youthfulness in the rider and that’s exactly what we have managed to capture with ‘Bano Zindadil’. There’s a lot of activities planned across media, ensuring this idea travels to a larger audience.”

     

     

  • Dominar 400 challenges the elephants again in latest campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bajaj Auto’s Dominar 400 has unveiled a new campaign that questions ardent followers of traditional big bikes about their choice by highlighting shortcomings and encourage them to move on to modern-day motorcycling.

     

    Said Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy West (India): “The ‘Haathi mat Palo’ campaign started a new conversation amidst the biking community. A conversation that put technology before tradition. The sequel of this campaign takes the story further. Each story is based on a true insight. Told in a most memorable manner, these stories will provoke the riders to rethink what will they choose to ride when they go touring.”

     

    Added Sumeet Narang, VP Marketing Bajaj Auto Ltd: “Long distance and leisure touring has been devoid of modern motorcycling technology and performance in our country.  By offering size as well as superlative performance, Dominar attempts to redefine and raise the biking standards in the country. While our first campaign provoked riders to answer a question – what’s size without performance? this follow-up campaign further establishes what are the essentials of new age long distance touring. Each film taps on a pain point faced by the riders on traditional big bikes and how Dominar with its hyper-agility, control, performance and technology, makes it a perfect hyper-riding machine.”

     

     

  • Mullen Lintas wins Bajaj Discover account

    By A Correspondent

     

    Leading two-wheeler brand Bajaj Auto has appointed Mullen Lintas to handle the creative duties for its motorcycle brand Discover in India. This will be the second Bajaj account win for the agency, after Bajaj Avenger, which is also part of their current client portfolio.

     

    Mullen Lintas bagged the account following a competitive multi-agency pitch that saw participation from some of the leading advertising agencies in India.

     

    Said Sumeet Narang, Vice President – Marketing, Bajaj Auto: “Discover competes in the core commuter segment of prestige 100 and 125cc bikes. The segment is very competitive and marked with different brands offering value, practicality, familiarity or prestige.  Discover differentiates itself from all other brands by promising an energised riding experience that rejuvenates life. Presenting this promise in a customer relevant and insightful communication is very critical.”

     

    Commenting on the win, Virat Tandon, CEO, Mullen Lintas said: “Discover is a very important part of the Bajaj Auto portfolio and we are absolutely thrilled to be awarded this business by client. The challenge is to rekindle the love and the following that Discover has had in the past and to grow it multi-fold. It’s going to be a fun ride.”

     

    It may be recalled that Bajaj Discover was handled by Lintas for many years in the past and Amer Jaleel, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Mullen Lintas had worked on the brand extensively then.

     

    Said Jaleel: “With the Discover win both of my favourite Bajaj brands (while at Lowe Lintas), that is Discover and Avenger are now back in the fold, so to speak. We have a very interesting brand promise on Bajaj Discover and we are excited by the challenge of this segment and happy to be on board with such encouraging and respectful partners as Bajaj.”

     

     

  • Ogilvy Mumbai executes a dominant campaign for Bajaj Dominar 400

    By A Correspondent

     

    A challenger brand wishing to take on a behemoth is not something new in communication.The recent Dominar 400 from Bajaj is doing exactly the same.

     

    Said Sumeet Narang, VP Marketing Bajaj Auto Ltd: “Long distance and leisure touring does not have to be devoid of modern motorcycling technology and performance. Dominar 400 identifies this glaring need gap and offers an athletic option which takes touring to a new level, not experienced by most riders in India. The brand task is to establish this form positioning and provoke answer to a question – what’s size without performance?”

     

    Added Sukesh Nayak, CCO, Ogilvy West (India): “‘Hathi Mat Palo’ is a phrase we often use to define being stuck with something that is dated and heavy on the pocket. Our big idea is based around this thought. We used the phrase to create a powerful execution that is designed to provoke the big motorcycle riders stuck with dated technology.”

     

    Other than a TV, the campaign consists of outdoor, and digital initiatives.

     

  • Bajaj Avenger encourages women to ride their independence in latest film

    By A Correspondent

     

    Che cruiser bike brand Bajaj Avenger expressed its take on why freedom matters to women and in a way they feel right. With #RideYourIndependence that has been conceptualised by Mullen Lintas Mumbai, Bajaj Avenger unravels the journey of one such female protagonist and what being free really means to her.

     

    Commenting on the objective behind the film, Sumeet Narang, VP – Marketing, Bajaj Auto said: “Avenger stands for freedom and liberation and it is our endeavor to reinforce the brand equity with each communication. With so many issues of women safety cropping in India recently, on this Independence Day, we saw an opportunity to underline ‘liberation of women’ seen from an Avenger perspective in a unique, positive and an endearing way.”

     

    Expressing her views on the idea and making of the film, Garima Khandelwal, ECD – Mullen Lintas said: “It’s the 70th year of independence, but are we, man woman alike really free? The film shows a woman riding through the outskirts, how a man would ride today. The indifference the world has to her presence is meant to reflect as respect of her freedom, it’s a utopian community. Mahatma Gandhi’s quote rightfully makes the film relevant for Independence Day. The brand makes a point on liberation yet again but this time it’s not a film for a girl that rides, it’s a film for every girl. Here’s to her independence!”

     

  • Bajaj Avenger urges fans to ride and acknowledge true wealth

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bajaj Auto has unveiled a new campaign that urges Indians to discover true wealth (and not just the materialistic stuff that has come to the fore post-demonetisation). Commenting on the need for the film, Sumeet Narang, VP Marketing, Bajaj Auto Ltd said: “We, as a brand, understand Avenger riders really enjoy and cherish riding and value experiencing outdoors. They seek treasure on either mountain tops or some sunny beaches. When demonetisation took the country by storm, we saw the subject of wealth accumulation from the riders’ perspective.”

     

    The film, conceptualised by Mullen Lintas Mumbai, highlights the underlying message that it seeks to convey, namely #RideDontHide. It begins with a statement on the immense wealth that the protagonist, or rather the rider, possesses as he makes his way across amazing trails in the country. Agreeing that his wealth is stashed away across many places, he makes his way to those locations much to the curiosity of the viewers. He eventually leads viewers to the natural wealth that’s abundantly available like the greenery, blue waters, bright yellow leaves, white snow etc. He eventually confesses that he is indeed wealthy beyond measure but none of it is black. Thus every ride that one embarks on makes him richer; richer by newer experiences.

     

    Commenting on the film, Ayyappan Raj, EVP-Mullen Lintas Mumbai said, “Bajaj Avenger has been engaging on social media with topical messaging for almost a year now – from IPL to Social Media Day to Brotherhood Day. And it has worked quite well for the brand. This time, there’s a POV that’s very true to the biker’s attitude/outlook and sincere to the brand belief. How does the Avenger rider look at wealth is the perspective that we’ve brought out in the current context. It’s already got a good response and has received positive comments & feedback.”

     

    Highlighting the creative thought process behind the campaign, Shriram Iyer, NCD, Mullen Lintas said, “A rider’s wealth is the experiences he collects while riding. Riding brings us closer to the wealth of nature. The current conversation about black money allowed us a powerful context to make this point. Acknowledging the beauty of the world around us will.”

     

     

     

    About Mullen Lintas:

    Launched on August 1, 2015, Mullen Lintas is the new creative agency offering from MullenLowe Lintas Group.It is headquartered in Mumbai with presence in key cities of Bangalore & New Delhi. The agency understands that a great brand needs a great narrative that flows seamlessly through screens, experiences, shopping environments and conversations. Mullen Lintas is born ahead of the curve and intends to remain a mashup of the enduring and the emerging. It intends to partner brands whose reality or ambitions are driven by a passionate pursuit of leadership.

     

    MullenLowe Lintas Groupis one of the largest country operations of the MullenLowe Group (part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG). It has operating divisions in advertising (Lowe Lintas, Mullen Lintas), design (dCell), PR (GolinOpinion), brand consulting (LinConsult), experiential marketing & activation (LinEngage),video content (LinProductions), digital marketing (LinTeractive) that manage 300+ clients. With a talent pool of over 900 people across 7 cities in India, MullenLowe Lintas Group currently manages more brands amongst the Top 10, Top 20, Top 50 and Top 100 of AC Nielsen-Brand Equity’s India’s Most Trusted Brands (2013 and 2014), than any other agency in India. MullenLowe Lintas Group was also ranked the No. 1 creative agency in the world in effectiveness by the World Advertising and Research Council’s report, WARC 100 for two consecutive years (2015-2016). Recently, the group was declared the Effie Agency of the Year for 2015 in India & also the APAC Effie Agency of the Year 2016.

     

    To know more about MullenLowe Lintas Group, visit us at www.mullenlowelintas.in or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or YouTube

     

    For further information, please contact: 

    GolinOpinion                                                  MullenLowe Lintas Group

    Aparna Mehrotra                                          Johnson Napier

    +91 9969623947                                            +91 9892981600

    aparna.mehrotra@golinopinion.in             johnson.napier@mullenlowelintas.in

     

  • Bajaj V commemorates 45th anniversary of 1971 Indo-Pak war with new campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bajaj V continues to share the stories of the invincible INS Vikrant and this time it is with ‘Mission Vikrant 1971: Indo Pak War Diaries’, an initiative that commemorates the 45th anniversary of the war through detailed day-by-day accounts. Every day, for the 14-day war period from December 3 to 16, Bajaj V is presenting an update of the events of that day on the warfront. Along with the key events of each day, Bajaj V will also release a new first-hand account of the war as narrated by the brave naval soldiers who served aboard the INS Vikrant during this period.

     

    The website will host the timeline of events and stories beginning December 3. Each day, the website will be updated with events and stories from the same day exactly 45 years ago. Naval veterans such as Vice Admiral S K K Krishnan, Rear Admiral Ramsagar, Rear Admiral S K Gupta, Rear Admiral MediomaBhada, Lt Narula, Lt. Cdr. Avatar Singh, as well as families of Late Vice Admiral Swaraj Prakash & Late Admiral S M Nanda among others have contributed these stories.

     

    Commenting on the initiative,Sumeet Narang, VP, Marketing (Motorcycles), Bajaj Auto Ltd said: “The 1971 war was a momentous occasion in Indian military and political history. Bajaj V, the bike that contains the metal of the invincible INS Vikrant, salutes the brave-hearts who put their lives on the line to serve the country. We feel their stories of valour should be told… This initiative also has a unique personal touch, as these are not just historical facts, but real stories as experienced by those who fought in the war on board the INS Vikrant.”

     

  • Ogilvy wins integrated creative mandate for Dominar 400

    By A Correspondent

     

    After a rigorous pitch process lasting more than two months, Ogilvy India has won the business of Bajaj Auto’s Dominar. The size of the account is not yet known but the bike’s launch is expected to be accompanied with an aggressive marketing activity. Ogilvy already manages Bajaj’s Pulsar and Platina brands.

     

    Commenting on the development, Sumeet Narang, VP Marketing, Bajaj Auto Ltd said: “Dominar has been one of the most awaited launches. It will be the biggest and most technologically advanced bike from our stable and we expect it to take motorcycling in India to a next new level. We therefore wanted a concept that was unusual yet something that bikers could connect well with. We found the idea presented by Ogilvy meeting that expectation and having sufficient play for future build ups.”

     

    Added Abhik Santara, EVP,Ogilvy Mumbai: “This win is really special. It is about creating a whole new world of biking, something which we had done for Pulsar many moons back.   Sumeet gave us a very clear brief on this and the chances of misinterpreting it were practically zero, which made the pitch process even more difficult. Our strategy and creative had to be sharp like a razor to stand out. We are proud that we had both, and more importantly, a client who spotted it in one shot. The Ogilvy team working on Bajaj across planning, servicing and creative (quite a few of them are avid bikers) had the most satisfying time working on this pitch and are now fully gearing up to manage the launch.”

     

    Said Sukesh Nayak, ECD, Ogilvy Mumbai, who believes that this was one of the sharpest and yet toughest briefs to crack: “We knew the feeling it is needed to evoke with the rider and yet find a cut which is never done in the biking world. But once we had cracked the idea, we knew it. There was no looking back from there and it is one of those rare cases where the pitch campaign is being produced for the final launch. Fingers crossed, this will surely make bikers take note.”

     

  • Bajaj V calls for Indians to celebrate National pride every day

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bajaj Auto has released a new brand film for V – the bike that contains the metal of legendary warship INS Vikrant. The film raises an important question about why national pride is restricted to select occasions of national significance like Independence Day or Republic Day, and forgotten the very next morning. Also, the new film features the fresh Navy Blue colour of Bajaj V introduced through the new campaign.

     

    The film aims to inspire people to cherish India’s rich and glorious history and feel a sense of pride every single day of the year. The story is narrated from the point of view of a real-life war hero. Rear Admiral S. K. Gupta, a Mahavir Chakra awardee, who served aboard the INS Vikrant in the 1971 war, features in the film and talks about how the Bajaj V now allows us to experience our pride every day.

     

    Said Sumeet Narang, Vice-President, Marketing, Motorcycles, Bajaj Auto: “With the V, we are not just selling motorcycles but celebrating the pride of the nation. Consumers are also playing back this feeling of pride. The new campaign takes the proposition forward and talks about how the V helps you experience pride every day, and not just on select occasions of national significance.”

     

    Added Rajdeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett: “We believed, with the metal of INS Vikrant, the V was perfectly suited to express this pride on an everyday basis. And this formed the core to our thinking for this film.” The film has been directed by Prakash Varma of Nirvana Films.

     

  • Bajaj Avenger celebrates ‘Brotherhood Day’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Not many know that  ‘Brotherhood Day’ is observed on September 11. For brands, this has been a distant proposition where nothing significant has been attempted to connect with their consumers. But this Brotherhood Day, Bajaj Auto took the lead with its cruiser brand, Avenger to connect with popular bike brand, Royal Enfield, in its category in a unique way.

     

    Conceptualised and executed by Mullen Lintas, the film has been unveiled only on the online medium. It captures the common thought of riding shared between the two brands who are both iconic in their own respective ways. As such, brotherhood as a concept is inherent to the road, the rider and his machine. The insight is especially true for brands that put these machines out on the road. What better occasion than Brotherhood Day to talk about the thought, through a film that is pitched right in order to resonate with both, Bajaj Avenger and also with the whole riding community.

     

    Sharing his views on the unique nature of the idea, Sumeet Narang, Vice President – Marketing, Bajaj Auto Ltd. said, “There is a natural tendency for bikers to connect and bond during their rides. And that connections cuts across language, culture, region, brands and bikes. The core belief of Avenger is ‘liberation’ and that one should never be trapped by any man made boundaries. This ‘Brotherhood Day’ film also encompasses the same thought subtly and manifests the joy of riding as one.”

     

    Highlighting the unique aspect of the digital film, Ayyappan Raj, EVP – Mullen Lintas Mumbai said, “The best part of creating work for Avenger is the fact that there is a very clear brand brief and from there we keep looking for and finding new, interesting ways to engage with our audience. Wishing Royal Enfield Brotherhood Day is one of them. The insight was at the core of how riders feel clannish to the brands they belong to. On eve of Brotherhood Day, Avenger being a most sought after bike for long rides, it called out to all bikers to ride and celebrate the bikers’ brotherhood day. Between the Avenger brand team and Mullen Lintas team there’s a lot of co-creation that’s happening and there’s a lot more to come.”

     

    The film traverses the journey undertaken by two riders on their favourite riding machine. Whether life offers a rough or smooth ride or puts one through circumstances that are not pleasant, it is the innate bond of brotherhood that keeps them going to achieve more in life. The film communicates this thought in a very candid manner.

     

    The film was tweeted with a greeting by Bajaj Avenger to Royal Enfield and simultaneously unveiled on Bajaj Avenger’s Facebook page and YouTube channel and will be promoted across other social assets as well. Since being unveiled, the film has received over 700k views in 24 hrs. Viewers have started tagging their RE/Avenger friends on FB and are also sharing pictures of the two bikes together and going for a ride too.

  • Bajaj Avenger unveils campaign to observe Social Media Day

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bajaj Auto’s Avenger is celebrating Social Media day with a thought-provoking video campaign. Bajaj Avenger which is positioned on the idea of ‘liberation’ has come up with a film that underlines the downsides of over exposure to social media, encouraging people to connect with themselves.

     

    The current generation of millennials have started leading a life that is dominate by the digital world. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn have become an integral part of our life and our way of connecting and interacting with the world. The flip side of over exposure to digital and social media prevents people from spending time with themselves and their loved ones. The more connected we are connect on social media, the more detached we are to the real world and all that nature has to offer.

     

    Commenting on the film, Sumeet Narang, Vice President, Marketing Bajaj Auto Ltd said “Avenger, as a brand is all about liberation. So in today’s context, we looked at what’s that one thing that seems to be holding us back. Social media is constantly coming up with newer ways to connect, giving people the means to reach out, keeping them up to date. The flipside being, it seems to be tying us down to such an extent that we are losing ourselves to it. So 30th June was the opportune moment to get the Brand Avenger to call for action, urging people to free themselves, a value that the brand stands for. The idea for our campaign is to encourage and empower people to connect with what matters the most.”