MxMIndia

Tag: Vikram Grover

  • A host of brands have joined in providing popular opinion on the support needed in deciding the right political party/candidate this election season

    Brands show the way – in or out – this election season

    By Shobhana Nair

     

    The ongoing election fever has certainly caught the attention of everyone concerned including individuals and companies alike. This year especially is one where a host of brands have joined the opinion bandwagon and have gone on to express their hopes or angst against a host of political parties and their candidates. Recent examples include Fevicol that has joined the group with its recent ad campaign that humorously reflects the current election scenario in India and also Maruti’s Wagon R that has released a campaign around elections.

     

    Harish Bijoor

    Explaining the approach being taken by brands, Harish Bijoor, Brand Expert & CEO, Harish Bijoor, Consults Inc said, “Politics is a very important part of the fabric of societal life. Every being is essentially a social being first and then a political. To that extent politics touches every one of us. Since it does, marketers salivate at the prospect of using politics and election time is a great time to piggy back on the one big event that gets the eyeballs: Indian elections.”

     

    That may sound like a great marketing strategy and that’s why brands like Tata Tea has been a clear favourite amongst both the experts and the aam junta in throwing light on issues that need attention. This time around, Power of 49 had the backing of popular TV faces and the response received has been phenomenal. The brand has received over 1.7 million responses till date with a majority of these responses coming in from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Rajasthan. Of the 1.7 million calls, more than 0.6 million have voiced specific issues that concern women.

     

    Vikram Grover, VP – Marketing, India and South Asia, Tata Global Beverages said, “What is noteworthy is that not just women, but men too have participated in a major way. With such phenomenal participation from the general public and an increasing focus on women in political discourse, we hope that the reach of our campaign could play a small but a significant part in paving the way for women’s empowerment and hence aiding the nation’s progress.”

     

    This isn’t the first time that Tata Tea has taken up a social cause. One is aware about their Jaago Re campaign which was established in 2007 to awaken and empower citizens to ‘be the change they wished to see’. A well-planned and tactical communication strategy surely helps in winning a few brownie points along with building goodwill in the market.

    Another tea brand Wagh Bakri had released a campaign ‘Sahi Chuno’ in November 2013. Spending around Rs 3 crores on this campaign alone, the brand managed to create higher customer awareness in newer markets with a mix media plan comprising of TV, Radio & Outdoor. Parag Desai, Executive Director, Wagh Bakri Tea believes that tea plays the role of a catalyst in bringing people together in India. “When people come together and have tea they establish a relation. Our TVC went one step beyond and said that do not just vote but ‘Sahi Chuno (choose wisely), be it a tea brand or your candidate.”

     

    In fact, even a global brand like Google couldn’t resist from contributing towards the election fever. It released a 3 minute video ‘Pledge to Vote with Shyam Negi’ inspiring millions of Indian digitally to come out and get inked. That’s exactly what brands needs to do – inspire and encourage.

     

  • Behind every great commercial is super strategy. Every week, MxMIndia brings you the brief and the strat as given by the client and whatever else that went into creating a winning ad

    AdStrat: Tata Tea – Duties Big & Small

    Vikram Grover, Head, Marketing, Tata Global Beverages

     

    Name of the Campaign: Tata Tea’s Jaago Re

     

    The Brief:  To emphasize the importance of both big and small duties with the new Jaago Re campaign.  The TVC to bring alive the perfect blend of ‘Chhoti and Badi patti’ in the context of the ‘Jaago Re’ philosophy.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAEV1K8JuV4[/youtube]

    Research insights:  Tata Tea’s award-winning Jaago Re campaigns have time and again awakened individuals and inspired them to be the change they wish to see around them. Making its debut in 2007, the campaign began with a television commercial (TVC) which showed a young man enquiring about the credentials and credibility of a local politician campaigning for votes before offering him a cup of tea. Striking a chord with the youth, the campaign launched a series of advertisements over the last four years that wove in the themes of awakening, enlightening and civic consciousness.

     

    The creative process behind:  Tata Tea’s flagship brand Tata Tea Premium in its latest TVC touches upon the importance of fulfilling ones duties, however big or small they may be. Inspired by the Jaago Re! philosophy, the TVC plays up the fact that to make a serious impact, it is not enough to do only the ‘big important’ things like voting and fighting corruption, but that it is crucial to do what are often considered minor tasks like following traffic rules, that are equal in importance and impact.

     

    The film plays out at a typical Indian home where the husband returns on a motorbike with two of his friends. The wife teasingly asks the husband if he is done with his day’s share of whiling time away. The husband replies with great pride that he just cast his vote and has thus fulfilled his ‘big’ duty. His wife, on hearing this, starts to prepare tea made merely of big tea leaves. On being questioned by her husband she explains that just the way the perfect cup of tea has a blend of ‘chhoti’ and ‘badi’ patti (big and small leaves), it is equally important that one gives importance to a blend of all duties, however big or small they may be.

     

    Media Vehicle:  TVC led with 360 degree approach

     

    Does the treatment do justice to the brief? Yes, taking the route of common man’s attempt to bring a change, the treatment does justice with natural performance which strikes a chord with the masses.

     

    What is the differentiating factor of the ad? Lowe which has been working on the Tata Tea ads scores with perfect casting coup with people who resemble average Indians who inhabit many of our homes thus making the point of big and small duties much more relatable. Plus the fact that it’s a perfect match of social awakening that goes well with a cup of tea that somewhere is also akin to waking up peoples senses when they consume it.

     

    Client feedback:  Our insight from recent events has been that while we as a country are getting deeply engaged with the larger issues that the nation is facing, we sometimes forget the small duties that we are expected to perform as citizens. The film builds on giving due importance to issues, big or small. The commercial draws from Jaago Re’s philosophy and blends perfectly with the product differentiator of Tata Tea premium which has a perfect blend of small and big tea leaves (chhoti and badi patti) required to make a perfect cup of tea.