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McDowell's No.1 whisky hopes to move up the image ladder with an interesting use of a major face-lift and a supporting teaser campaign
For a fortnight ago Mumbaiites are witness to a teaser-sort ‘Dekha Kya?' campaign from McDowell's No.1 whisky. Though not entirely as cryptic as the ‘Digen Verma' campaign of Frooti, the new promotion is a clever move by UB to scuttle the handicap of not being able to showcase a liquor brand in the mass media. "The campaign creates curiosity among consumers and goads them to ‘see' the product at the retail level. The ‘Dekha Kya?' teaser uses an intelligent in your face mix of conventional and non-conventional media. For this particular campaign, we have allotted about Rs 7 crore," Alok Gupta, divisional vice-president (marketing), UB Group Spirits Division, told agencyfaqs!.
The overall aim is to give the brand a premium image. "The foremost step in this direction was new packaging. The new pack, with its stunning looks, will give the brand the edge it needs to raise its stature among consumers. The entire message would be woven around the new look," says Dhunji S Wadia, vice-president and general manager, HTA, Bangalore.
Wadia says the idea behind the latest campaign originated from a basic tenet of human nature. "The sheer curiosity about everything happening around him/her," elaborates Wadia. "Whether it's the latest movie, or a great hundred by Sachin - the world is suddenly divided into those who have seen it and those who haven't. The communication will tickle curiosity among consumers by not showing the product but tantalising them by asking Dekha Kya?"
The messages being floated around are aimed at giving the brand an air of exclusivity. One ad quizzes: "J class members have seen it. Have you?" Another asks: "The country's hottest models are jealous of its new looks. Have you seen it?"
The press and outdoor campaign was supported by a clever use of the famous ‘dabbawallahs' of Mumbai, who carried dabbas painted with the messages "Dekha Kya?" The company also used buses, walking inflatable and posters on local trains. Wadia insists that the No. 1 mnemonic not only gives the brand an unmistakable recognition, but also brings alive the values the brand stands for - namely, friendship, helpfulness, recognition of a fellow 'No. 1' and camaraderie - universal values that bond two or more people together. In the current campaign, the crux of the message is the ‘smoothness' of the drink.
Side by side, the new look for the bottle was designed keeping in mind the international market the company is gunning for. Claessens International, an internationally acclaimed design house, has designed the new look of McDowell's No. 1 whisky. Claessens International, which specialises in design and product development has worked with several FMCGs and liquor brands and has reinvented brands like Smirnoff, Glenfiddich, William Grant's, Teacher's and Chivas Regal. Gupta says McDowell's No.1 is currently available in 14 countries apart from India and the new pack will help it compete with the best brands in the international market.
Currently, the spirits market in India is about 70 million cases. McDowell's No. 1 whisky has a 42 per cent market share in the prestige segment. The other brands that compete with McDowell's No1 in the same space are Seagram's Royal Stag, Moghul Monarch (Shaw Wallace), and Bagpiper Gold (UB).
This new campaign, which was first introduced in Mumbai, will soon be rolled out nationally along with the introduction of the new pack. © 2002 agencyfaqs!