Get an Idea to zap your boss with Dialer Tunes

Take a pick. Wanna play a prank? Serenade your lover? Or, let the caller know what you think of him? The new 'Dialer Tunes' from mobile telephony service provider Idea can help you do all of these.

The service Dialer Tunes enables the subscriber to set songs, whacky sounds and/or any other recorded messages as personalised ringtones for different callers.

A campaign for the newly unveiled service comprises a set of four commercials, of which two were aired on Monday night. The campaign is yet again banking on the fun treatment just as its predecessors, featuring the Sumo wrestler, did.

One of the commercials shows a young girl in a movie hall. She picks up her phone to make a call when suddenly a character, masked as a film star, pops up beside her. The surprised girl stares as the 'star' in yellow pants and red shirt, starts energetic pelvic thrusts and filmy dance movements with a hit Tamil score in the background. The girl, thoroughly amused by now, and laughing helplessly, sinks back into her chair as the prancing and dancing continues. The 'personalised' experience throws up a contrast as the people around her are indifferent to the joy she is experiencing.

The MVO says, “Make your callers listen to songs, music or recorded messages with Idea Dialer tones.” And, the smiling face of a boy pops up from under the mask.

The second commercial shows an elderly man in a formal suit having his business lunch. He picks up his phone and dials a number when suddenly he is drawn to a 'mew' coming from under the table. Surprised, he looks down to see a boy (wearing the same yellow pants and red shirt) in a cat mask crawling towards him. The mews in the handset continue despite the horrified man’s attempts to ignore it. The cat-boy crawls up and paws him all over. Once again, people around the man remain unperturbed.

The same MVO follows with the Idea boy’s smiling face emerging from under the mask.

“The idea is to have some fun,” says Sukanta Dey, Idea's chief marketing and commercial officer. “Dialer Tunes is an aspect that appeals to people who want to express themselves differently to different people,” he says.

According to Brijesh Jacob, creative director, Lowe, the agency on the account, the yellow-pants-red-shirt guy symbolises personalisation of the service. “He would be my description of Dialer Tune, someone who is loud, in-your-face, and very, very, naughty,” he says. “I could be a very serious person in front of my boss, but when he calls, I could set a naughty caller tone for him, just for the sake of some innocent fun,” Jacob explains.

On a more serious note, Preeti Nair, national creative director - Lowe, feels that the use of the 'mask' and its subsequent demystification helps people to perceive the user-friendly aspect of any technology.

“It is an extension and expression of one’s character. The mask is a metaphor for fun as well as a unique expression, which will be a constant feature in all the communications for the Dialer Tune services,” she explains.

The creative team from Lowe included Preeti Nair, Brijesh Jacob and Hemant Chonas, while the films have been directed by Francois Merlet for MAD Films.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!