Aamir Khan’s role-play revs up Innova

Be it the Coca-Cola commercial or his films, Aamir Khan is known for donning a new look in each of his screen appearance. A few of these memorable avatars of Khan have now come alive in the latest Toyota Innova commercial. The commercial has been conceived by Dentsu Communications, Bangalore.

The commercial opens with a shot of Aamir Khan sporting a trendy hairstyle and donning the look from his yet-to-be-released film ‘Rang De Basanti Chola’, driving a Toyota Innova, against a picturesque locale. On the passenger seat is Khan again, as Siddharth, the character from the film ‘Ghulam’. Siddharth offers a chewing gum to the ‘Rang De Basanti’ Khan, who declines.

Cut to the next frame, where we find Munna of ‘Rangeela’, seated just behind Siddharth. He thwacks Siddharth, who angrily turns around. Munna mouths the famous dialogue from the film ‘Rangeela’, and tells Sidhharth, “Chal, fan chaalu kar” (“Switch the Fan On”). Siddharth curtly informs him that the AC is switched on. Munna, in his trademark street-smart style orders, “Toh Phir Idhar Ghuma Na!” (“Turn it around to my side!”).

Enter Akash, Aamir Khan’s character from ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, who is sitting next to Munna. He decides to help out, and turns the direction of the AC towards Munna, thereby revealing the fact that the AC is also available in the backseat. Munna remarks enthusiastically, “Arrey Vah! Pichoo Bhi AC!” (“Oh, wow! There’s an AC in the back-seat as well!”).

Akash, who has been observing the talking style of Siddharth and Munna, comically remarks, “Tum Dono Judwaa Ho Kya?” (“Are you both twins?”). Meanwhile, Bhuvan, Khan’s character from ‘Lagaan’ is touching the car’s spacious roof in wonder, not saying anything.

The driver Aamir Khan, who had been a silent observer all this while, shakes his head knowingly, adjusting his rear-view mirror. The car then runs into a stop sign, and a cop, Ajay Singh Rathod (Aamir Khan’s character from the film, ‘Sarfarosh’), enters the scene. He asks sternly, “Kahaan Jaa Rahe Ho Tum Log?” (“Where are you guys headed?”)

Each one reveals his destination in quick succession. While Siddharth is predictably headed towards “Khandala”, Akash says, “Goa”, Munna’s goal is, “Pinky Theatre”; and finally, Bhuvan says defiantly, “Champaner”.

Rathod then asks the driver Khan where he wants to go. Khan smiles confidently, and says, “I just need to keep moving ahead.”

The commercial ends with the car driving away and a male voice-over saying: “Toyota Innova. Desire to stay ahead.”

Debashish Mitra, manager, marketing, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, says, “Just like Khan’s different characters, Toyota Innova also fits into different roles.”

He explains, “Today’s consumers prefer a city car to move within the city, and a bigger vehicle for their weekend trips. For Toyota Innova, the challenge was to fit into both these segments.”

“Similarly, while the vehicle can accommodate a large family, it’s also a useful vehicle for a nuclear family. It is a SUV, a MUV and a personal car, all rolled into one,” he adds.

The entire commercial is based on the premise that people deserve the luxury of space around them. Mitra clarifies, “This space doesn’t imply seating or the luggage space alone, but rather, mental space.”

Says Gullu Sen, chief creative officer, Dentsu India, “The toughest part of this campaign was not the creative idea. The challenge for us was to find the right fit for the brand Toyota Innova.”

Adds Sen, “We needed someone who is as versatile as the car, and likes to move with the times; an icon who loves experimenting with things and never treads the same path twice. We thought to ourselves, this is the kind of guy who will buy this car. And who fits this profile better than the versatile Aamir Khan?”

“The strategy was to bring out the versatility of the brand through the commercial and also leverage the versatile image of an actor of Aamir Khan’s stature,” says Sen. “We thought of several ways in which Khan could endorse the brand. But we knew that a typical endorsement would not cut an edge with the consumers. Then the idea of showing all of Khan’s famous roles in the same space (the car) came up.”

But by showing so many characters, is the message getting lost somewhere?

Sen clarifies, “All these characters are so intrinsically different, ranging from their outlook towards life to their backgrounds. While one comes from the 19th century, another one is an upscale urban youth. These drastically different characters are already a hit with viewers, and we thought this was the best way to leverage Khan’s versatility. The way these characters interact with one another… each one succeeds in bringing out a unique feature of the car.”

“The new campaign is clearly derived from the first TVC, which focused completely on the product features. While earlier, it was based on the positioning, ‘All You Desire’, this time around, the brand goes a level further – ‘Desire To Stay Ahead’.

Dentsu’s Sen says, ‘Stay Ahead’ is more psychological, as if to say that this car has embraced new technologies and is constantly evolving. In a way, it is ‘ahead’ of its times.”

Mitra of Toyota Kirloskar Motor adds, “Ninety per cent of the ad is pure entertainment. The last 10 per cent, when Aamir Khan says he wants to keep moving ahead, is where the brand message comes in. We have tried to build the story up to a point where we could portray this lifestyle aspiration to stay ahead.”

Apart from the TVC, an extensive print and outdoor campaign was also launched, along with on-ground promotions. Mitra, however, is tight-lipped about when the next commercial is expected to roll out.

© 2005 agencyfaqs!