Think Virgin to solve problems

Virgin Mobile is here... and shrieking its arrival. The front page of The Times of India carried the print ad of the newest entry into the mobile industry in India on March 10. The ad leapt out at the reader, with its sensational claim, Get Paid for Incoming. What’s more, the headlines of all the news stories on the front page of the TOI were red. And this is only one part of the campaign Virgin has planned for India after its announcement of the joint venture with Tata TeleServices. The same innovation was also carried in Dainik Jagran and Sandesh.

In the second film, a boy gets caught by a policeman for not heeding a stop light. When the boy calls his ‘Papa’ to bail him out, the policeman is told by the furious ‘Papa’ that he wants his son thrown into jail and slapped soundly. The policeman’s heart melts and he lets the youngster go. The ‘Papa’, it is later revealed, is none other than the boy’s friend. (Submit your opinion on this ad.)

Both commercials end with the tagline, ‘Think Hatke.’

Raja shares his experiences on the conceptualisation process. He says, “Even before ideating, we studied the youth of India very closely and realised that unlike their Western counterparts, who were more prone to rebellion and public protest, Indian youth found smart ways around life’s sanctions. Once we hit upon this insight, it was just a matter of brainstorming. Thousands of ideas were tossed around, after which we honed in on the current ones.”

The concept reflects the edginess and street smartness of the youth of today.

Prasad Narasimhan, chief marketing officer, Virgin Mobiles, talks of the brief that was discussed with the agency. “We wanted to portray regular situations – sometimes problem, sometimes opportunity – and how to use that in the linear world – this was asked to be propagated in the communication,” he says.

Given the fact that mobile ads are aired in hordes on television, what is the differentiation factor in these two? Raja says, “The entire character of the Virgin Mobile brand is drawn from the maverick persona of its founder, Sir Richard Branson. Therefore, it will constantly push the envelope in terms of its irreverence and cheekiness. This will carve out a unique identity for Virgin Mobile.”

The team which worked on the ads include Rajeev Raja, executive creative director, Rohit Malkani, creative director, and Rajesh Krishnan of Soda Films, Darshan Choudari, creative director, and Kruti Sheth, art director.