Videocon scouting for creative agencies

The review is for Videocon’s entire product range and corporate branding. The ad spends are pegged at Rs 100 crore

Electronics major Videocon is currently in the midst of reviewing its creative duties. According to sources, the pitch is for Videocon’s entire product range (such as air-conditioners and refrigerators), as also for its corporate branding duties. Ad spends are pegged at upwards of Rs 100 crore, and some agencies have already made an initial pitch for the business.

O&M is the incumbent agency on the account, but has reportedly stayed out of the pitch process. O&M had snagged the Videocon account from RK Swamy/BBDO in December 2006. At that point, the brand also underwent a positioning change – shedding its earlier thought of ‘The Indian Multinational’ to adopt ‘Whatever role life gives you, play it big’.

Frames from the Videocon corporate
ad created by O&M recently

O&M released several ads for Videocon washing machines (‘Washes all kinds of dirt’), ACs (‘Dimaag ko thanda rakhe’) and televisions (‘The effects of sound’). A few months ago, O&M also worked on a mega wattage campaign for Videocon’s corporate branding –

an ad

featuring existing brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan with the newer one, cricketer MS Dhoni. As cricket and Bollywood are two crazes in India, an elaborate plot of two brothers getting lost in a ‘mela’ was woven, with one becoming a film star (Dhoni) and the other a successful cricketer (Khan). After the melodrama of the duo meeting years later, Videocon’s tagline – Whatever role life gives you, play it big – comes into play.

That ad, while gaining high media presence, didn’t sit too well with Videocon. According to a source from the company, O&M’s campaign, while very creative, didn’t translate into the expected sales/ brand building. On the other hand, a senior executive at O&M (who wishes to be unnamed) remarks that O&M received “mixed client briefs”. “At some points, the brand wanted to go mass, while at others, we were told to go for premium imagery,” says the executive. It is also learnt that when the Dhoni-SRK ad was first presented to Videocon, top level executives rejected the script, only to approve it later once it was shot and canned.

When agencyfaqs! contacted Shekhar Jyoti, vice-president, marketing, Videocon, he had this to say: “Videocon is undergoing a management change currently, and only after the new team is in place towards mid-May, will I be able to comment on the review.” It is further learnt through sources that a senior level LG employee is likely to join Videocon. This new management will then take a call on which agency to hire. In all likelihood, Videocon’s creative duties are likely to be consolidated with one agency.

The media duties are not under review; GroupM continues to handle them.

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