Savia Jane Pinto
Advertising

Fastrack: One for the fast generation

The accessory brand has taken yet another step in its tongue-in-cheek approach while talking to the youth

Fastrack, the accessory brand from Titan, continues to be non-committal. The latest commercial from the brand factory is another take on Move On – a positioning line that it 'moved on' to last year.

For a brand that was re-launched four years ago, Fastrack has come a long way. After the agreement between Titan and Timex was dissolved and Timex moved out independently, Titan had a gap to fill in the contemporary wrist wear space, which is when Titan Fastrack was first launched in the year 1997.

Twist in the tale

Fastrack: One for the fast generation
Fastrack: One for the fast generation
In the year 2005, after some introspection on the part of Fastrack, certain changes were brought about; the wrist wear brand was re-launched as an accessories brand, without the name of the mother brand in its branding.

Along with wrist wear, Fastrack included eyewear in its portfolio. The stand that Fastrack took was 'How many you have?' The primary target group for Fastrack was the young college goer and yuppies. A couple of ads were part of this re-launch campaign and actor John Abraham was featured in the ads for the eyewear.

Last year, 'How many you have?' was tweaked a little and changed to 'Move On'. Clearly, Fastrack continues to use the stance of the brand which shrugs it all off. "Much like how the youth are at that age, trying out all sorts of different things in life and not committing to one thing for too long," says Simeran Bhasin, marketing head, Fastrack and new brands.

Fastrack: One for the fast generation
The latest ad opens on the shot of a boy meeting a girl at the bar. The male voiceover takes the story through about how he wants to get to know the girl and is spending a lot of time with her, trying to get close to her. Finally, he gets what he wants, but that's when the girl starts getting too close for his comfort. He walks out, looking for the next interesting girl.

Another commercial in the series has a different end: it has the girl's perspective of the idea. In this version, the girl dumps the boy after 'using' him.

Throughout the films, no faces are shown.

The film has been shot by Sudhir Makhija of Doctor Films and Lowe Lintas, Bengaluru is the agency that was responsible for the creative idea.

Double track

As per the initial plan, only one point of view (the female perspective) was to be used. However, on the editing table, Bhasin suggested the other perspective with a tweaked end.

Fastrack: One for the fast generation
Fastrack: One for the fast generation
Fastrack: One for the fast generation
Josy Paul, chairperson and chief creative officer, BBDO India thinks that the idea of changing the narrator's role is sure to create a buzz among the younger people. However, the adman thinks that the male point of view is too linear and, "the female point of view of reverse psychology works harder and is more fun and insightful."

Shivanand Mohanty, executive creative director, Dentsu Communications, too, thinks that the idea of the same commercial with two separate perspectives was a smart move. "Makes the story more interesting," he says. However, he adds that in comparison to the earlier work, this commercial doesn't break any new ground in terms of the brand thought.

The technique of not showing the faces and concentrating on the wrists makes the brand stand out in clutter, and is a thought that the general industry is in agreement with.

Change of track

Vikram Dhaliwal, senior planning director, Bates 141, is of the opinion that the brand – Fastrack – has reduced itself to a reflection of what happens in the lives of the youth. "If only there was more to Move On that just a boy-girl relationship!" he sighs.

To this, Deepa Geetakrishnan, executive creative director, Lowe Lintas, replies, "Other aspects have been explored but for the present, we'd rather grow and expand on the relationship aspect."

Research conducted on the target group revealed several interesting insights about the youth. It was found that multiple relationships weren't an issue among the youth of today; taboos are much less and the thought process of the youth is different. Thus, the brand decided to walk the path of relationships among youth.

"There was a certain parallel between the easy going relationships of the youth and the accessory brand," explains Kishore Subramanium, vice-president, planning, Lowe Lintas and the planner on the account. The parallel here is that as the younger generation moves from one relationship to the next, the accessories that they own also change hands at an equal speed.

Fastrack uses a heavy mix of online contests in all its communication. Radio, outdoor and print is also a part of the communication.

Have news to share? Write to us atnewsteam@afaqs.com