Expanding the reach of Bade-Chhote

The channel has taken the OOH route to connect with its viewers and has highlighted the current topics in a light-hearted manner through the lens of Bade-Chhote and Bakwaas Bandh Kar.

Bollywood music channel 9XM has always come up with new initiatives to connect with its viewers outside television. Its earlier initiatives have included various on-ground activations such as summer carnivals, celebration of Music Day and a host of college festivals.

This time, the channel has taken the out of home (OOH) route with a focus on current issues. The campaign idea is to view topical news through the lens of Bade-Chhote and Bakwaas Bandh Kar and take the popularity of the Bakwaas Bandh Kar show from television to various media.

The outdoor creatives feature images of Bade-Chhote with dialogue boxes that show they are talking rubbish (bakwaas) on topical issues. The creatives will be changed after every 15 days depending on the current affairs. In a recent creative, the duo talks about 'Coalgate', in which Bade asks 'Apne PM ka favourite Tooth-paste kaunsa hai' and Chhote replies 'Coal-gate'.

"Bade-Chhote always do bakwaas on anything and everything. To take them out of television, we came up with this idea of a light-hearted take on current affairs, this time through the outdoor route," says Kapil Sharma, vice-president, marketing, 9XM.

The campaign is further extended on print and online media, too, with the same creatives being carried on print publications and the Facebook page of the channel. Moreover, in the print medium, the Bade-Chhote comic strips are being printed weekly in trade magazines. The creatives also go out as email signatures of all 9XM employees.

The outdoor creatives have been placed at sites in Andheri East, Powai and JVLR Road in Mumbai. The OOH campaign started during the first week of September and will continue for 12 months.

Speaking about the outdoor initiative, Sharma adds, "Apart from the regular initiatives, we wanted to do something for long-term benefit. Thus, we thought to relate to current affairs by taking up topics which people can relate to while having fun. And, current affairs are such topics which never end."

The channel plans to take more sites and expand the campaign to cities such as Delhi, too.

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