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Vodafone: Wish customised!
Targeted at the SEC B and C audience who are more price conscious and have a better affinity for IVR-based services, Vodafone's latest TVC intends to further popularise its IVR and USSD-based service - 121 - and dial up its credentials as a truly innovative and customer-focused brand.
Remember the times when you visited the neighbourhood tailor to brief him on that special dress with a sweetheart neck just the way you wanted; and yes, a string-laced back that goes a little deep to blend just perfectly with it?
Currently, the Indian telecom market is in a hypercompetitive space, with almost 10 brands vying for customer attention with varied services. For Vodafone, 121 is one such service, which enables the customer to choose the best options on the basis of the usage on the mobile number, and thereby places the power in the hands of the customer.
Conceptualised by Ogilvy India, the TVC showcases girls (young and old) briefing a tailor. Each has her own long list of requirements. The combinations of colours, styles, cuts and accessories, based on their individual and specific requirements, are endless. And yet, the assurance that their needs shall be met seamlessly flow through all the characters in the commercial.
Anuradha Aggarwal, vice-president, brand communication and insights, Vodafone notes that as an individual, each person has unique needs and different preferences. The same unique requirements need to be taken care of in a person's mobile services.
"As mobile service is a very high involvement area in a person's day to day life, it is important that mobile service companies recognise this and tailor make offerings suited to individual needs. Therefore, the brief to the agency was to bring to life the essence of 121, wherein Vodafone will give the customer an offer best suited for his needs, since we understand that each person's needs differ from one another," she says.
Elaborating on the insight behind the campaign, Rao notes that it comes from the brief itself -- everyone has unique requirements and taste. "We demonstrated this through real life examples. Films need not necessarily have to revolve around complicated plots and unexpected twists. What we were trying to do was to tell a story that explains the product in a situation, which everyone can relate to," he tells afaqs!.
The 121 campaign will run for six weeks, with three films bringing out the service proposition. The 360 degree media plan will be led by television, supported by radio, print, outdoor, on ground and digital promotions. The media account of the brand is handled by Maxus.
The film may not be spectacular but it has surely met with strong positive responses from the advertising fraternity that approves of its simplicity.
Rohit Malkani, senior executive creative director, Grey finds the commercial sweet, endearing and in the same vein as the brand's previous communication.
"I think Vodafone has acquired a great tonality over the years. The commercial has excellent casting, good performances and good dialogues. While there is nothing spectacular starting from the proposition/offer, it is a sweet film," he says.
Satbir Singh, managing partner and chief creative officer at Havas Worldwide India, finds the film very engaging. "It is something you'd have seen so many times yet the execution seems so fresh. There's an endearing simplicity in it and it does not add to the pollution that TV is normally associated with when it comes to commercial breaks. What more do you need!" he concludes.