25 seconds, 28 kinds of images, a three-letter word...

Fastrack, the urban youth brand from the house of Titan Company, has recently launched a new digital campaign - #GETFRESH, for its new product offering, Fastrack Frames. The film has been conceptualised by 22feet Tribal Worldwide, the digital agency from the stable of DDB Mudra Group. The ad film has been produced by CATNIP and directed by Reema Sengupta.

A new digital campaign by Fastrack Frames - #GETFRESHFastrack as a brand has, over the years, through its cheeky and naughty commercials, built a reputation of sorts. This ad falls in the same zone but with a different narrative style.

The format of the ad (images changing in quick succession) very much resembles the opening credits of Masters of Sex, an American drama series.

Opening Credits of Masters of Sex

We asked Suparna Mitra, chief marketing officer, watches and accessories, Titan Company, whether the brand team was mindful about the nature of the ad and wanted the agency to be especially careful while editing edit any portions of the film, in a bid to prevent it from looking vulgar, perhaps?

A collage of stills from the adShe says, "Yes, there were some things. And we decided that we didn't necessarily have to bring out that much energy, which is why we have chosen the best, sharp images."

A screenshot of few variants available under Fastrack FramesMitra adds, "It was designed to be quick for two reasons. First one being, it was created for the digital medium where audiences don't want to spend hours on one thing. They want to move on to the next visual and therefore the whole script was designed with that insight. Where the sharp cuts of many images would promote our product and also showcase the context of a youth's lifestyle."

Suparna Mitra

Ramraaj RaghunathanAdding about the objective behind the campaign, Mitra says, "Fastrack as a brand stands for being relevant and edgy and the category of eyewear isn't. The objective of this campaign is to change that perception and make spectacles sexy with Fastrack Frames. We thought this was a great way of injecting some excitement and brand values to the category, which will spring in a lot of style into this."

The core target audience of Fastrack Frames is male and female between the ages of 18-25 from urban cities. Currently, the 29 unisex variants of Fastrack Frames will be available to the consumers in 170 stores across India. The frames are priced at Rs. 999 and Rs. 1299.

Speaking about the challenges faced while making this film, Ramraaj Raghunathan, business lead, 22feet Tribal Worldwide, says, "We didn't want to make a film to provoke people but aesthetically please and resonate with the youth, all while and showcasing the product. That's what helped us stay away from the sleaze territory."

He adds, "The challenge we faced was differentiating from what the competition was doing and getting our glasses to fit right in the space that the youth are currently looking at. From a technical perspective, we had to tweak a lot and make sure it was bang on because of the visuals. The spacing and the timing was the technical challenge."

Review

Veneet Bagga

Siddhi DesaiSharing his first reaction after looking at the ad, Veneet Bagga, an ad film director and founder and creative head, Onions Creative Media, says, "I feel Fastrack is brave and any effort to be brave in advertising must be applauded. Having said that, being brave isn't everybody's calling for a reason - it must be done right."

To Bagga, the film falls short of what the brand set out to do. He says, "Yes, it'll be watched by many but will it create the cult following it could have? No. Mostly because of way the idea was executed. The real challenge would have been to elevate these metaphors to real moments in time. A studio setting didn't seem to do justice. Alternatively, the polar opposite of a stylised treatment (without being bubble gummy) would have also worked. This one felt stuck in the middle."

For Siddhi Desai, associate creative director, DigitasLBi, India, this is a great international looking ad after a long time. But she says, "I wasn't sure if I saw an incomplete ad or missed the point."

This is not a new format. By this, we mean - a series of visuals changing in quick succession to create a montage effect of sorts as a whole. We asked our reviewers to rate Fastrack's usage of this audio-visual tool.

Bagga admits it's an old trick. He says about the use of fast cuts and ambient sound design, "... it repays with generosity if done in a fresh manner." I can't take away the hope it will instil in some creative guys but in terms of execution, it has been cut and paste when it could have been something ravishing."

Desai says, "I think what's interesting about this format is that you get to use short clips creatively to insinuate a larger story without having to explain much. The short and quick nature of it allows you to pack in a build-up that makes the journey more exciting than the end itself. Unfortunately, for me, this failed at both an execution and overall concept level. The film lacks a sense of drama thanks to mundane metaphors and prosaic visuals that rely on music and editing for impact. The length of it also takes away all the fun. And the big climax - sex - is really passé. The use-sex-instead-of-an-idea trick is too old. The consumer today is smart enough to not fall for it."

While this ad successfully perpetuates Fastrack's cheeky, naughty personality, the kind of imagery used (drilling, squirting, pressing, etc.) is a little clichéd. We asked our experts if Fastrack could have done better.

"Sex is an exciting subject to play with. I don't think the issue is with the elements considering the TG and the desired takeaway. To me, it's the execution. This was a big idea but a small execution. The idea will give Fastrack eyeballs but will the idea get its due?" Bagga asks.

Desai adds, "Yes, the clichéd metaphors failed to impress or arouse... which they should have aimed to do. Sharpener and magnets... It's too quotidian even for a college student to write. That said, using the act of sex to connote naughty/steamy/fresh(?) is in itself a stale way of looking at life. Sex, fantasy, lust have so many tangents and a perspective on that should have been the bold and 'fresh' way to go for a brand like Fastrack."

Commenting on the direction, and on whether there are any do's and don'ts while making such ads, Bagga, says, "Formats will be formats but story is king. Whatever direction you took, did you tell your story right? Did you add to the idea or did you merely use the idea is the big question. The 'do' is - stretch - stretch the idea. The 'don't' is - don't limit the idea by your ability. If you look around, you'll find great films done in this format worldwide. Beg, borrow or steal ways on execution but stretch you must."

Credits

Agency: 22feet Tribal Worldwide

Script Writer: Deepak Nambiar and Ajit Deshpande

Photographer: Aniruddha Das

Art Direction: Janardhan Nataraj, Smitha Alva

Account Manager: Yash Singh Dabi

Account Director: Ramraaj Raghunathan

Creative: Suhasa Dutta and Nischal Masand

Production (Video): CATNIP

Director: Reema Sengupta

Producer: Kunal Punjabi

Cinematographer: Premal Raval

Production (Campaign Stills): Mubina Vaziralli Productions

Producer: Zain Vaziralli

Assistant Producer: Manan Trivedi