Escotel: A message of ownership

When there are others vying for the same space, the best way to get noticed is by striking a different pose. That is exactly the route Escotel has taken every time it has tried to establish a sense of bonding with its subscribers in a particular circle. While others have pitched their battles on price, clarity and value-adds, Escotel has concentrated on inculcating a sense of ownership, a sense of belonging for its subscribers.

Its latest commercial (created by Capital Advertising), targeting the Uttar Pradesh (west) and Haryana circles, banks on the rivers Ganga and Yamuna to forge a connect with consumers. The slice-of-life commercial shows life by the rivers - a sage paying homage to the Gods, people smeared in Holi colours, a girl being decked up for her wedding - to capture the moments of joy and celebrations of the people of the two states. The film signs off with a voiceover saying, "Kyonki humse behtar is mitti ko aur kaun samjhe/Escotel, Uttar Pradesh (paschim) aur Haryana ki aapni mobile phone service". (No one understands the people of Uttar Pradesh (west) and Haryana as well as Escotel does.)

Echoing the refrain in the commercial, Sonjoy Mohanty, chief officer, marketing and customer care, says, "The idea was to give the people of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh a sense of pride in a service that truly belongs to them. Having been in these markets for long, Escotel not only has a better understanding of the market and its people, it also has invaluable experience in serving them better. While the others are still setting up business, Escotel already has a very strong infrastructure backup in place." To put things in perspective, Escotel has a 6-lakh-subscriber base and is investing Rs 250 crore to upgrade its existing infrastructure in all circles of operation.

Driving home the point made by the montage of shots in the commercial, a spokesperson for Capital Advertising says, "In the commercial, the two holy rivers - Ganga and Yamuna, that connect the lives of the people of these states - have been used as a metaphor. We are saying, like the two rivers, Escotel is part and parcel of the lives of people in these two states."

In choosing to highlight life by the two rivers, Escotel, in a sense, carries forward its traditional advertising strategy of comparing its service with an element that is an indispensable part of life in that particular circle. In an earlier commercial targeting the market of Kerala, Escotel had drawn a parallel between its service and the Kerala monsoons. That campaign said, "The monsoon, the only thing that covers Kerala better than we do."

"All you have to do is dig a little to realise that every town or district in this land has its own nuances, its own language, its own history and, at some level, even its own culture," says the Capital spokesperson. "Which is why we picked the rivers as the powerful binding symbols of UP (west) and Haryana. The creative, of course, takes off from this very credible proposition and interprets it as ‘no one understands the nuances of this land (UP and Haryana) and their diverse cultures the way Escotel does'."

THE TEAM:

Agency: Capital Advertising

Creative: Nitin Beri, Rupak Mitra, Nima Namchu, Vivek Dhyani

Servicing: Pinaki Nandi, Krishanu Datta

Production House: Red Ice Films

Filmmaker: Sujit Sarkar (Director)

Producer: Ronnie Lahari

Cinematographer: K. N. Mohanan

Music: Vicky Goswami

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