"Just dial JustDial!"

Local search engine JustDial has broken a campaign that positions it as the one-stop destination for contacts of all kinds -- 'Contacts' is clearly the buzzword all through this campaign that features brand ambassador, actor Amitabh Bachchan.

The campaign primarily comprises four films and this lot is apparently just the first of many. In all, there will be 12 films. Interestingly, the campaign has been launched as an online one and these films have been broken as virals, as of now. The films will be launched on television shortly.

Explaining the reasons for such a launch pattern, C S Subramanian, manager, advertising, JustDial, tells afaqs!, "A lot of content is getting consumed online nowadays, and with the huge amount of traffic that we have on our website, this gives the campaign a good build-up."

JustDial has advertised on the television twice in the past -- in 2007 and 2009.

The current campaign has been created by Lowe Lintas, Mumbai. The creative team comprises national creative director Amer Jaleel, and executive creative director Deepa Geethakrishnan. The films have been directed by Amit Roy.

Different aspects of JustDial's services are highlighted in each film, including its pan-India presence (the services are now available in 250 Indian cities) and its reservoir of myriad contacts a person might need for his/her day-to-day work. All four ads end with Bachchan's VO (voiceover) saying "Kuch Bhi, Kabhi Bhi, Kahin Bhi... and it's free!"

The films have been crafted by the agency, based on certain key consumer insights. The content of the ads has been derived by studying user patterns and general insights that were obtained with the help of interactions with the related audience. "We realised that many thought of JustDial as just a place to get a phone number; JustDial is much more than that," informs Subramanian. He adds that the objective of the campaign is to bring it to the notice of JustDial's users that they could get anything, right from a pin to a plane, with the aid of the service.

Still pretty flexible, the media mix suggests an imminent burst of the films on television, after which the outdoor space is slated to be exploited.

Just average?

For Ajay Gahlaut, executive creative director, Ogilvy Delhi, the campaign is a hardworking one, but not an outstanding one. "I don't think there's any breakthrough creativity in the ads, but the message being conveyed is crystal clear," he sums up. Regarding the execution, Gahlaut says it's competent.

Has Amitabh Bachchan been used correctly in the films? "His presence will ensure audience attention; it takes care of the 'watchability' factor. However, he hasn't been cast too differently from the way he usually is in ads. They haven't used him in a terribly creative or surprising way," he says, adding nonetheless that Bachchan's 'celebrity value' will work for the brand.

Manoj Jacob, creative head, Meridian Communications Bengaluru, feels that the ads will "be seen", but are not clutter-breaking in any way. Jacob also feels that there is no connect between the celebrity and the brand in most of the films.

Ask Jacob about the creative idea and he replies, "Was there one? This campaign is mediocre, creatively speaking. An ad is an intrusion in peoples' lives; the least you can do is make it entertaining and interesting." According to him, it seems as though the ads have been made more for JustDial's internal team than for the brand as perceived by the people.

Rating the direction "average", Jacob concludes, "Considering that JustDial is the market leader, this was a humble approach; it could have been more pompous in its communication."