Voltas: More for the category; less for the brand

The onset of April in India witnesses a slew of ads, for products ranging from air-conditioners to soft drinks and talcum powders, all united for a common cause - to tackle the heat and battle the discomfort of the Indian summer.

The TVC, created by Ogilvy's Meridian, shows the apparently hapless protagonist, Murthy, in the process of settling into a new place, yet again. His problem: being straightforward with a crooked superior who punishes these bursts of conscience with a prompt transfer to remote places that invariably feature extremes of weather. And, as Murthy keeps telling, "it's not my fault!" however, he always manages to maintain his cool - literally and figuratively - with the help of his Voltas 'All-Weather AC' that maintains the ambient environment at a desired level, irrespective of whether it is hot, humid, muggy, freezing cold or anything in between.

Elaborating on the idea, Pulak Bisht, creative director, Meridian, says, "Bosses and weather affect our lives the most. Both are unforgiving and unpredictable. We decided to marry the two to bring alive the idea of the 'all-weather' air-conditioner. This is the simple insight we used in the commercial, through Murthy. In execution, we kept the films simple, honest and fun."

The executive creative director for the ad is Ajay Gahlaut. The copy is by Bodhisatwa Dasgupta, whereas Gour Mukherjee has taken care of the art. The production house is Soda Films and the TVC is directed by Rajesh Krishnan.

Chandana Agarwal, senior vice-president, Meridian, explains that the ad was based on the simple insight that with an increase in mobile lifestyles, it becomes imperative to quickly find one's comfort zone in a new place to hit the ground running. "And, one way to show this is to use the situation of a transfer to highlight the plight of many people who must move locations, move out of comfort zones and yet try to ease into things as quickly as possible."

Currently, the television campaign comprises three films which are on air. The 360-degree campaign will also include print, digital, outdoors and radio.

Peak season for ACs

The peak season for air-conditioner purchase is usually around April-May, when the heat it at its harshest in India. "But, the penetration for ACs is still low in India. On top of that, it is seasonalised," says Deba Ghoshal, head, marketing, Voltas.

There is no market for ACs beyond summers in India, with perhaps an exception in the metros. "The objective was to create a differentiator which is meaningful to the consumer throughout the year. Further, the challenge was to make the new positioning appeal to both evolved as well as the younger audience," Ghoshal adds.

Voltas targets the 25 plus age group, pan India, with this communication campaign, which will last for about three months.

Seasonal or classic?

Charles Victor, national creative director, Law & Kenneth feels that in a market that is cluttered with bio-sleep, virus-free, auto-clean, fresh-o-matic and teaches-your-kid-algebraic-equations (which I'm sure will appear soon), I think it might have been a good idea to stick to something as basic as temperature control.

Victor says that staying comfortable in all seasons isn't something exploited by other manufacturers. "So, while the approach is fresh, albeit basic, it also seems that it will help the entire category and not just Voltas."

Victor adds that the execution seems a little clichéd. "There is nothing but the features to talk about, so let's throw in a character stereotype and write humour for him to help make the film memorable. There was nothing in the idea that demanded the stereotype and that's why I wish they didn't use it. And, haven't we all had enough of the South Indian stereotype?" he asks.

However, he admires Voltas for sticking to the basics as a way to break the clutter of hyphenated features. "The creative, unfortunately, has little to be admired," he adds.

Nilesh Vaidya, executive creative director, Rediffusion-Y&R also feels that an all-weather AC is quite a radical concept. "But, the question is, will people be okay with high electricity bills 12 months of the year?"

On the other hand, he dismisses the issue as one that does not concern advertising. "I must say it announces the product benefit in an unexpected way. The quarrelsome babu who keeps getting transferred is a character we can all relate to - the difference is, we just switch agencies!"

Vaidya opines that the whole drama gets predictable by the time you've reached the third film. "The scripts could have had a little more fun before getting into the product bit. But then, every second counts," he reasons.