Havells: Empowered!

The new campaign emphasises the brand's promise of being energy efficient through the character of Bijlee baba.

Havells India has used the huge fan following of godmen in India to launch a campaign to promote its energy efficient products. The $1.3 billion electrical goods company's new campaign showcases the various products offered by the company and lays emphasis on its energy efficient property. It also highlights the brand's tagline, 'Committed to save energy'.

Titled 'Bijli baba', the one-film campaign is created by Lowe Lintas. "Havells' brief was to communicate the range of Havells products, which are also energy efficient. So, we thought why not show that there is no supernatural or infinite source of power and it becomes imperative that we use products that conserve energy," explains Shriram Iyer, creative head, Delhi.

The television commercial (TVC) begins with a man dressed in a white grown stretching his arm towards a dark, stormy sky. Suddenly, he is hit by lightning and transforms into a glowing 'baba' (godman), who wields electricity by merely waving his hand. He walks through a dark town that apparently has no power, and streetlights come alight with a mere flick of his hand. Power equipment miraculously starts functioning when he passes by, and even the power sub-station comes to life after the baba graces it with his hand.

It doesn't take much time for him to get followers. Women and men throng around him with their electrical gadgets. However, a voiceover in the end breaks this utopian story to say, "Kaash bijlee baba har jagah aa sakte. Tab tak use Havells. Save bijlee, please baba" ('Wish Bijlee baba could visit all the places but till then, use Havells.')

The TVC is directed by R Balki and produced by in-house production house Lintas Production. It was shot in a village off Mudh Island in the outskirts of Mumbai. To get the "power packed" effect, the protagonist had to wear a complicated costume with the first level embedded with strips of tiny LED lights. This was then diffused by a translucent gown.

"Havells is a brand that is built on tongue-in-cheek humour. So, just because the cause is serious, it doesn't mean it cannot be communicated in a clever, humorous way. The tone of voice separates Havells from other brands," Iyer states.

Does it strike the right chord, though?

Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar, national creative director, Bates CHI & Partners, feels that the ad is entertaining and stands out from the clutter. But he's doubtful how many people would get the message. "Somewhere down the line, it would have been more appropriate if they had shown it for a product like UPS or back-up batteries, instead of the whole range of products," he says.

The campaign was promoted heavily during the India-Pakistan cricket series. It has been extended to print, digital and in Havells showrooms.