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The online travel service provider speaks to new and existing travellers in its new campaign 'Dil Toh Roaming Hai'.
Look at your social media page. Chances are there will be at least one person around who describes himself as a 'traveller'. Even if most of us do not travel as much as we would wish to, the desire remains in all our hearts. And giving shape to these desires in its campaign is MakeMyTrip.com.
The online travel services provider has introduced a new advertising campaign this week. This also marks a shift in its brand positioning. The new tagline 'Dil Toh Roaming Hai' signals the inherent wishes of everyone who likes to travel - with family or by oneself.
The TVC is a collage of different slice-of-life stories. In the first instance, one can see a couple riding a boat down a river, flanked on two sides by hills. The second shows a family which has taken the old grandmother for a holiday to the hills. The third one tells the story of a woman who sheds off her inhibitions and jumps into the pool to join her family. The video then explains how MakeMyTrip is letting people go on dream holidays.
The objective behind the campaign was to speak to both existing and new users. Shrivastava says, "With the widespread adoption of online travel, it was imperative for us as the category leader to unearth a deep-rooted customer motivation and strengthen our association with customers. Leisure travel today is part of lifestyle discourse, and there is a strong customer need to come across as "interesting". Like financial or career ambition, people today have a travel ambition. The brand repositioning campaign seeks to partner the emergent customers in their growing travel ambition."
The media plan for the campaign includes GECs, news and movie channels where it will be played for five weeks. Other than that, it will have a strong presence during IPL and will be supported by digital and on-ground innovations.
MakeMyTrip recently launched a series of commercials promoting its 'uncancel' feature. Created by FCB Ulka, the TVCs focussed on trips which are more than just a 'trip', rather an emotional journey for every traveller. But, while the films touched a lot of hearts, does the recent one have the same affect on people?
According to Sarvesh Raikar, ECD, Scarecrow Communications, slice-of-life is the latest epidemic that's hit advertising. He feels that it's a genre that is destroying brands rather than building them. Everything looks, sounds and feels the same.
"Everyone is rushing to make TVCs armed with a planner's TG-mapping slide and a sitar player. But, amidst this scourge, this one stands out, mainly because of some great writing and the clutter-breaking voice of Naseeruddin Shah. The three situations, centered on three different audience segments, are not only insightful, but the writing gives it a subtle creative spin too. It's a pithy film that connects to a wide range of travellers, in quick time. Yet, like most slice-of-life TVCs, even if people like and remember the film, I don't know how many will recall the brand name," Raikar wonders.