CenturyPly looks to create nostalgic moment by collaborating with ‘Scam 1992’ team for its latest TVC

Akshay Kumar’s anti-smoking ad, where he plays a role similar to his character in the film ‘Pad Man’, is quite popular. Brands often tend to use film characters in their campaigns to make them more appealing and relatable. 

CenturyPly, in its recent campaign, has not only recreated a popular character, but acquired its (Scam 1992's show) music rights too. The ad shows the late Harshad Mehta (played by Pratik Gandhi) giving out investment tips. The tips, this time around, are not to invest in the share market, but in the brand’s flagship product ‘Club Prime’. 

Created by Wunderman Thompson, the brand has partnered with Hansal Mehta (director of ‘Scam 1992’) and acquired the rights to the show’s title track too. Hansal Mehta has also directed this TVC, he last directed an ad, 16 years back. 

Nikita Bansal, executive director, CenturyPly, says, “We have been continuously innovating over the last 2-3 years. Now, we felt that it was time to tell the consumers about these innovations. We are giving everything that is needed in one ply, and the ad sends the same message - that it is the best investment one can make.”

‘Scam 1992’ was first launched on SonyLIV in 2020 and received peak viewership around that time. Now, Hansal is coming up with a new story, titled ‘Scam 2003: The Telgi Story’. 

“Even today, people talk about this particular show, and the soundtrack is quite popular. We played on a sense of nostalgia. People feel quite nostalgic after watching our campaign. The show is about the share market and investments in general. We were looking to send a message about the best investment,” shares Bansal.

Arjun Mukherjee, VP & senior ECD, Wunderman Thompson, states, “The brand gave a one-line brief, mentioning the eight Club Prime properties. As the product is the most expensive one in the brand’s portfolio, that’s where the investment idea came in.”

“During that time, I was watching ‘Scam 1992’. On paper (novel), Harshad Mehta has been portrayed as a negative character. But on OTT, he looked like a great figure. That’s where we came up with the idea of him giving out some investment tips, as he’s good at that.”

The agency took 2-3 months - from conceptualising to executing the campaign.  

The media mix is 45% TV, 20% digital and the rest (35%) cinema halls. 

“Today, people watch less TV, as OTT shows are more prevalent. In India, advertising on OTT is still not opportunistic. We tried to do it during the IPL on Disney+ Hotstar last year, but we were unable to advertise the way our brand would have liked to advertise,” Bansal says.

“Other than digital, the only medium where people still go to, are cinema halls. The revival rate is good, and this year a great lineup of movies is coming out. South Indian cinema is also performing well so we would also like to use that opportunity.”

As the brand has acquired the show’s music rights, it is looking to use it in radio as well.

The campaign is not just designed for the purpose of awareness, but will help to grow the sales of the company as well.

Plywood purchases are mainly driven by carpenters, as they’re the one who makes the purchase or recommend it to the customer. How is the brand looking to communicate with them? 

Bansal mentions, “CenturyPly’s strength lies in retail. We are a consumer brand. Across the world, plywood is considered a B2B brand. But in India, it’s a consumer brand. The consumers come in and ask for the brand. Many middlemen have tried to convert customers from CenturyPly to local plywood, as there were more margins. But the consumer stuck with us.”

“Communication is important for interior designers. For contractors, we have a different strategy and communication.”

To market this campaign, the company will also be using the print medium. “We’re planning to do some print ads. Although in some cities, we didn’t have a successful print journey in the past,” Bansal mentions.