IndianOil finds purpose in stories of India's unsung heroes

Standing by and standing up for a social cause has been a great way for brands to strike an emotional chord with their audiences. Tata Tea set the trend with its ‘Jaago Re’ campaign. Ariel followed with the ‘Share the Load’ campaign. The list of social causes that brands have taken up include, women empowerment, racism, LGBTQ rights and more. The latest brand to go the social cause route is the Government of India owned oil and gas company - IndianOil.

Two films, each over 3 minutes long, have been released as a part of the 'Unsung Heroes' campaign to celebrate 60 years of the New Delhi-headquartered oil and gas brand. The digital films narrate the stories of oncologist Vishal Rao and late V Mani, founder of So-care.

Talking about the campaign, Subodh Dakwale, executive director (CC and branding), IndianOil tells us that it is an effort to bring to the forefront the lesser known but inspiring stories of those who put the greater good of the nation and its people before anything that may define them.

However, looking at the films, we find it difficult to comprehend a logical brand fit. A year back, in an article published on afaqs! we analysed how brands have been bending over backwards to stand for a larger purpose. So, is this the oil and gas giant's attempt at this? We asked Dakwale.

Giving insights, he shares that the brand is in the process of identifying individuals who share the brand's belief of fuelling the growth of the nation by going above and beyond to work for the betterment and greater good of India and its people.

“We started off with the stories of V Mani and Vishal Rao, because we felt that their stories were great examples of how people go above and beyond their call of duty to make a difference,” he says commenting on why of all the available options these two stories were given a nod.

Vivek Bhambhani, group creative director, GREY Group India — the creative agency behind the campaign — shares that these individual stories shared values of ‘care’ and ‘passion’, both of which are intrinsic to the brand.

Speaking of the campaign, he says, “...it brings to life IndianOil’s belief of ‘Pehle Indian Phir Oil’, which pegs its involvement in the country’s growth story beyond its ability to fulfill India’s energy needs.”

While all that fits in very well, the question that intrigues our curiosity is how important has purpose become in the advertising world? For sure there isn't anything wrong with infusing your communication with a dose of purpose, but brand fit should never be suspicious.

We wonder if in the last 10-seconds of both these films the brand's logo and tagline is replaced with that of a detergent or an automobile or a cosmetic brand, will it make as much sense? But if we were to question the ideation here, we’d have to scrutinise other brands retrofitting purpose into communication, including All Out urging consumers to stand by tough moms, and UrbanClap taking up serious issues like gay rights and domestic violence.

So we spoke to some seniors from the industry to understand the nuances of cause-driven advertising.

Kiran Khalap, co-founder and managing director, chlorophyll is of the opinion that most marketers and business heads now have conclusive proof that brands with purpose fuel greater growth than brands that display no purpose. He quotes Hanneke Faber, head of Unilever Europe, who famously said: The future of branding is activism. “But the key to creating brands with purpose is: First do, then say.”

As per him the current IndianOil campaign is beautifully executed — both the stories are moving and gripping. He believes it is a meaningful build on the ‘Pehle Indian, Phir Oil’ thought.

However, he goes on to mention a couple of disconnects between the brand and the stories. He comments, “What is not clear is the “Do” part. Has IndianOil created a sustained campaign to support unsung heroes? Has it invited viewers to share their stories of unsung heroes? If it has, that is not communicated. This disconnect between “Do” and “Say” needs to be fixed.”

The other disconnect he points out is between the purpose and day-to-day behaviour. Unless the purpose leads to a change in employee behaviour, it is reduced to lip-service.

Brand consultant, Sita Lakshmi Narayan Swamy, feels that the real tapestry of India has been woven into the stories, not by films stars, politicians or famous personalities but by the genuine efforts of innumerable, unknown ordinary people. She says, “‘The Pehle Indian, Phir Oil’ campaign, highlighting the energy of India is a strong albeit subtle connection between the brand and its message because these unsung heroes are the real fuel, the country runs on.”

When we asked her about the importance of purpose in advertising, she shares, “In an age fraught with brands that are almost equal on the functional battleground, it is the sword of emotion that can often win the war. So having a relevant purpose/cause that a brand stands for can help align consumers to itself.”

“It makes sense for monolith like IndianOil to glorify the unsung, unknown Indians and therefore win a place for itself as a lighthouse brand that shows the way for others, to make for a better India. This also helps it gain for itself the attribute of humility, which is a well known trait of truly great leaders,” she pondered.

About brands hopping onto the cause-led wagon, Nima Namchu, independent creative consultant, says, “People align to points of view. So yes, it’s good for brands to have a purpose they can communicate to their consumers. But what’s more important is for the brand team to ask themselves if their brand can actually live up to their stated purpose. Otherwise, it’s only hollow advertising. And consumers are quick to spot that.”

Although he finds the films by IndianOil inspiring he says it gets a little confusing as the films draw to a close, with three thoughts floating on the screen — 'Unsung Heroes', 'Fuelling India Every Day' and 'Pehle Indian, Phir Oil'. He believes that the brand should have focussed on ‘Fuelling India Every Day’ and discarded the rest to ensure the connection between the stories and the role of the brand.

CREDITS:

Agency: GREY Group India

Creative team: Sandipan Bhattacharyya, Vivek Bhambhani, Mehul Prajapati, Mangesh Kavale & Ruchita Bait

Planning: Arun Raman

Account management team: Nishant Saurabh, Anand Ashar & Varun Shah

Grey works (Films): Sharad Shinde

Production House: TOWNHOUSE

Director: Rahul Bharti

Executive Producer: Samir Chadha

Producer: Mitalee Prabhu

Music: Anand Bhaskar