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Emvies 2007: An ‘Idea’ can change a brand’s life
At the Emvies Case Study Presentation round held in Mumbai, Lintas Media showcased how a simple idea can transform the fate of a brand
Lintas Media sure believes in the power of an idea. At the second round of the Emvies judging process, the agency showcased its work done for telecom brand Idea last year, which has been entered in the Best Media Innovation – Television category. At present, Idea operates in 11 circles out of the 23 in India, making it the fourth-largest player in the GSM category.
However, Idea spends less than half of what its competitors, Airtel, Reliance and Hutch, do on advertising. Therefore, noise level in the ad scenario was a matter of concern for Idea. Lowe, the creative agency on the account, launched a TVC featuring a monkey running around godforsaken places with a stolen phone, and each time the phone rings, he is alerted by the signature Idea ring tone. Scared by the phenomenon, he promptly returns the phone to its owner.
A shot from the Idea ‘Monkey’ commercial |
Lintas Media spotted an opportunity in the Idea signature tune, which became popular with the general public, as they found it memorable and melodious following the ‘Monkey’ commercial. Lintas Media integrated the tune in popular serials, so that whenever a phone rang during a scene, the Idea tune would play.
As Idea was targeting the mass Hindi segment, STAR Plus, the leading GEC, became the chosen one. Five popular soaps, including ‘Kyunkii Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’, ‘Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii’, and ‘Karam Apna Apna’, were leveraged. As a consequence, a Tulsi and a Parvati were seen receiving calls while the Idea tune played on their phones. This activity served two purposes – for one, people tend to associate a phone call with a communication need, so Idea’s job was done. Secondly, as the effort was a part of the content, it was beamed in all the countries STAR Plus reaches, including the UK and West Asia.
The result was improved imagery for the brand – the ‘ahead of others’ score went up by 3 per cent, while the aspirational value attached to the brand increased by 3 per cent. For the period December 2006 to April 2007 when the innovation took place, sales and business went up by 17 per cent.
Perhaps, when the word ‘Idea’ itself stands for innovation, Lintas Media didn’t have to look far for inspiration.