Nick launches interactive promotion programme, ‘Nick ChakDe Ninja’

‘Nick ChakDe Ninja’ will be promoted through a 360 degree campaign, including school activation programmes in 330 schools in four cities and van activation campaign in parts of Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan

Nick India has launched a four week promotion programme called ‘Nick ChakDe Ninja’. The programme will be the fourth such promotion this year, after others such as ‘Nick Pakda Pakdi Contest’, ‘Nick Fundoo Superstar’ and ‘Nick Chaddi Buddy Contest’.

Ajay Jadeja has been hired as the brand ambassador for Nick ChakDe Ninja. The programme will have 10 lucky winners who will be joined by Nick toon-star Ninja Hattori and Ajay Jadeja. They will then go to cheer the Indian cricket team in Gwalior on November 15; the team is playing Pakistan in one of the matches in the Indo-Pak ODI series. Nick is also offering runners-up prizes, including 26 28-inch television sets, 50 mobile phones and 1,000 Nick note books.

When asked about the idea behind the promotion programme, Nina Elavia Jaipuria, vice-president and general manager, Nick India, says, “A series of interactive activities, including a combination of marketing, on-air programming and on-ground promotions, has worked very well for Nick India in the past nine months. The launch of ‘Nick ChakDe Ninja’ is part of the same strategy to keep the interactive element growing for the channel.”

According to Jaipuria, Indian kids are most fond of cartoons, cricket and Bollywood. ‘Nick ChakDe Ninja’ uses a combination of cartoons and cricket at a time when cricket is at an all-time high in the wake of India winning the T20 World Cup. Jaipuria feels that the cricket element, along with the interactive nature of the promotions, will help maintain a substantial portion of market share for Nick in the coming month.

According to TAM figures, Nick started the year with a relative market share of 8 per cent. Now the channel claims to have the third highest relative market share, ending August 2007, after Hungama TV and Turner’s Cartoon Network. Nick has garnered a share of 18 per cent, which is currently higher than that of Pogo, Disney and Toon Disney.

Nick claims that the average time spent by a viewer in the age group of 4-14 years has gone up for the channel from 91 minutes per day in January to 119 minutes per day currently. This increase in time has seen a growth of 31 per cent for the channel. The over channel reach has gone up by 46 per cent in this time period.

The teaser campaign for the promotion programme broke on October 18. The channel plans to promote ‘Nick ChakDe Ninja’ through a 360 degree campaign. Apart from the conventional advertising mix, Nick will conduct school activation programmes in 330 schools in four cities and van activation campaign in parts of Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan. Van activation will be conducted specifically at places where children collect in large numbers, such as parks, prominent residential areas, cinema halls and shopping malls.

The on-ground activities will have interactive games, quizzes, merchandise and other prizes to provide children the proper brand connect with the programme. Ninja Hattori and Jadeja will promote the contest in seven cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad and Indore.

Nick aims to reach around five lakh children in the country; the promotion activities will go on till November 12.

To win the contest, the children have to watch the ‘Ninja Hattori’ episodes on Nick from 6:30 pm to 7 pm on weekdays and answer some simple questions during the show using SMS or the Internet.