Tractagri: Well-oiled!

A slew of outdoor activities were carried out at an estimated cost of Rs 10 lakh.

In a bid to promote the newly launched tractor oil Tractagri, Total Oil India recently carried out a below the line activity, targeting tractor users and mechanics in various rural markets of India. RW Promotions, a marketing communication agency, designed and executed the outdoor activity.

The company used a Tata 407, which travelled to various markets. A supervisor, two company officials, and performers such as magicians, mimicry artists or skit artists travelled along with the van. The van parked at a pre-decided rural location, with guidance from the local dealer or retailer.

In order to kick-off the activity, the performing artist started off with his act, which lasted for about 20 minutes, to gather a considerable crowd. Subsequently, a film was shown to the crowd through an LCD on the van. The film demonstrated the fact that each type of engine oil is specific to a particular type of vehicle and explained the importance of using the right kind of oil meant for the vehicle.

After the end of every film, a question answer session was held to drive home the message; finally, the concerned sales person, after launching the product, gave a detailed 15-minute presentation about it. Subsequently, the performing artist was allowed to continue with the act, of which, the last one revolved around the USP of the product.

Both the film and the performance script mentioned the tagline 'Total Tractagri Ka Vaada, Mile Ummeed Se Jyaada'.

Each of the shows was staged for two hours, after which the van visited another two-three locations in the area, before moving on to the next town.

Other than this, an eye check-up camp was also set up to build an emotional connect with the target audience.

Discussing the brief given, Venkatesh Srinivasan, director, RW Promotions, says, "We were told to create an emotional bond with the target audience, and sell our new product to the concerned buyers."

Taking about the aim of the activity, Srinivasan explains, "The most common practice amongst villagers is to use the same engine oil meant for four-wheeler vehicles (car and jeep) for tractors as well, which disturbs the shelf life of the tractor engine. Hence, we wanted to make the mechanics and tractor users understand the importance of using separate oil through this activity."

The total spend involved in the activity was approximately Rs 10 lakh.

The activity was carried out for 60 days across Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.