Fusionist Oct 20 First Issue

Home , Berlin (Money Heist), Nairobi (Money Heist)

ISSUE 1 • OCTOBER 2020

GenZ Contents

A Doggone Year 03 GenZ First IssueMarketing Heist 05

Brews of the Month 14

Gen Z and the end of "Purpose" 18 ct

News 22

Vintage Fusion 23

Gladvertising 23 O 2020 A Doggone Year

On the 24th of November, 1992, in a speech marking the 40th year of her accession, Queen Elizabeth II had famously 2020said, “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.”

That year, in particular, was one which had witnessed a lot of turmoil in the royal family.

One wonders what the queen would have to say about 2020, a year which has outdone every year in recent history and definitely not in the good sense of the word.

For the advertising industry, this has been the harshest year in a long, long while. What do you do when consumers can’t buy? What do you do when clients can’t sell?

But then, we work in advertising. It’s a creative business at heart. It’s an ideas business at its core. It’s a people’s business all the way. How long can any virus contain the heart or, for that matter, an idea that’s waiting in the wings?

From total lockdown, to work-from-home, to countless Zoom and MS Teams calls, to blurring the hours of the day and endless days of the week, our teams across the Rediffusion offices rose splendidly to the occasion.

It’s not just the fact that we created campaigns, shot films remotely and even added new business in the middle of all this; what stands out is the fact that we had each others’ backs, we held each others’ hands, we worked in a more integrated manner than ever before and we were there for our clients, day or night.

And that’s Rediffusion for us. The one maverick institution that has weathered storms of every kind and emerged on top. An institution that is packed with mavericks who simply refuse to give in. An institution that has thrived in the most difficult of circumstances.

Our gratitude to the ones who have helped us put together the first edition of the Fusionist with so much love.

Going ahead, on a monthly basis, The Fusionist will celebrate what we do best. With our latest work, viewpoints, insights, advertising & communication trends, industry news, humour and much more.

We hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it all together.

Rahul & Navonil On the 24th of November, 1992, in a speech marking the 40th year of her accession, Queen Elizabeth II had famously said, “1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an annus horribilis.”

That year, in particular, was one which had witnessed a lot of turmoil in the royal family.

One wonders what the queen would have to say about 2020, a year which has outdone every year in recent history and definitely not in the good sense of the word.

For the advertising industry, this has been the harshest year in a long, long while. What do you do when consumers can’t buy? What do you do when clients can’t sell?

Our gratitude to the ones who have helped us put together the first edition of the Fusionist with so much love.

Going ahead, on a monthly basis, The Fusionist will celebrate what we do best. With our latest work, viewpoints, insights, advertising & communication trends, industry news, humour and much more.

We hope you will enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it all together.

Rahul & Navonil Joint Presidents

04 Marketing Heist What Marketers Can Learn from Money Heist

Navonil Chatterjee

From Nairobi to Rio, Berlin to Moscow, Denver to Helsinki, Tokyo to Oslo – around the world, one word has changed from being a common noun to a proper noun – and that word is ‘Professor’! The first association for anyone with the word Professor today is that of the intelligent yet enigmatic, ruthless yet romantic, fearless yet vulnerable lead character of Netflix’s most in-demand show in the world, Money Heist. What makes the story of a band of bandits so endearing? What is it about these con artists that makes everyone fall in love with them? In the day and age of content marketing, we chose to look at the world’s favourite content to see if the rules of engagement have really changed. What is it that truly connects with audiences? Are there new lessons that marketers can learn and imbibe from such a globally popular show? Or does the success of Money Heist reiterate and reinforce the evergreen effectiveness of the same basic principles?

The makers, crew and cast of Money Heist have come to the conclusion that it is the following 9 factors that are responsible for its resounding success. I submit following these same principles can help do wonders for your brand too. 1. Power of Passion

Despite the story being based in Madrid and having a global ensemble of characters, the makers had decided that the show will be ‘Latino’ in spirit. Passion makes the world go round and when something is made from the heart and made with passion, it shows. Look at some of the most loved brands in the world like Apple and Nike- and you know that the people behind these brands are passionate about what they do. In fact, you cannot get yourself recruited at Nike without having sports in your blood. And it is obvious that these companies not only make their ads, but also their products with a whole lot of love. Which shows and which even consumers get. 2. Allure of the Unpredictable

The Money Heist mantra has been to never let the viewer relax and to keep him on the edge continuously. It is unexpected from the start and in Tokyo they have a character who is their Sputnik, their fuel for a good script,

06 The first association for anyone with the word Professor today is that of the intelligent yet enigmatic, ruthless yet romantic, fearless yet vulnerable lead character of Netflix’s most in-demand show in the world, Money Heist. What makes the story of a band of bandits so endearing? What is it about these con artists that makes everyone fall in love with them? In the day and age of content marketing, we chose to look at the world’s favourite content to see if the rules of engagement have really changed. What is it that truly connects with audiences? Are there new lessons that marketers can learn and imbibe from such a globally popular show? Or does the success of Money Heist reiterate and reinforce the evergreen effectiveness of the same basic principles?

someone who is capable of blowing away any kind of situation and changing the course of events. There is unexpectedness even in the fact that someone like the Professor, who is a nerd, a sociopath and a bit of a loser can create something so huge despite being so regular!

Brands too need to keep themselves fresh BrandsBrands too too with new twists and turns when it comes to their products, their offerings, their services needneed toto keepkeep and their communication. This is where the importance of innovation also kicks in. themselvesthemselves However, this is not to suggest that, going forward, brands don’t need to be consistent. freshfresh with with Of course, you can also be consistently and delightfully unpredictable like Ching’s Secret newnew twists twists has been, being a brand that worships andand turns turns insanity. Finally, unpredictability does not only mean twists and turns in the plot. Money Heist was unpredictable because it was also positioned in a fresh manner. While action films are typically hollow, dramas usually tend to get boring - so Money Heist mixed these two concepts to dish out something that the audience found fresh. Do you want to be that umpteenth instant noodles brand or the first flavoured noodles brand of its kind? That is a metaphorical question that brands across categories need to answer even today. 3. Enigma of Empathy

Ever wondered why there is one type of soft toy that sells much more than all other kinds of soft toys combined? It is because someone was clever enough to add the feeling or emotion of love to the soft toy called teddy bear. Feelings transform things - even simple, mundane, day-to-day objects - into something far bigger, larger and more powerful than what they may appear to be initially. That is why a piece of cloth is just an ordinary piece of cloth – till you add the feeling of patriotism to it by painting it in the tri-colour – and then that cloth becomes the national flag, something you are prepared to even give your life for! That is

07 the mysterious and transformative effect of emotions or feelings.

The mesmerizing success of Money Heist has been described as a kind of a ‘love attack’, as audiences across the globe have fallen hook, line and sinker for each of the characters in the show. You actually get addicted to the characters – the kindness and the evil in each of them - so much so that we even start loving the bad guys. You end up empathising with the qualities and foibles of every character. Ask yourself what it is about the Professor that endears you so much to him? Yes, you tremendously admire his intelligence. Yes, you connect with the spectacular and daring heist he pulls off. Yet, deep down, it is the fact that even this kind of a man is actually scared, that he is vulnerable, that melts you from inside and makes you reach out to protect him. You would happily follow the Professor’s command in real life, even if it meant going against the law. To that effect, we are all part of the Professor’s gang, ever eager and willing to do whatever is in our power to delay or deny law enforcement from catching up with him and his merry band of robbers. It is this same feeling of vulnerability that connected the audience with the little and lost Simba in The Lion King.

WhateverWhatever be the be product the product category,category, brands brands need need to to own own an an emotionemotion or a feeling or a feeling to to transformtransform their their own own fortunes. fortunes.

Brands often focus on functional advantages and forget about their Emotional Quotient. Whatever be the product category, brands need to own an emotion or a feeling to transform their own fortunes. Because it is emotion which helps create empathy with audiences. Coke owns happiness, Marlboro stands for machismo, Harley is emblematic of independence, and all these brands are more profitable for doing so.

08 4. Pilgrim’s Purpose

Just as a simple journey gets elevated to a pilgrimage depending on the final destination of the journey, brands too need to find their higher purpose beyond the obvious pedestrian one of making profit. Money Heist wouldn’t have been as big a hit if it was just about the heist. If the Professor and his gang looted others or just another bank where other people’s hard-earned money was kept safe, it would have hardly been as magical. But they looted the very source of all disparity – the mint where money is made – money which did not belong to anyone in particular and, in that sense, belonged to everyone. A simple heist was given a larger purpose and raised to the level of a Resistance, where it represented the underlying fight against the system – something that people relate to and love, anywhere and everywhere.

Disney finds its higher purpose in its endeavour to bring a smile to every child’s face, 3M resolves ambitiously to solve every unsolved problem innovatively, while Mountain Dew exhorts all of us to confront and eventually conquer our own fears. And that’s the kind of pilgrimage that movies, animation films, post-its and carbonated beverages have dared to take for their own good. Purpose gives your brand a missionary zeal that nothing else can and Money Heist reinforces that without a shadow of doubt! So, if you are a brand custodian, you better hurry up and ensure that your brand has an evocative higher purpose. 5. Seduction of Symbology

If this heist was carried out in street clothes, without the Dali masks or the Bella Ciao song, surely it would not have felt the same! The Money Heist makers had enough foresight to give the show its own anthem, shield and colour, and all this combined to raise the heist to the level of a Resistance and a people’s movement. The colour red is associated with agitation, nervousness, passion and even a state of alert and the show created a red iconography of its own. The Bella Ciao song, borrowed from the Italian partisan resistance, had an anthem-like vibe to it and, being about freedom, gave the

09 McDonald’sMcDonald’s shouldshould stopstop foolingfooling aroundaround withwith its goldenits golden arches arches

the show an almost mythological dimension at times. So, McDonald’s should stop fooling around with its golden arches while Google should continue to fool around with its logo every day because that’s the symbology each of these brands have created for themselves. And even in this age of emojis, stickers, gifs and Insta-filters, brands will do good to re-visit the symbology associated with their sights, sounds and looks - just as Johnnie Walker had done in the past to unearth and unleash the power of their striding man logo. 6. Potency in Participation

What the show’s symbology ensured was that anyone could use the red jumpsuit, the Dali mask and the Bella Ciao song for whatever they were fighting for. These became pop culture symbols that people could easily recreate for themselves. And recreate they did. From tattoos of characters on their bodies, banners, Rio carnival photos to people in red jumpsuits and masks parading the streets during civil rights protests to even inspiring the most bizarre form of flattery where people tried to pull off Money Heist style robberies! The ultimate ode however came in the form of a magic moment when an NGO saved a boat full of immigrants and immediately after they were brought to safety, they all started singing Bella Ciao!

Of course, it also helped that in today’s day and age of paid influencer marketing, there were unpaid celebrities like Stephen King, Benzema and Mbappe who put on the mask and a footballing god like Neymar who liked the show so much that he decided to be a part of it, eventually performing a cameo as a monk! But the moot point is that very often brands think that they alone are its custodians, while the truth is that brands belong to everyone, and everyone should be welcome to participate with the

10 brand. It also helps if brands can tap into popular culture and its even better when brands allow people to make them a part of that pop culture, just like Kurkure did with ‘tera hai par mera hai’ and TataSky with that ‘jhingalala’ thing. 7. Virtue of Veracity

The makers of the show were obsessed with veracity. Many of the problems the characters in the show faced are actually the problems one would face if one were to rob the Bank of Spain. In real life! The gold vault in the actual bank really gets flooded if there is an attempted robbery. And that’s why a naval/marine ThisThis is the is the engineer was called in who helped the team design a way out of it. Real Age of Age of professionals were used as extras in scenes where the gold was being melted AuthenticityAuthenticity in the furnace. Arturo even got a real stitch while shooting. You can call it andand brands brands obsessiveness or even label it fastidious, but the truth is that nothing is as real as that stay true real itself. This is the Age of Authenticity and brands that stay true do well for do dowell well for for themselves, because today’s consumers can smell fake from a mile away. As part themselvesthemselves of this same adherence to authenticity, Nike, which believes that it truly is a performance brand, does not enter a sport or a field of business until it believes that its products can genuinely improve the performance of the wearer or the athlete in that sport or discipline. Brands should start being genuine and stop faking. 8. Being of the Moment

One of the most interesting things about this show was that they were scripting along with the filming. That was their way of keeping their ears to the ground and responding to the voice of their audience. The show’s makers also believed in living on the edge while filming – because they believed that’s when interesting things happen. It’s the same with

11 brands – the best brands are the ones who are quickest to respond to things happening around them. They don’t just believe in being ‘of the moment’, but work tirelessly behind the scenes to be ready for any eventuality, opportunity or moment. Thankfully, today’s digital age gives us the tools and the means to be quick off the blocks, but it’s not just a speed thing, but rather a mindset thing. Ask the guys in Burger King and you’ll know! 9. No Sacred Cows

The last and final reason the makers identified for the show’s success was their sacred belief in the belief that nothing is sacred! Every character in Money Heist skates on thin ice. “We have no mercy” is what the makers proudly proclaim (sounds like Game of Thrones, right?). There is no room for complacency or loss of focus therefore – the only adherence is to the story, the top-notch performances of each of the actors and the stupendous success of the show. No egos to mollycoddle, no Marketing Managers to please, no rule book to hide behind. The future will belong to brands that are both agile and flexible, who learn on the go, who even make mistakes on the way but are quick to course correct and who, like Red Bull, are bullish about not following the marketer’s handbook.

04 So, go ahead and steal these 9 ideas to make your brand a resounding success. I promise, your heist will be worth its weight in gold! But I have to apologise to you for one thing. None of these principles felt brand new, right? No shiny new tool, no confusing jargon, no revolutionary new concept. Maybe it is because of my lack of knowledge, depth or insight. Maybe it is because I am not an out and out digital native. Or maybe, perhaps maybe, it is because branding is really that simple and about sticking to those few age-old basics, things that we like to forget in our everyday chase of the new shiny marketing toy! I looked at the most cutting-edge contemporary content that today’s audiences are devouring in the hope that I too will come up with that shiny new thing. Only to realise that what shines even today is that gold of old!

13 fresh Brews of the month What's up this month with you? freshHere's what's up with us!

Love Food Love Liebherr Liebherr Commercial

A succinct TVC for German giant Liebherr Appliances to highlight their DuoCooling technology, that keeps food fresher for longer. The film was shot in a tightly-controlled environment, with cutting edge technology and highlights the effect of the 'freshness lock'.

14 Mission 30 Million The Robin Hood Army

The Robin Hood Army's #Mission30M is the largest food relief effort by civic society to fight Covid-19. The campaign has already helped serve over 23 million smiles, in 6 weeks, 8 countries and 160 cities - all while being 6 feet apart.

T 3631 - Thank you all for the support I had asked some days back for #Mission30M. RHA, the Robin Hood Army and its ‘robins' were able to serve 23 million + people in just 6 weeks across Amitabh Bachchan 170 cities in 8 countries .. gratitude for bringing @SrBachchan the smiles on thousands of faces !

15 India’s Brightest Diamond Orra

To draw attention to a diamond designed to make others pale into insignificance, this communication tackles head-on the three main aspects of a diamond - brilliance, fire and sparkle.

16 Talk #AllinOurHands Nuvoco

A campaign that achieved immediate traction, the number of people who sent in hand of paintings was overwhelming...and welcome. the

Town 04 GenZ Talk of the Town

Gen Z and the End of “Purpose”

Rhea Verma Strategic Partner

Not very long ago, my Instagram played out a now-familiar GenZnarrative.

I opened my feed to find it flooded with an endless stream of little black tiles. Indian companies, Bollywood stars, one obscure Danish fashion brand - all with the same little black square with the same hashtag - #blackouttuesday in support of Black Lives Matter.

Digital natives across the world reacted swiftly. Instagram’s comments’ section was bursting with the same demand - “a black tile is fine, but what are you actually doing to promote on-ground change?” Several Bollywood personalities were trolled for their performative support of Black Lives Matter when they have fronted fairness cream campaigns. The Danish fashion brand was asked how many BIPOC they have in their team (spoiler alert: the answer was “none”).

In the days following, there was a simultaneous hush and cacophony on Instagram. Brands went silent whilst their comments’ sections continued to burst with demands of accountability. Ironically, most brands had probably never experienced such high engagement rates in their digital histories.

Approximately a fortnight after the black tile pantomime played out, I opened my Instagram feed to suddenly find it flooded with an endless rotation of aesthetically designed,

18 2020 PR-team-approved apologies. “We can do better.” “We are sorry.” “We will change.” “We recognise our privilege.” In this episode of fighting for an equitable world, it was fashionable for brands to “take accountability.” Vague statements that pandered to a public demand for change - without truly committing to anything tangible.

Once again, the Instagram comments’ section - that new frontier of activism, particularly in the time of social distancing - collectively rolled its eyes. “Sure, sure. Thanks for the empty words. What are you actually doing?” the end goal When the answer to that question wasn’t satisfactory, or the question was completely waswas a ahero hero ignored altogether, there was a mass exodus 2020 of followers. People consciously chose to NOT ﬁlmﬁlm thatthat ledled think about Brand X or Celeb Y any longer because they had made the cardinal error of to a fewto a few pandering.

shedshed tears tears With a barrage of pithy comments and face-palm emojis, digital natives have killed onon thethe otherother one of advertising’s most enduring recent sideside of of the the trends - The Purpose. I have been in the industry long enough to TVTV screen. screen. have worked on many a purpose in my time. And for most of these purposes, the end goal was a hero film that led to a few tears shed on the other side of the TV screen.

Digital natives - those Gen Z kids who commandeer presidential rallies through TikTok whilst dressing like they’re Spice Girls - have had enough. They are the generation of Malala, Amika and Greta. They’ve had enough of our empty pandering to public sentiment and our appropriation of topical issues for a little more social media engagement.

They call us out on whitewashing.

19 On greenwashing.

On pinkwashing.

On rainbowwashing.

On non-intersectional feminism.

On performative allyship.

They are growing into one of the most financially powerful generations - globally, they’re expected to account for $140 billion worth of spending this year alone. They are also more politically conscious, having grown up on a steady diet of political opinions and digital catfights. In India, roughly half of its Gen Z youth has taken part in online activism, and a third have protested IRL.

And as the first generation that has grown up with access to screens before they could speak, they are experts at seeing through coded language and vacant hashtags. Whilst I, as a Millennial on the older end of the spectrum, may not have immediately noticed the nothingness of Brand X’s “we’re sorry” post, Zoomers were already flooding its comments’ section with sharply crafted jabs designed to leave its social media and PR teams shame-faced.

04 It’sIt’s time time to toturn turn purposepurpose into into a a cultureculture ofof corporatecorporate activism.activism. “Brand purpose” just isn’t enough anymore. As sellers, if we want to truly turn this world-changing generation into loyal customers, we have to not only say we stand for something, but completely redesign our corporate policies and culture to be in line with that stated purpose.

They’re the generation that has lived through two massive economic recessions and a pandemic before they hit 25. And they are the generation that feels the crushing pressure to fix our mistakes with their conscious living choices.

No longer is purpose enough without action. Their money goes only to brands that align with their values. It’s time to turn purpose into more than just a tear-jerking TVC and a slogan to proudly print on our T-shirts to be worn at corporate events. It’s time to turn purpose into a culture of corporate activism. Not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it’s good for business too.

Sources:

Business Insider, “Gen Zers have a spending power of over $140 billion, and it’s driving the frenzy of retailers and brands trying to win their dollars,” Jan 28 2020.

Mint, “Young India is politically conscious, more likely to take part in online and offline protests,” Jun 22 2020.

Insider, “10 ways Gen Zs spend money differently than their Gen X parents,” Nov 28 2018.

21 NEWSNew Business Ruchi Foodline

A manufacturer and exporter of spices, vermicelli, pasta, noodles, cereals, frozen ready-to-eat products, ready-to-cook instant mixes and other food products in India, Ruchi Foodline has chosen to assign its creative duties to Rediffusion Brand Solutions, following a multi-agency pitch.

Orra

Born in 1888, Orra is one of India's finest jewellery retail chains, with 39 stores across 22 cities. At the forefront of design and product development, it now wishes to expand further into the consumer's hearts and minds.

Brookﬁeld Properties, Mumbai

A fully-integrated, global real estate services company, Brookfield Properties provides industry-leading portfolio management and development capabilities across the real estate investment strategies of Brookfield Asset Management — a global alternative asset manager with over $540 billion in assets under management.

22 Vintage

The Zing Thing Fusion

1977

Gold Spot ruled the Indian market along with Thums Up and Limca. The brand was built by Ramesh Chauhan of Parle after the exit of Coca Cola from India in 1977. This iconic youth brand was positioned as "The Zing Thing" by Rediffusion.

Advertising, it's no surprise, gets a bad rep. Some of it, we admit, is justiﬁed. But this industry also does some serious social good too. Often, in fun ways. Here's one such story:

When #KimKardashiansButt helped reduce euthanasia at pet shelters by 48%! Dallas Pets Alive, a pet shelter, had only two choices. One, hope their rescues would get adopted or, failing which, two, euthanise them. Until they decided to name their rescues with whatever the trending topics of the moment were and sharing their pictures online. Naturally, the rescues flooded the local Internet and adoption skyrocketed. Euthanasia, of course, declined just as dramatically. By 48%. Gladvertising

23 Please send your suggestions, ideas, queries or feedback to editor@redi usionist.in

All articles published reflect the opinions of Rediffusion Brand Solutions Pvt Ltd employees. All images are either Rediffusion's own property or license-free only.