October 16-31, 2013 Volume 2, Issue 11 `100 24 Many networked advertising and media agencies have landed in Kochi to run operations that they had handled from afar till now. 8 10 34 8 PLUS FACEBOOK-STAR DISCOVERY Social Verdict 14 VIRAL NOW Horror Café 14 IPSOS SURVEY KFC MUMBAI POLICE BEST GLOBAL BRANDS Won’t Talk, Will Text 18 Lunch on the Go Spare a Minute Missing Names GAON CONNECTION The chain moves to own a Persuading behavioural The absence of Indian brands specific part of the day. change, Mumbai-Police style. in IBGB’s list is telling. Talking Newspaper 36 EDITORIAL This fortnight... Volume 2, Issue 11 ven a few years ago, not many national-level advertising - or media - agencies would have regarded Kochi as an attractive port of call for their business. And any EDITOR E Sreekant Khandekar October 16-31, 2013 Volume 2, Issue 11 `100 suggestions about setting up an operations base in that city would have been considered PUBLISHER 24 to have come from a fevered imagination. Prasanna Singh Now, however, things are changing. The quaint, commercial capital of Kerala SENIOR LAYOUT ARTIST seems to have cast its fascinating spell on agencies ranging from Dentsu and Carat to Vinay Dominic Mindshare and Vizeum. All of them have set up residence there joining relatively well- PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE settled residents such as Lowe and DDB Mudra. Even some creative functions, that Andrias Kisku could have worked very well from a remote location, followed media-buying agencies ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Naveen Arora, (0120) 4077803, 4077866 into Kochi. Noida Many networked advertising and media agencies have landed in Kochi to run operations that they had handled from afar till now. It is hardly a secret that the Malayali is an intrepid explorer. Stepping out of Kerala Arunima Bhattacharya, (022) 40429702-5 Mumbai 8 10 34 was no sweat as he moved easily across the country and the world in search of jobs or 8 PLUS FACEBOOK-STAR DISCOVERY Social Verdict 14 business opportunities and settled down comfortably wherever he found it, making [email protected] VIRAL NOW Horror Café 14 IPSOS SURVEY friends and influencing people in the bargain. Now, it is turn of local brands from MARKETING OFFICE KFC MUMBAI POLICE BEST GLOBAL BRANDS Won’t Talk, Will Text 18 Lunch on the Go Spare a Minute Missing Names GAON CONNECTION B-3, First Floor, Sector-4, Noida-201301. The chain moves to own a Persuading behavioural The absence of Indian brands Talking Newspaper 36 Kerala to follow the roving Malayali into Delhi, Dubai and Durban to name just a specific part of the day. change, Mumbai-Police style. in IBGB’s list is telling. Tel: (0120) 4077800. few destinations. MUMBAI As more and more local brands ventured into playing fields further away from their 501-502, Makani Center, 5th Floor, home bases (you only have to hear Akshay Kumar selling Manappuram Gold Loan Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), Mumbai - 400050 on FM radio while driving on Delhi’s roads to understand this), they needed help to Tel: +91-22-40429 709 - 712 survive. BENGALURU That help is coming from agencies that have a national and global footprint. The S-1, New Bridge Corporate Centre, 777 D, 100 ft Road, Indira Nagar, brands too are not fighting shy of getting up on to the national and, in some cases, Bengaluru - 560038, India international stage. The backwaters are no longer their backyards. They have moved SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES from humble beginnings to bigger things. And along the way, have changed agencies Akhilesh Singh, (0120) 4077837 mid-stream to get there. [email protected] Are Kerala’s home-grown brands abandoning their friendly, home-grown ad and Owned by Banyan Netfaqs Pvt Ltd and Printed and published by media agency and jumping on to the national-agency bandwagon, en masse? Do they Prasanna Singh, have a good reason to do so? This fortnight’s cover unravels the story. at 7-A/13, Ch. Ratan Singh Complex, Jawala Heri Market, Paschim Vihar, New Delhi-110 063. Printed at Cirrus Graphics Private Limited B-61, Sector 67, Noida (U.P.), 201301 M Venkatesh Cover Illustration [email protected] Tiffin Box CONTENTS 20 38 PLUS ONLINE READERSHIP INTERVIEW Weaving a Web 12 Shivaji Satam The man who CAMPAIGN TRAIL carries CID on his shoulders. New Ads 16 CONDÉ NAST TRAVELLER PARLE AGRO 626 Smelling the Coffee Unknown India 30 Café Cuba is Parle Agro’s re-entry vehicle. HUNGAMA De-stressing Kids 30 POINTS OF VIEW 28 Online News GREENLAM OLD SPICE BMW What does the spurt in online Building Atmosphere Manly Act Goes Local news readership mean for A musical-political satire The grooming brand Luxury Read 32 those in the business? lights up a ‘boring’ category. discusses masculinity. afaqs! Reporter, October 16-31, 2013 5 1(:6$'9(57,6,1* GREENLAM Building Atmosphere In keeping with the prevailing pre-election spirit, Greenlam has launched a musical-political satire that is part funny and part wishful. By Ashwini Gangal shares. The team worked with architect Ratan Batliboi to get all the structural details right. His team researched legislatures across India and Asia before zeroing in on the design. “Every little detail was researched for its aesthetics and colours. The space had to be airy, open and contemporary, almost like the first class lounge in an airport,” he recalls. Regarding the casting brief, Madhvani adds, “The corrupt politician who says he will not be corrupt anymore, needed to look like he was definitely corrupt! Not only did they have to look real and believable, but also innocently funny.” A blend of patriotic, contemporary and strident music was selected because it needed to be sincere yet funny. The campaign was first broken through a n 2005, Greenply Plywood entertained viewers roadblock on with its reincarnation-based Sikh boy ad that “It’s challenging TV (around 70 Ishowed how the product remains intact for to come up with channels) and generations. The most recent ad by Greenlam, print (national and a decorative laminate brand from the house of something for a regional dailies). Greenply, highlights the product’s beauty through segment people The media mix a light-hearted musical. The common thread also includes radio, across both campaigns is humour. don’t think too digital (including The ad extends Greenlam’s brand message, much about.” ‘Changing India’ ‘Zamane ko sajana hai’, launched last year through its PRASOON JOSHI banners), cinema and ‘Saundarya Premi’ film. In keeping with the ethos radio. The brand has donated all the furniture that of the times, the latest campaign depicts politicians was used in the making of the TVC to a school, in an assembly hall renovated with Greenlam’s through the NGO, Teach For India. decorative laminates, who are so taken in by its “This campaign beauty that they all spontaneously transform into evokes beautiful, BEAUTIFUL? honest leaders. The catchphrase is ‘Mahaul Sundar positive and n the opinion of Menaka Menon, head, strategic toh Khayal Sundar’ (Beautiful surroundings lead to Iplanning, Draftfcb+Ulka Bengaluru, for a beautiful thoughts). refreshing product in the décor and interiors segment, “a According to Alex Joseph, VP, marketing and thoughts among proposition like ‘Mahaul Sundar toh Khayal Sundar’ communications, Greenlam Laminates, the brand makes sense and is a good space to be in.” About is looking to instil in people the need for a the masses.” the creative execution and pre-election spirit beautiful ambience. “Greenlam Laminates has ALEX JOSEPH the brand is trying to capture, she says, “While taken a leap forward from last year’s campaign, and they’re going down the humour route and using goes on to evoke beautiful, positive and refreshing hyperbole, I think the hyperbole in this case is a thoughts among the masses.” bit much! While this ad does definitely get your Talking about this ad, Prasoon Joshi, chairman “The ad is a attention the first time around, I’m not sure it’s and CCO, McCann Worldgroup India and something I would want to watch repeatedly.” president, South Asia, says that it’s not about social statement. Nima Namchu, creative head and executive being humorous as much as it is about being It’s not cynical; creative director, Cheil Worldwide, India, observes satirical. “Given the current atmosphere in India, it’s meant to be that Greenply’s previous ads harped on durability. with the elections and political turmoil, I knew “Durability, as a proposition, has become generic, that if I write something topical, that catches the charming.” slightly mundane and ‘middleclass’ for this imagination of people and resonates with them, it RAM MADHVANI category. That’s probably why the emphasis is on will make them smile,” he says. beauty now,” he reasons. Is it fair to assume that humour is the only way From a category perspective, Namchu notes out for a category as ‘dry’ and low involvement 35 shots. For Equinox Films’ Ram Madhvani, that laminate players seem to have moved from as laminates? Joshi’s response - “It is challenging director of the film, the ad is an attempt to tap into B2B to B2C communication. “When you’re to come up with something for a segment that the zeitgeist. “The ad is a social statement. Though talking about beauty, you’re definitely not talking people don’t think too much about. It’s not a ‘top the film is a satire, it is pitched innocently. It’s not to the carpenter,” he says. He likes the overall of mind’ category.” He adds that showing a hall cynical; it’s meant to be charming,” he says.