April 16-30, 2016 Volume 4, Issue 21 `100 6 INTERVIEW TVF’S ARUNABH KUMAR YATRA.COM founder and group Just For Laughs CEO, The Viral Fever A tongue-in-cheek viral and TVF Media Labs video draws on headlines. 20 PEPSI 10 Pocket Size The beverage giant promotes its Mini Can. 30 GOAFEST 2016 Subscriber copy not for resale Subscriber copy not Winners Take All Who walked away with what at the Abbys. “DIGITAL VIDEO SAPIENT INDIA Asking For Trouble 11 VIRAL NOW Apple iPad 12 IS BRUTAL” THOMAS COOK The ‘Qtiyapa Guy’ recently managed to get Young at Heart 29 USD 10 million in funding for his TVF. What next? MEC INDIA Making Waves 34 editorial This fortnight... Volume 4, Issue 21 EDITOR ive months back, we profiled the members of All India Bakchod – Gursimran Sreekant Khandekar F Khamba, Tanmay Bhat, Rohan Joshi and Ashish Shakya – because the comedy PUBLISHER Prasanna Singh April 16-30, 2016 Volume 4, Issue 21 `100 collective, best known for its YouTube content, landed a show on the Star Network. In 6 our Cover Story then, we took note of how these popular digital content creators traversed EXECUTIVE EDITOR INTERVIEW Ashwini Gangal TVF’S the path between YouTube and primetime television. ARUNABH KUMAR YATRA.COM PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE founder and group Just For Laughs CEO, The Viral Fever A tongue-in-cheek viral and TVF Media Labs video draws on headlines. Andrias Kisku This time, we’re putting a YouTube content creator, Arunabh Kumar, founder of 20 ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES The Viral Fever (TVF), on the Cover because he gave mainstream TV a complete miss Shubham Garg 81301 66777 (M); 0120-4077819 (O) PEPSI 10 Pocket Size and took to YouTube. And how! Here’s what happened – Over half a decade back, The bevergae giant promotes its Mini Can. Apoorv Kulshrestha 30 when MTV rejected his idea for a youth-centric TV show, he decided to reach his target 9873824700 (M); 0120-4077833 (O) audience, the 14-to-34-year-old, progressive Indian, through online videos. Noida GOAFEST 2016 Pradeep Hegde Subscriber copy notfor resale Winners Take All Who walked away with what at the Abbys. (022) 40429702-5 “DIGITAL VIDEO SAPIENT INDIA Today, TVF’s YouTube channel, that’s raking in subscribers by the million, is home Asking For Trouble 11 Mumbai VIRAL NOW Apple iPad 12 IS BRUTAL” THOMAS COOK to popular shows like Permanent Roommates and Pitchers. The former is about a young The ‘Qtiyapa Guy’ recently managed to get Young at Heart 29 [email protected] USD 10 million in funding for his TVF. What next? MEC INDIA Making Waves 34 Indian couple that’s living in together and the latter, about a group of youngsters keen to MARKETING OFFICE launch a startup. These shows are Arunabh’s solution to his pet peeve – Why don’t we B&B Genesis, A 12/13, Ground Floor, Sector - 16 have Indian TV shows like Friends or The Big Bang Theory? Pincode - 201301 Tel: (0120) 4077800. TVF’s most viewed video is one called Bollywood Aam Aadmi Party; it’s been MUMBAI 501-502, Makani Center, 5th Floor, viewed 5.5 million times on YouTube. Though TVF gained popularity on the back of Off Linking Road, Bandra (W), comedy content, today, viewers don’t expect jokes from them; they expect great stories. Mumbai - 400050 Tel: +91-22-40429 709 - 712 SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES Arunabh, better known by his virtual alias ‘The Qtiyapa Guy’, is also gaining Akhilesh Singh popularity as an actor; he plays a central character, Yogi, in Pitchers. In person, though, (0120) 4077837 he looks nothing like the clean-shaven entrepreneur he plays on-screen, thanks to the [email protected] Ramdev-esque beard he’s sporting these days. Owned by Banyan Netfaqs Pvt Ltd and Printed and published by Prasanna Singh, At afaqs! Reporter, two of out our last nine Cover Stories are interviews with at 7-A/13, Ch. Ratan Singh Complex, Jawala Heri Market, Paschim Vihar, YouTube content creators. Clearly, we think digital video is the next big thing. Cheers New Delhi-110 063. to a hot new industry and the folks who run it. Printed at Cirrus Graphics Private Limited B-61, Sector 67, Noida (U.P.), 201301 Ashwini Gangal [email protected] CONTENTS 28 12 VERMILLION COMMUNICATIONS Image Makers Meet the relatively less-known advertising agency behind Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali. FROOTI Oh, So Naughty 22 27 Shah Rukh Khan does a Mango-Bango for the brand. POINTS OF VIEW 26 Timely vs Timeless Ads KFC INDIA 14 HINDI GEC AD LABS Brands ditch consumer Hunger Game Soap Factory Ensuing Envy insights and turn to headlines The QSR chain repositions Hindi GECs extend offerings Imagica becomes umbrella for inspiration. itself as a lunch menu option. through the week. brand name for the company. afaqs! Reporter, April 16-30, 2 0 1 6 5 advertising YATRA.COM Just For Laughs The brand followed Havells and Pepsi in releasing a topical campaign which mimicked Kanhaiya Kumar. By Saumya Tewari and Ashee Sharma fter Pepsi got a bashing for its ‘Bhook Hartal’ ad and AHavells had to withdraw the anti-reservation spot post a virtual backlash, it was Yatra.com’s turn to be in the spotlight. The online travel agent released a digital ad for the Yatra Web Check-in App that cashes in on the agitation at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) using the much-debated ‘azaadi’ theme. The ad, conceptualised and executed by Scarecrow Communications and Puppet Pictures, is a humorous take on the controversial student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and his ‘style’ which actor Avinash Dwivedi tries to imitate. The film begins with Dwivedi walking towards the check-in counter at the airport and asking for a window seat. On his request being turned down, he picks up the microphone and starts ‘sloganeering’ ‘Humein chahiye...’. Eriyat and Misra: The crowd reverberates with the Where’s the idea? chants of ‘azaadi’ - ‘window seat ki’, “While we wanted to get and ‘no-waiting ki azaadi’. This goes on until the voiceover interrupts to the message across through Speaking on the possibility that say that if you want ‘azaadi’ from all brands may approach Scarecrow as this, download Yatra.com’s flight a fun story, we had no the ‘viral specialist’ now, Bhat says, web check-in app. intentions of lampooning or “Studying the target group and the Given its topicality, the campaign national mood does help, but no that was released on Facebook, went ‘spoofing’ anyone.” one can predict a viral. We are viral almost instantly. While the ad happy that brands recognise us for RAGHU BHAT made it to the critical editorials edgy work. They come to us when of some mainstream publications they want to create a big impact or and the Yatra app was also being methods we follow is the freedom topicals have managed to keep the talk to the youth or when there are down-rated (given poor ratings and to plan your travel. Our focus is brand fresh throughout. I wanted no huge ATL budgets.” reviews on app stores) by some to showcase the new product in a to do something on those lines and people, the response to it has mostly humorous manner through the ad.” Yatra was very supportive.” A FREE RUN TO THIS ONE? been mixed. Commenting on the campaign’s Bhat attributes the ‘largely Vasudha Misra, creative head - So, in the current scenario, success, Raghu Bhat, founder, positive’ response the ad has Delhi, FCB Ulka, rues the lack of where brands are often wary of Scarecrow Communications, says, fetched to its subtle and humorous idea in the ad. “It just draws on highlighting political issues in their “I got a lot of positive feedback on execution, unlike that of the Havells something which became popular. campaigns, why did Yatra choose the ad. People want to install the ad which took a stand. “Life and Unlike the Havells ad, Yatra has to parody Kanhaiya Kumar? The Yatra app just because they loved society is the raw material for any not put forward any point of view. damage for a digital company is the creative. This, and the fact that creative idea. While we wanted to It’s just a creative execution. So, instant, as it translates into app the reach has been purely organic get the message across through a one shouldn’t read too much into it uninstalls and down-rating. Did are quite flattering for a creative fun story, we had no intentions of or politicise it,” she opines. that not bother the brand? person.” lampooning or ‘spoofing’ anyone,” According to Suresh Eriyat, Explains Vikrant Mudaliar, chief Bhat, however, clarifies that shares Bhat. founder and creative director, marketing officer, Yatra.com, “We ‘app download’ was not the metric It is interesting to note that this Eeksaurus, the ad makes fun of were looking at a digital ad and the on which the campaign was to be is the agency’s second ‘viral feat’ Kanhaiya Kumar’s spirit. “It is idea was to go ahead with something evaluated. The brief was to create after the ‘11 Minutes’ anti-smoking distasteful and regressive. Would topical, which is where the concept brand awareness with a viral ad. campaign featuring Alok Nath, you dare to do that with Amitabh of ‘Azaadi’ fit in. We are, in no way, Talking about using the ‘Azaadi’ Sunny Leone and Deepak Dobriyal Bachchan? No. Brands should not advocating any particular issue or a concept, Bhat shares, “Amul, as went off the charts with over five side with an ideology just because person through the advertisement.