Branding is the goal, storytelling is the means: Sashi Shankar

The CMO of Idea Cellular talks about the strategic importance and power of storytelling in Idea Cellular’s advertising journey

e4m by Saloni Surti
Published: Mar 7, 2013 2:12 AM  | 4 min read
Branding is the goal, storytelling is the means: Sashi Shankar

Be it the quirky ‘Hunny Bunny’ song or the witty advertisements featuring Abhishek Bachchan, Idea Cellular commercials have always managed to strike a chord with the audience. The ad films usually stand out as they manage to narrate a complete tale in the 30-45 seconds time slot.

While one might receive it as a form of entertaining content or mere advertising, Idea TVCs go beyond the traditional telecom advertisements and establish the company’s stand point very effectively.

“Idea believes in storytelling,” said Sashi Shankar, CMO, Idea Cellular. “Stories have a magical power. They are not attached to any shackles and help in creating emotions or giving wings to one’s imaginations. A good story is always remembered,” he added.

Idea commercials function more or less like a short film, having a plot, characters and a conclusion. While most of their advertisements convey a social message, Shankar explains that it was no theme but an effective means to deliver their promise of ‘An Idea can change your life’ in an innovative manner.

“Like the four elements of nature (air, water, fire and earth), storytelling is also based on four crucial aspects – message, plot, characters and conflict,” explained Shankar. These elements not only craft a story well but also help establish the message one wants to put across.
     
Shankar stated that in today’s world, product differentiation is blurry. Now physical difference does not matter but communication and customer experience matter and story is what makes the difference for Idea. He expressed that branding is the goal and storytelling is the means.
Ideas storytelling culture goes back to the early 2000s when the company emerged under one brand name, from the former four brand names in different circles. While the name and the tag line (An idea can change your life) were very promising, the brand was not sure as to how to deliver this promise to its TG.

“We went about building brand idea,” said Shankar. “We decided to connect with the consumers not on a rational level but on an emotional level. We wanted to have the qualities of a champion – a champion of thoughts and champion of ideas,” he added.

Idea commercials started establishing the brand as a solution provider and decided not to promote network, price or value added services at all. The brand started associating itself with solutions to bigger problems. Idea commercials associated with various social issues such as education in rural areas (for expansions of coverage and network) and population control (to promote 3G network).

“When the story was discussed, most people were not comfortable with the idea of a telecom company addressing a social issue. However, our CEO and the agency had the conviction that this is what will help us to stand out,” said Shankar.
  
Also, humour and music were incorporated to make the advertisements more entertaining and interesting. Abhishek Bachchan, who was then an upcoming star, was roped in as the brand ambassador. To keep the commercials different and to maintain the theme of a story, Junior AB was portrayed as a character and not himself.

In its latest campaigns – Hunny Bunny and Telephone Exchange – Idea has moved from a social level to a personal level. While Hunny Bunny captured the ingrained habit that people have of humming songs, telephone exchange tapped on marital fights.

Shankar pointed out that through Hunny Bunny, Idea wanted to establish that it is a pan India network. The campaign was a deviation from what usually Idea did. The jingle was composed by Amit Trivedi basis the brief given to Lowe Lintas. The campaign has been the most successful Idea commercial so far.

While Idea has so far managed to deliver its promise of ‘An idea can change your life’ through its commercial and create a landmark in the advertisement world, how much can these advertisements help in RoI is the real question.

RoI has always been a marketer’s biggest woe. Shankar highlighted that advertisements can help in achieving numbers only up to a certain extent. There is no substitute of what can be done on-ground through network quality, sales and distribution.

Sashi Shankar was speaking on the topic ‘Brands as Storytellers: What an Entertainment Sirji!’ at the Mumbai leg of Pitch CMO Summit 2013, held on March 6, 2013. The session was chaired by Arvind Sharma, Chairman and CEO, Indian Sub-continent, Leo Burnett.

The Summit was presented by Colors in association with MEC.

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:39 PM  | 1 min read

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e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 25, 2023 4:38 PM  | 1 min read

KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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