‘I have a fatherly feeling towards Amazon’s Chonkpur Cheetahs’

A chat with Azazul Haque (CCO, South, Ogilvy), who gave birth to Chonkpur Cheetahs for Amazon. Haque tells us how the lovable team came into being.

e4m by Neeta Nair
Published: May 4, 2018 8:54 AM  | 4 min read

In the fourth part of our series on the people behind the most talked about ads of IPL 11, we meet Azazul Haque (CCO, South, Ogilvy), who gave birth to Chonkpur Cheetahs for Amazon. Haque tells us how the lovable team came into being. Read on:

Amazon is one of the few IPL campaigns this year that retained the strong bond of the brand with cricket. How did the team Chonkpur Cheetahs come about last year?
The team’s name was a figment of my imagination. I was walking out of office one evening with my bag when I suddenly turned back and said should we call the team Chonkpur Cheetahs? Everybody looked at me and asked what is Chonkpur Cheetahs. They all laughed, it was a funny name, but it got them excited too.

Back then, we thought since the ad was to appear around IPL, why not have a cricket team that wants to play in IPL but cannot. While they have the talent, they don’t have the cricketing gear to help with the practice. We showed how Amazon can play a role in making things accessible to them, because that’s what Amazon does-- no matter where you are, you have access to anything via Amazon. We went to the brand with this idea and Amazon thought it was interesting. And that’s how Chonkpur Cheetahs were launched and today it has become a unique property for Amazon, almost like the ZooZoos for Vodafone.

Tell us how you worked on the characterization of Amazon’s T20 IPL team?
We wanted to retain the fun element as far as the names of the cricketers go. So we cracked the names of Puppi, Dhyani, Khushbu, Shamsher etc. And then we had this character who struggles at English, another one who plays the ‘kangaroo shot’, and so on. It literally felt like we were conceiving an IPL team. It was not just an ad film, it was like a feature film for us where every character had to be defined. I feel like I have given birth to each of the players as we have written each one’s attributes and imagined how they would be. I have a very fatherly feeling towards the characters. So, I make sure that I am there for the shoots as well. I have a personal equation with most of the actors. In fact, they have forgotten their real names. Dhyani keeps forgetting that his name is Rohit. He calls himself Dhyani now.

What was the brief given by Amazon for this season?
They wanted to have progressive storytelling. So, last year, the players were in Chonkpur, where they were struggling to get access to things. This time, they have shifted to a bigger town to fulfill their dreams like most of us. I am from Lucknow myself. So, Chonkpur Cheetahs want to play for the big league games, for which they have to shift to a big city. But the problem now is that before competing with any IPL team, they need to compete with problems of big city such as ‘shehar ki garmi’, ‘shehar ke kharche’ etc. So the matches are between Chonkpur Cheetahs and big city problems.

Also, the brief mentioned that we need to talk about the benefits of online versus offline. In a big city, we have to run to 10 places to get three things. So, instead of focusing on my dream and game, I have to run around to buy bucket, mug, toiletries, etc, wasting time. But, on Amazon, you can do that in two minutes. So, there was a good brand fit there.

About Azazul Haque
Azazul Haque started his career in 2001 at Lowe Lintas and has worked for agencies such as Publicis and Contract Advertising and on campaigns such as ‘Khushiyon ki home delivery’ and ‘yeh hai rishto ka time’ for Dominos. From Contract Advertising he shifted to Ogilvy in Bombay almost five years ago and worked on campaigns for Madhya Pradesh Tourism, Rajasthan Tourism, Satyamev Jayate campaign with Aamir Khan and Milton. After winning the Amazon account, he shifted to the Bangalore office where he is currently Ogilvy’s Chief Creative Officer, South.

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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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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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