The Campaign

In recent years, India has seen branded entertainment get higher acceptance. However, quite often, it is not subtle; rather it’s over the top and not integrated as part of the content. A few recent successes have been a result of bypassing advertising rules, like on that of liquor brands. In-film product placement, specifically, has seen tremendous growth in the last few years, and most high-budget films use product placements to offset some of the cost of production and marketing of films. In some cases, in-film product placements are supported by additional advertising done by the same brands, and further endorsement done by the cast of the film. There are not many restrictions or regulations on branded entertainment, in addition to the rules for broadcasting general entertainment –like the content shouldn't be offensive or derogatory, shouldn't be sexist or racist in nature, shouldn't demean women or show them in poor light, and so on.

Results

The challenge: Fevicol already enjoys being a synonym to bonding in India. The thought was to further strengthen it through popular Indian culture. In popular media during recent times, Fevicol has been associated by consumers with bonding or stickiness – people who are over-friendly, girlfriends and wives who are a bit too possessive, etc. In one case, the brand was mentioned in a film to put down a batsman in a cricket match – “you aren't Fevicol, you can’t go on playing forever”. While the use was as generic as we would have wanted, we wanted a greater impact result. The objectives: The communication objective was to create a positive and pleasantly surprising connection with bonding, in order to fortify the brand promise of ‘the unbreakable bond’. The strategy: We pushed the envelope a bit more, and struck gold with the idea of in-song placement. Songs tend to outlive the popularity of movies, get additional exposure in night clubs, on radio stations, TV channels, sometimes even at weddings. The execution: Fevicol got integrated in the lyrics of the item song for ‘Dabangg 2’, the starting lines being ‘My love, stick my photo to your heart with Fevicol’. It was picturised on Bollywood’s lead actress Kareena Kapoor and star sensation Salman Khan. Over and above this the song was named as “Fevicol Se.”. The choice of movie was critical here. Lead actor Salman Khan’s recent movies had consistently crossed Rs. 100 crore (about US$18.5 million) revenues at the box office. ‘Dabangg 2’ being a sequel to a blockbuster, it was already generating free media. And it also helped that the item song from the first movie had been a great hit.

The message: Fevicol is the ultimate glue Fevicol has seeded itself in popular culture over the past 20 years to become the generic name for its category, and also a metaphor for strong bonding of all kinds. The vehicle: ‘Item Song’ In recent years, item songs – innuendo-loaded songs that aren't connected to the movie plot, and showcase beautiful dancing women in revealing clothes – have become a huge source of fame, buzz, and revenues for Bollywood movies. Because they attract audiences beyond just movie halls and radio stations, they hold a large potential for fame and success for brands.

Consumers were already exposed to Fevicol as a metaphor for bonding in popular culture. Equating to a strong, romantic bond was perhaps a logical next step. The in-song placement worked wonders... In the very month of release (December 2012), it topped music charts and became the most downloaded song on Nokia Free Store. The song was covered on various TV shows and news stories, generating free media of about US$ 1.564 million. It was also featured on Bigg Boss, the Indian version of reality TV show 'Big Brother', and on a stand-up comedy show 'Comedy Circus', generating additional free media valued at about US$ 648,000. The song was also played in cinema halls and on radio stations, collecting free media worth US$ 3.56 million and US$ 1.39 million respectively. On YouTube, the song video garnered more than 10 million views, valued at about US$ 92,000. Print and PR put together got free impressions valued about US$ 296,000. In all, the free media garnered by the campaign is valued at about US$ 7.55 million. Not only that, according to a survey conducted by Ormax Media, of the 12 brands associated with the movie, Fevicol benefited most!