The Brief

Objective: To further strengthen Fevicol’s brand proposition of being ‘The ultimate glue’. TG: Existing consumers – the public at large Strategy: Fevicol has often used topical subjects to convey its brand promise of being ‘the ultimate glue.’ The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon which is held in January each year is one of the world’s biggest marathons. It also gets covered extensively by the media. So this year, we decided to do something in the Mumbai Marathon in typical Fevicol style. Something that would grab people’s attention and tell them that Fevicol is ‘the ultimate glue.’

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

A group of runners sporting Fevicol branded T-shirts participated in the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2013. When the race was flagged off, the ‘Fevicol Runners’ started running, albeit with a difference – they were glued to the ground. They continued to run on the exact same spot near the starting line without moving an inch. This spot-running act created a lot of curiosity among other participants. But when they saw the Fevicol name on the T-shirts, they got the joke. So yet again, Fevicol, using its quirky brand of humour, managed to tell consumers that it is indeed ‘the ultimate glue’.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

We invested just Rupees 1 Lakh (US$ 1852) on the Fevicol Runners idea. But the returns were quite remarkable. We earned free media worth Rs. 28 lakhs (US$ 51,852), which meant the return on investment was a staggering 2800%. The idea attracted a lot of media attention and was covered by national dailies, TV news channels while also being talked about on social media like Twitter and Facebook. All in all, people loved the idea. The Fevicol brand promise of being ‘the ultimate glue’ was further strengthened by this simple yet entertaining activity.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

A bunch of runners being glued to the ground in a marathon displayed the strength of the glue in an interesting yet fun way. When people saw the Fevicol Runners, they were clearly intrigued. But the moment they saw the Fevicol name on the T-shirts, they had a smile on their faces. They got the message that Fevicol is ‘the ultimate glue’ in a most unexpected manner. The Fevicol Runners idea is most appropriate to the brand since Fevicol is synonymous with ‘sticking’ in India. So the runners being glued to the ground was an instant hit with the people.