The Campaign

CONTENT TRADITIONALLY NOT SOUGHT BECOMES RELEVANT ONLINE IN THE RIGHT CONTEXT Message receptiveness increases when right mood content is exposed at certain period. For instance, folk music surging during harvest festivals, carols during Christmas etc. Classical music is not the most ‘sought after’ content online but when put in the right context it could serve as a platform to help Indians ‘rediscover and reconnect’ to their musical roots.

Creative Execution

Search and discovery – 65 Mn prospective consumers of Taj Mahal are medium to heavy digital users. To tap the right consumer sentiment, content had to be pushed through Search and discovery medium – YouTube. Reaching 3% of this base with a compelling brand message ensured 16% value growth for a brand with sluggish growth for past two decades. To further engage with viewers - YouTube roadblocks, banners promoting the video across all #fame channels and best practices in YouTube marketing techniques like - annotations and playlists were deployed. Released on YouTube on the eve of Indian Independence and went viral through various social media channels. Topicality of the idea, use of best of breed talent, an in-depth patriotic peg through song selection ensured the video travelled organically and was picked up by celebrities, curators and influencers alike, across content curator platforms as well as personal Facebook and Twitter accounts.

A TRULY ‘WAH TAJ!’ EXPERIENCE DELIVERED The earned media value was about Rupees 1crore vs media spends (production) of Rupees 25 Lacs. Brand saliency increased by 17% with endorsement on “aspiration” improving by 54% to a 2 year high. Brand trials improved by 22% leading to business growth. 1.5 Million views on YouTube within a week 300% earned media as opposed to the media spends After the success of the video, Taj Mahal Tea has now made a long term commitment to this approach. In January 2016 ‘Darbar-E-Taj’ was launched - India’s first ever brand owned classical music destination on YouTube.

Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea has always celebrated its strong association with Indian Classical music. With changing times, consumer’s music preferences also changed resulting in the brand deviating from its core association. In 2015, while the brand reconnected with consumers at large with classical music, it had to exemplify the association. Hence, music video was the most preferred choice and it had to be done on a digital medium to connect with the true music aficionados.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

CREATING MAGIC BY BRINGING TOGETHER A RIPE CONTEXT OPPORTUNITY, A BREATH-TAKING CLASSICAL MUSIC CONTENT AND SIGNATURE BRAND EQUITY The Context: Independence Day – Google Trends indicated that around Independence Day conversations around independence, freedom, patriotism etc. witness a spike. This day, unlike any other celebration evokes strong sentiments, hence the need to express feelings creatively, especially on social media. The Content: ‘Vande Mataram’ like never before – Legendary Sarod player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan and Ayaan Ali recreated an ode to the motherland through a soul stirring rendition of – Vande Mataram. To ensure maximum virality, this rendition was a perfect balance of traditional yet modern. The Brand Connect: Subtle yet memorable - Throughout the video experience the brand was subtly integrated with Taj’s signature ‘Moment of indulgence’ shot, usage of brand colours etc.