The Campaign

India is a country of movie buffs. Film stars are not just praised or loved, they are revered. Not just protagonists, even the antagonists have acquired super stardom statuses. In the depiction of the evil, loathsome characters, Indian cinema has some legendary icons. To depict the power of Shubh Agarbatti’s fragrance, we created posters with illustrations of India's most dreaded villains with never-seen-before saint-like expression. The unconventional posters were plastered outside cinema halls and also in and around incense stick retail outlets, compelling moviegoers and shoppers to stand and wonder for a while and then realize how Shubh Agarbatti's fragrance has brought out the divine side of each villain. Being a day-to-day product for the religiously inclined, which most of Indians are, the communication targeted masses, who physically shop at the markets, watch movies at the theatre and spend less time on digital platforms.

Creative Execution

Three popular villains were painstakingly chosen. Having done that, the never-seen-before expression was not available in any of their existing pictures. We had to source the closest matching reference image and illustrate the saint-like expression without compromising on their popular appearance. Each villain was illustrated by hand on 30 x 22 inch canvases and digitally mastered for printing. The entire process of concept, execution and delivery was carried out in three weeks’ time. We placed standees at popular cinema halls and posters in and around retail outlets. This campaign was limited to Mumbai and its outskirts.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

9 of the 20 outlets where the campaign was run have already placed repeat orders. There was hardly a customer who didn’t give the posters a second look or enquired about the brand with the retailer.