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.

The Brief

50 Standees 6 X 3 Rs 1,25,000 @ Rs 2500 per piece 250 posters Rs 24000 @ Rs 96 per piece Transportation + pasting Rs 24,000 for 20 locations Total Rs 173000 + 18% Gst

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.

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

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.

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

Here was a little known, never advertised brand trying to make its presence felt with a negligible budget in a category crowded with several leaders with deep brand equity. Hence, everything, right from choosing the medium to the entire process of designing the communication, had to be bang on; leaving no room for iterations. This communication thrived on the brand experience depicted strategically at the retail level. It was an unusual experience for incense sticks buyers at the point of sales. The impact of the communication made the brand appear much bigger and the budget way too small.

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. To ensure maximum impact, we chose the most popular pastimes of Indians i.e. Bollywood. It cuts across all class barriers and ensures instant appeal. Add to it the shocker of an expression on the faces of their most dreaded villains.