MAM
IPL campaign was a critical milestone towards becoming synonymous with quick-commerce: Zepto CMO
MUMBAI: Ten-minute grocery delivery app and the youngest entrant on the quick commerce scene, Zepto launched its latest IPL campaign last week. Crafted by L&K Saatchi and Saatchi, the third film in what has been a high decibel campaign in more ways than one considering it features powerhouse singers has veteran versatile vocalist Usha Uthup displaying her vocal prowess this time, after Kailash Kher and Shankar Mahadevan.
Aiming to emphasise the time-stretching habits prevalent in our society, the brand films showcase each of the three artists in never-before-seen avatars, stretching their vocal chords in uncharacteristic settings: Kailash Kher as a cocky waiter in a crowded eatery, Shankar Mahadevan as a cool-as-cucumber airline staff at an airport and now Usha Uthup as a matronly nurse in a clinic’s waiting room.
Speaking to IndianTelevision.com, Zepto chief marketing officer Amritansu Nanda reveals the brief given by the brand to the agency for the campaign. “Our consumers lead busy, fast-paced lives, and most of them are not used to having their time valued. The concept of our campaign roots from this very human insight that time is seen as an expendable commodity in India (hence the caption ‘Time kheechne ki aadat se pareshaan’)”.
Whether you are waiting for your food at a restaurant or to board a flight, the infamous ‘Indian Stretchable Time’ is something we’ve all experienced, he continues. “Through our communication, we wanted to bring in a shift and a surprise- Assure our consumers that we value their time and surprise them with how Zepto delivers on time.”
The objective of the campaign, says Nanda, was to move beyond functional communication that only highlights instant gratification, to “a more meaningful, relatable story that aligns with the concept of time”. “We wanted to build stronger resonance amongst the existing TG while acquiring new digitally-savvy consumers.” Beyond it all, the idea was to build a campaign that cultivates competitive mindshare for Zepto; one with high repeat viewability, stickiness, and consumer love for the brand, he adds.
On enlisting the three celebrity singers Shankar Mahadevan, Kailash Kher and Usha Uthup for the ad films, Nanda says, “We wanted to bring in faces that share a deeper connect with our core TG- millennials & Gen Z’s, and also lend credibility to the brand and its concept.”
Stating that the campaign was a critical milestone in Zepto’s journey towards becoming synonymous with quick-commerce, he asserts, “Kailash Kher, Shankar Mahadevan, and Usha Uthup in their unusual roles didn’t just bring alive the concept of ‘Indian Stretchable Time’ in their inimitable style, but also made the case for Zepto and its on-time delivery promise with relatability at its core.” The campaign delivered the perfect blend of entertainment and salience, cutting through the clutter during IPL, he adds.
Being a digitally native brand, Zepto chose to run its IPL campaign on the OTT platform Disney+Hotstar instead of opting for television or on-ground sponsorship, as it speaks to the ‘digitally-savvy’ audience. The brand is stoked with the response that all three of the brand films have been receiving across digital platforms. Says Nanda, “With Hotstar as our central platform, we were able to target the perfect set of audiences across our ten core markets.” The campaign has certainly helped us drive awareness, engagement & trials, he says signing off.
Watch the three brand films here:
Brands
Faber-Castell India appoints Sunaina Haldar as director – marketing
With stints at Tata, SleepyCat and ADF Foods under her belt, Haldar is primed to redraw Faber-Castell’s brand story
MUMBAI: Faber-Castell India has poached Sunaina Haldar from ADF Foods, appointing her director – marketing as the German stationery brand looks to muscle up in a category that is rapidly reinventing itself around creativity and self-expression.
Haldar hit the ground running. “My first couple of weeks have been incredibly energising, understanding consumers, visiting markets, engaging with retailers and immersing myself into the world of Faber-Castell Group,” she said.
She arrives with considerable firepower. At ADF Foods, Haldar ran marketing across India and international markets for a portfolio spanning Ashoka, Aeroplane, Camel and ADF Soul. Before that, she was vice-president – marketing at direct-to-consumer mattress brand SleepyCat, where she helmed brand, content and performance marketing. Her résumé also includes a stint leading marketing, new product development and CRM for Tata SmartFoodz at Tata Consumer Products, no small proving ground.
Between corporate roles, Haldar also operated as a fractional CMO for early-stage startups, building marketing strategy and operational structures from scratch, a signal that she knows how to move fast with limited resources.
With 18 years straddling FMCG, D2C and the startup world, Haldar now takes the reins at a brand that has long owned the classroom but is clearly hungry for the living room. In a stationery market where the pencil has become a lifestyle statement, Faber-Castell has picked someone who knows exactly how to sell that story.
