Dec 26, 2005 06:36 PM
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(Updated Dec 26, 2005 06:36 PM)
TSRIF DROW TSAL, making sense? not really! Now read FIRST WORD LAST and instantly the above words would make a lot more sense. In advertising, one of the better pieces of advice is to ''FLIP IT''. What that means is to turn a problem/solution/idea/line/situation over on its side to get at an idea that is both brilliant effective and memorable.
Volkswagen's ''Think Small'' and the similar ''We work harder because we are # 2? for Avis Rentals did the flip, and went on to become case studies and legends in the field of advertising. So what is it that makes an advertisement stand out from the rest? The answer: Shock and awe!
Ever find yourself doing the opposite, and stocking up on crap just because the ads you saw were GOOD though or caught you amazed? We all do that if a product has great ads, just to 'sponsor' the creative, regardless if you need the stuff or not. Right now, I can point at ten boxes of mint on my table that I bought just because the TV ads were outrageously funny - even though I rarely eat mints. Or we may stop whipping kids for dirt on their cloths, because ''daagh acche hain''.
Turn the things upside down and see them become conspicuous. Would you notice a woman on a beach with a swim suit or a neatly tied saree, or an elderly man with dentures and a walking stick would be anonymous in the crowd but not an enfeebled man with six strings in his hands. Do the unexpected and get discernible, is the fad in the advertisement world.
Cashing on the ''Shock & awe'' wave is creaky old SBI, which finally has waken out of slumber and realised that it's time now to push the pedal before it's budding and techno-savvy counterparts take the game away.
In an attempt to capture the fastest growing retail segment of them all, the young earning adults whose combined personal net worth is growing rapidly, SBI has come up with a rather aggressive print, television and radio campaigns ''Surprisingly SBI''.
TVCs include a set of four advertisement where the protagonist looses a bet on some SBI related fact and execute some bizarre condition, which is the most intriguing part of the advertisements. (A man changes his name to Chimanlal Charlie, a husband makes papads for having lost, a young lad gets his legs waxed and an executive goes to office in his red bermuda).
A first look at these advertisements would make you think that these are some multinational bank's spots, a camouflage uncovered by two words in the end ''Surprisingly SBI''.
Surprisingly SBI tagline is doing wonders to the brand SBI, bringing out the facts hidden deep under the stack of papers. The people are amazed to read some plain figures that they would have never associated with the old horse. It's so hard not to compare this tagline with Avis's ''we try harder'' campaign that repositioned Hertz, the then market leader.
The phrase ''We Try Harder'' has gone down in advertising history as one of the longest-lasting and respected taglines. The origination of the slogan was not to create a cute, gimmick, but instead it was - and is - a business philosophy that every Avis employee holds true. ''We Try Harder'' has helped Avis earn a reputation as one of the most admired businesses in the world. A classic case of ''repositioning'' the market leader.
And the results were extraordinary. In 1962, just before the first ''We try harder'' ads launched, Avis was an unprofitable company with 11% of the car rental business in the USA. Within a year of launching the campaign Avis was making a profit, and by 1966 Avis had tripled its market share to 35%. But this case is not just about the power of advertising. It is also an interesting example of how an advertising agency worked effectively with a client to build the brand.
Can SBI repeat what Avis did 40 years back? The task for SBI isn't about attaining number one position but to retain it. O&M (the creator of ''Surprisingly SBI'' ads) has done it's job superbly, now it's upto SBI to pull up it's socks and capatalise on the interest that the communication has generated.
