Published at Soundbox.co.in, India’s Premier B2B Music Magazine
In trying to replicate the viral success of Kolaveri, are brands losing their primary focus of communicating with the target audience? The latest TVC of Tata Nano with Dhanush and team proves that Kolaveri can only go so far. Tuba Raqshan gets a three dimensional view on why the TVC failed to excite the masses it was meant for.
 |
| Viral Thaker Founder CEO | TheSocialPeople |
The writing on the wall is clear. Kolaveri is a viral masterpiece and all else is cheap replica. And, Tata Nano’s TVC with Dhanush falls in the latter category. “Kolaveri is the height of anything going viral. When done for a second and third time, people tend to compare,” reveals Viral Thaker, the Founder – CEO of The Social People, a one-of-its-kind social media and viral marketing venture.
Dwelling on the marketing strategy, Viral feels that Tata Nano had a great strategy to start off with. “Nano campaigning, a form of marketing where the communication is customised towards a select group was employed by Tata Nano initially. They focussed on the Nano as a low budget car – reengineered and desi made. Their Khushiyon Ki Chabi TVC was awesome. But the latest one with Dhanush just shows their desperation. It looks like the marketers didn’t want to leave any stone unturned,” he adds.
Lost in translation
 |
| Vetrimaaran Director |
Vetri Maaran, the director behind the TVC, divulges that it was just meant to be a music video. “We didn’t know that it would be a commercial. We actually wanted to make a music video for Nano exclusively for going viral. I was the last person to join the team. Ani (music director Anirudh Ravichander) had worked on the music. I heard the track and we started working on it,” he explains, adding that they wanted to do justice to the product as well as the music. “We wanted to bring out the USP of the vehicle which obviously was its size. That it has an edge over other cars, especially in crowded metros,” he affirms.
Mohanarangan (more popularly known as Mo) who was earlier the Executive Director and Brand Head for Dentsu (Chennai) is quite happy that the South Indian style of music is popularised through such videos. “I’m quite happy and proud about the music, which is specific to Chennai beats in the song and style of rendition. As a person from Chennai, the acknowledgement of music is quite a good thing. But as a TVC, if you look at it, it’s too similar to Kolaveri and Dhanush’s Sachin anthem. It’s like flogging the horse which is not so hot. It is a sedate form of expression when they want to speak about the car,” feels Mo, who has over 21 years of experience in the advertising industry and is currently running his own creative services called Mophysis.
Humming an old tune
Music plays a vital role in creating brand recall and Vetri Maaran nods in agreement. “Sometimes, music becomes the brand or an anthem of a brand. It becomes the face of the brand. For instance, take A R Rahman’s tune for Airtel. Once you hear that track, you identify with Airtel immediately. That’s the strength of music in commercials. A good track can speak about itself,” he reaffirms. “Or Nirma, where the jingle is so powerful that it has been embedded in the consumer’s mind. The brand has been using the same jingle for 20 years now,” emphasises Viral.
Grave disconnect
Clearly, the association with Kolaveri hasn’t worked for Nano, either virally or otherwise. And Mo feels that it’s largely due to a lack of clear communication. “There is an audience disconnect. Earlier, Tata Nano had tried to communicate with the youth. Remember the ‘Let’s go for chai’ TVC? But, youth crave for speedier machines and a status symbol. Then, they tried to establish the Nano as a family car, saying that there’s enough space,” explains this creative consultant. “I don’t think that this TVC has done too well virally. People are watching it out of curiosity. Even if the video were to go viral, Tata Nano’s brand would only be positioned in a negative way,” reiterates Viral.
Social challenges
 |
| Mohanarangan K. (Mo) |
Talking about the social media and viral audiences, Maaran feels that more could have gone into the commercial. “I’m really upset. I should have taken more care. There were many places which could have been done better. The viral audiences watch a video many times and find faults which even we overlook. That’s a challenge and we should have given it a serious thought,” he rues.
Having worked on campaigns like Aircel’s Save The Tiger, Mo believes that going viral is just the last step in the process. “There has been a lot of hype about viral marketing and social media but if you look at it, in terms of communication vehicle, its right at the bottom of the cylinder. I won’t advocate the use of viral or social media solely for a brand – it doesn't work that way,” he concludes.
