In the past when you think of
This award was won on the basis of great idea which had flawless execution and followed by using PR effectively which caught the eye balls of many diverse audiences. The link below will tell you how this event was conceptualized, executed and finally what was the result in terms of coverage garnered free of cost.
I always wanted to write about this event but for some reason it skipped my mind. Amanora Park a leading township brand in Pune wanted to announce about their tallest tower in Pune. This was the brief given and it was single minded. Since the brief was focused cracking the idea became simple. But the idea has to be very BIG and should be sticky for people to remember. And if I recall the idea had to be kept so top secret so that enough media turn out for the event.
So what was the BIG idea?
The client specially invited the French spider man Allain Robert who has climbed several skyscrapers in various parts of the world to do the same in Pune. He did it with so ease that caught the attention of all the media. A sizeable number of media came for the event and the next day every media splashed it with huge write up and pictures. The TV channels broadcast the event live. The entire event lasted for 15 minutes but the attention that it drew was mind boggling.
To me it is a great success when it comes to building a brand through one annualized property. This is where the Gujarat Government has religiously capitalized the great KITE FESTIVAL which happens in Gujarat along with the Makar Shankaranti the harvest festival season. Year after year the state of Gujarat has made huge noise and high visibility both through PR and advertising campaign. What’s more this Kite flying movement has become a global event since as many as 300 kite fliers would participate in the three-day festival, including 81 kite fliers from 24 countries, 120 from nine state of the country and local fliers from different parts of the Gujarat. The primary objective of this festival is to highlight the glorious traditions of Gujarat and clearly spread a national message which connotes a symbol of unity and brotherhood across India.
Similarly the state of Kerala has made the boat race as its annual property during the Onam festival in the state. The spirit of tradition and unity is displayed when people compete in this boat race. In fact both Kite festival and the boat festival has a strong international appeal and is also rated as one of the top 5 kite festivals in the world. While several other states keep doing their festival but these two states have made it as an annual property. In the case of Gujarat the festival has also increased employment opportunity. “The festival I believe has given a boost to the kite manufacturing industry in Gujarat, which employs over six thousand people." "A survey in 2007 had estimated the kite manufacturing industry in Gujarat to be worth Rs 100 crore. If extrapolation is done on that figure, today the industry would be around Rs.175 crore giving employment to thirty thousand people in Ahmedabad alone according a government spokesman.
Some of the brands really leveraged this Kite festival with strong branding in the most refreshing and memorable manner. You can brand kites with your brand colors or mascot and you can keep coming with innovative ideas to ride on this festival to get a greater brand connect and move closer to your consumers. A strong merchandising medium for any type of product which will touch the consumer.
I am sure the Gujarat Government must have made this event as a FAM trip to promote the state as a great tourist destination for people from other parts of world. Interesting stories could be and is being featured through PR right from making people teach the art of kite flying to how Kites in different shape, size and color is manufactured. A great photo opportunity for the photo journalist, as the place is filled with colorful extravaganza. The state has also roped in Bollywood celebrity Amitabh Bachchan to further leverage mileage.
I was other day at the AAAI function and I was deeply touched by Piyush’s superb speech which he delivered after being given the citation and the award. Everybody who had worked closely with this creative genius had turned out to give him a thunderous clap and a standing ovation as the citation was read. I know Piyush close to two decades and I thought I should share his journey.
As a Trainee and then an Account executive Piyush worked with some excellent bosses in client servicing. His first boss if I remember right was Swati Bhansali with whom he used to handle PCA the makers of Sumeet Mixers and HLL’s Sunlight Detergent Powder. He also worked with Jaideep, Chinta, and Ranjan and of course Mani Ayer who used to oversee him on the Bhor industries account. Besides this some of the other brands that Piyush handled were Ju-c from Kothari General Foods, Vicks Blue from RHL ( Now P&G).Yes he also handled Philips Television ( PHX B&W and Trendset colour TV’s ). While he was in account management many of us used to go running to him to get the right Hindi nuances and exciting headlines for the ads which he solved with ease.
The most memorable incidence I will never forget is that one of our clients Crompton fans wanted to get into radio as the summer season was approaching. We did not have any old spots and time was against us and so I went running to him to create a new spot. The brief to him was to create a memorable jingle as Crompton fans sells only on its name being market leaders. In next 48 hours during the weekend the script was written and the spot got recorded after the CAG cricket match. On Monday the spots was approved by the client and it got aired. After few months the next thing I got to know was Piyush has moved to a new place in the office to head the Indian languages and rest was history as he started cracking campaigns after campaigns starting from Chal Mere… Luna, Merewalla Pink…, etc…
A well deserved award for a man who has made lot of personal sacrifices to contribute significantly to the industry. A very versatile person with a golden touch and a creative mind Piyush changed the way creative was viewed. He has placed India into the international map and without any doubts he is our brand ambassador and a thought leader both in India and abroad.
