Please tell us about your agency’s association with brand Fevicol and how fruitful has been this relationship?
We have been associated with Brand Fevicol for the last 35-40 years and it has been a fantastic experience working for the brand all these years. Our creatives and campaigns for Fevicol have brought a lot of fame and acclaim for Ogilvy & Mather. The campaigns have also done extremely well for building Brand Fevicol over the years. Although Fevicol is not a consumer product, but it has managed to reach out to every Indian, thanks to the brilliance and humour behind the campaigns.
Fevicol has managed to ensure a high recall value for the brand even in today’s highly competitive environment and in spite of belonging to a largely B2B product category. How do you explain its success?
There are multiple reasons for the success of Brand Fevicol. First of all, you need to applaud the courage shown by the client. They have always encouraged us to do stuff, which was out-of-the box. Be it the television ads, radio voice-overs or billboards, the same brief has been followed. This is why we have managed to surprise as well as charm the audience every time we come out with a new campaign.
Many campaigns and ads take the path of controversy when they are released in order to grab eyeballs. On the other hand, Fevicol has always used humour to reach out to the audience. What is your take on this?
These are some very subjective areas. Some people thrive on controversy and some others don’t. Ogilvy as well as Fevicol believe in keeping people laughing. We believe that this way consumers remember the brand better. The ads are not just humorous but they also have an accompanying sensibility that help to better appreciate and understand the message. But a viewer has to make the final interpretation on his own. Picking out simple events of life, marrying these with the brand’s message and picturizing it in such a manner that the audience can find a connect with the brand’s message has been the philosophy of all the campaigns that we have done for Fevicol.
Can you share some of the more memorable anecdotes and incidents that you came across during this long lasting relationship with the brand?
There are many incidents to share. But the most amazing thing about Fevicol is that everybody in the country has a fair idea of Fevicol’s TVCs. Wherever I go, when people get to know that I work for TVCs of Fevicol and they always come up with their own suggestions. For instance it happened when we were returning from Jaisalmer after shooting for Fevicol’s bus ad. The security in-charge at the airport discovered my profile and he said that he has an idea for the Fevicol ad. These are some moments which make you realize the value of your work. Similarly, we receive a lot of mails every day, offering suggestions on these TVCs.
What have been the challenges in working with such a brand?
Of course, there are challenges. To be able to make people laugh and surprise them year after year is not easy. With every passing campaign, this becomes tougher.
With the evolution of things like social media and other tools of communication, have you made any changes in the way these campaigns are designed?
We believe that the most important part of any campaign is the idea behind it. The idea gets adapted according to the medium. The fundamental approach does not change with the medium.
