If e-commerce has one enduring constant, it’s that someone, somewhere, somehow is making money from the millions of increasing count of visitors that are flocking to these online portals every day. In the process, the case of brick-and-mortar is getting lighter-by-the-day in the battle against these VC-funded websites. This applies to the Indian market as well. Imagine the growth. Just three years back, the worth of e-commerce industry in India was around $2.5 billion. In 2012, it touched $14 billion. And expectation is that it will surpass the $34 billion-mark by 2015. That is a CAGR of 54.5%. Growth by no small measures you’d reckon. Some would write-off these multi-million dollar investments in a conservative market like India as being riskier than operating an international flight to war-torn Somalia [recall the Black Hawk Down incident?]. But truth is, with India featuring amongst the top three fastest growing Internet worlds (as per Assocham; adding nearly 18 million users every month), this ride does appear promising. And luckily so, it is not just sellers of brand new products who are thriving. Even portals that encourage C2C old product purchases are making their time and money count.
OLX is one such portal that got into the online classified space early (seven years back), when online trade was a thing of the West. Having pioneered the concept of sellers meeting buyers in India, it is today India’s largest C2C online shop, with over 8 million visitors a month (and the 7th-largest in India, as per Google Zeitgeist 2012 data, ahead of Quikr).
Built on the assertive propositions of “Bech De” and “Sab kuch bikta hai”, the company has in the past two years tried to strengthen its brand in India much the same way as its key competitor Quikr.com has – by investing in TVCs. Its ads have always used a different object each time, but the subject has remained common – sell an old, used product at a good price. In June 2011, OLX launched its first TVC campaign, that had two ads – with a bike and a desktop as objects. The campaign resulted in average daily traffic for the portal rising by 240%. A similar two-part campaign was launched in January 2012 (titled, ‘Grandfather’ and ‘A baby cot’). In September 2012, a TVC campaign (with wives teasing their husbands for ‘Badi Badi Baatein’) was launched. In December 2012, the company’s attack on Quikr.com with its ad on real estate property (rent or sale) was talked about by many. Talking about TVCs launched over the past 24 months, Amarjit Batra, CEO, OLX.in, says, “Sooner or later, every product that is bought, loses its charm. We developed stories that helped us clarify that such products also have a life beyond the store and garage.”
The latest set of two TVCs (the first titled, ‘Old promise: bike’ and second, ‘Old love: LCD TV’; launched in February 2013) is the last creation from agency Saatchi and Saatchi in its current term. The first TVC is an extension of the hugely popular ‘Badi Badi Baatein’ campaign. It opens with a wife serving tea to her husband. She sarcastically says that it is really cold in Shimla. The confused husband checks if she is alright. He says, “Tum theek to hona? Hum Delhi mein hain…” She replies, “Tum bhulgaye? Hum aaj hi to aaye hain Shimla [sey].” She reminds him that they had arrived on his bike that he had bought two years back and on which he had promised her “long rides jayenge…” Annoyed, the husband asks what he should do with the bike, “Kya karoon iska? Phek doon?” She suggests, “OLX pey bech de.” Like the first ad, this one ends with the couple selling off the bike to a happy buyer for good. Lesson: Clueless of what to do with your old belongings? OLX it! Discussing a light moment during the making of the ad, Naman Vardhan, Account Manager, Saatchi & Saatchi recalls with a smile, “It was very funny that at the time of shoot it was so hot in Mumbai and the actress in the TVC had to wrap herself with woolen shawl. It was hilarious.”
The second TVC opens with a cricket-loving husband watching a match on his old LCD TV. His wife returns home. Disappointed, she tells him, “Kabir, hummey ab baat karni chahiye.” Her disinterested husband replies, “Haan. Karte haina.” The wife tells him that she can’t tolerate it anymore. He cajoles her and says, “Par Sweety tumne promise kiya tha ki tum ek bar toh koshish karogi.” The wife replies, “Mera dil kisi aur pey aagaya hai.” The husband concludes saying, “Koi baat nahi Sweety, TV ko OLX pey bech de.” The TVC ends with a buyer collecting the TV from the smiling couple. Lesson: When a loved possession loses its charm, OLX it!
The 30-seconders score high on recall and effectiveness. To take the communication to different platforms, the company has decided to engage its audiences through a 360-degree marketing campaign, including Radio and OOH vehicles, besides using a judicious mix of all genres on TV. For a country like India, where activity on the Internet is gaining greater momentum every passing second, and catering to the needs of online audiences has become ‘everything’ for marketers, OLX’s bet to be a part of that everything is a logical one.
