Summary
Building positive imagery & lasting association through platforms that ensure brand presence in popular culture thus making brand relevant & Getting the youth to get styled like their very own Set WET PANDEY!
Challenge
Significant part of SET WET's target audience believes that running a comb through hair or patting hair down with water is sufficient to make an impression. Goal was to underline the difference between ‘combing your hair' & ‘styling your hair', thereby making strong case for hair gels. And, most importantly, do this in the most un-boring way possible & reaching masses!
Objective
Objective was to increase brand penetration & maximize usage of Set Wet hair gels. This is to be achieved by building positive imagery & lasting association through platforms that ensure brand presence in popular culture thus making brand relevant. Bollywood is a religion in India that bounds people together and these celebrities act as primary influencers. India's youth attention is ruled by actors who enjoy great credibility & are considered trendsetters. Bollywood's popularity has helped brands break clutter, create good recall value & efficiently reach the target as they get exposed to the brand when they are in their captive state/closely involved with the medium. Thus using category codes & popular culture of Movies & Music to address the brand task was imperative.
Strategy
Salman khan synonymous to Bollywood has huge fan-base in hinterland markets where his mere presence sends his fans into a frenzy. Dabangg biggest blockbuster franchise with Chulbul Pandey being a household name with unique personality is relatable & appeals to audiences. Using his style quotient to penetrate deeper into key markets we decided to capitalize on the legacy of having an item song featuring Salman Khan thus reaching the mass & class via a catchy soundtrack. To emphasise if Salman ‘bhai' uses Set Wet Gel to style his hair, even his fans will use the same! In addition, a comprehensive media mix to reach out to the target audiences was planned: Song Launch Event: Brought in the brand element by announcing the #StyleLikeChulbul and #BeDabanggWithSetWet challenge and organic plug-ins in interaction with the cast on stage. The event was attended by complete cast of the film, 200+ media personnel and 150+ top digital influencers PR in various markets: Targeted market outreach through media stories in 13 cities. Exclusive media interactions with the cast of the film Social Media Push: Salman Khan himself tagged ‘Set Wet' multiple times on his social media handles - Salman Khan Productions cross-promoted the association on their social media handles Set Wet Challenge on Digital: #StyleLikeChulbul and #BeDabanggWithSetWet challenge where the hook step of Munna Badnaam Hua was used as the key aggregator on TikTok and Instagram by top influencers to drive participation, engagement & buzz where they danced and endorsed the product. This created brand conversations and furore amongst their followers. Digital Amplification: Co-branded TVC amplified across Cinema chains & popular social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Voot to create higher impact, engagement and recall. Retail Branding: Dominating retail outlets in 20+cities by putting up co-branded posters
Data
Milking popular Dabangg franchise, a rage among youth owing to his signature dance moves | dialogues | SWAG, we strategically placed 2 in film integration within Dabangg 3: 1. VISUAL Product integration: • Salman squeezes SET WET gel, rubs it in his palm and applies it on his hair before he goes to meet his prospective love-interest . LYRICAL integration: ‘Set Wet ka gel laga ke, Munna badnaam hua' • ‘Set Wet' verbally used in hook line of song & in the rap section by renowned rapper Badshah with signature step is ‘a hand-rub and then the hand going over the hair', aligning perfectly with the SET WET line to gain maximum popularity.
Solution
Usual promotional mediums are saturated. Therefore becomes inevitable for marketers to break through tried & tested methods & spin them around in a way which would intrude audiences. Hence seeking refuge in the idea of in film brand integration thus dictating the song lyrics as our armament for creating dent/disruption With this association we knew the song and this part of integration would be consumed by people for years owing to its popularity. Also not to forget the star power which is perceived as celebrity endorsement. Hence all in all, Set Wet had a right sync of 3 key levers - the consumer | the context | the content thus making this innovation different! Working with Salman was no cake walk, coordinating with his team on his availability, getting all approvals (script | lyrics) with lead time and making sure there are no last minute hazards, had to plan all elements well in advanced with utmost precision Set Wet had to break away from the templatized format of advertising instead this integration helped brand be present in content itself and therefore become indivisible from the story. Such combination of the brand within the script of a film assists in conveying the brand message in an entertaining and appealing way that connects with the masses.
Results
• Song Integration garnered over 62 MN+ views on YT • 12.35 MN+ reach at 5+ frequency across YT | FB | Voot • 7 MN+ views on integration in Cinema halls • 14MN+ views on TikTok for the #StyleLikeChulbul challenge • 27% volume growth over previous month
