By: O&M Bengaluru
Watch brand Titan has launched its new range of watches in association with Hewlett Packard, and they sport features such as fitness tracking, Android & iOS integration. Its brand ambassadors are actor Vir Das, musician Pritam and film-maker Kabir Khan. In one of the two films launched thus far, Pritam and Khan get fed up of waiting for Das, only to find him entertaining some ladies close-by, and also to find him wearing the watch which showed him missed calls. In another, Das and Khan walk in to Pritam’s kitchen and catch him lying over his fitness goals, by peeking into his smart watch.
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The last time we spoke of Titan, one of TATA Group’s most formidable ventures, it was in late 2012 when O&M Bangalore had created a sensuous, colourful film featuring Katrina Kaif for the Raga line of women’s watches. In just four years, the age-old purpose of watches has changed, but Titan’s Bangalore agency hasn’t. I’m glad it hasn't.
Rajiv Rao, aka the ZooZoo man and his team have, to my guess, spent many meetings over coffees to zero down on what eventually is a great team of brand ambassadors – comic actor Vir Das, Bajrangi Bhaijaan director Kabir Khan and composer Pritam. The latter two are without doubt Bollywood’s A-list entities, and could have individually also lent a voice to the campaign. But the campaign is simply better because they’re all together.
Much of the wearables targeting these days is done to men, well, because we are more geeky sometimes and get high on a gadget telling us how well we’ve slept or how many steps we took yesterday. Both these ads begin the ‘boys hanging out’ vibe from their first five seconds and that’s what works. We get to see not the actor-director-composer but famous gentlemen being casually classy (choice of location – check!). There is a fair bit of conversation in both films which doesn't lead to a joke or a tagline, but simply makes them more watchable.
The one line, repeated in both films, ‘why can’t you just be stunning?’ is a fine stroke, for it blends in with the tiny plot, reinforces the ‘stunning + smart’ positioning and overall creates a good fizz. Of the two, the Pritam in the kitchen ad is funnier because of his willingness to laugh at his obesity as well as the rest of the lines.
What I’m waiting for now, is the one where Khan gets the lead. Or maybe Katrina will also do, Titan. Well played.
(Watch and follow the Titan campaign by using the hashtag #SmartIsNowStunning on Facebook & Twitter)
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