Aditya Bhat, Head, Aur Dikhao talks about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan film starring Kangana Ranaut and Amitabh Bachchan that went viral. Preeti Vyas, Chairwoman and CCO at VGC talks about redesigning Aditya Birla Group’s logo. Colvyn Harris talks about Harris-Mint, his latest venture
‘I WOULDN’T HAVE MADE #DONTLETHERGO IF THERE WAS NO KANGANA’
DontLetHerGo, a short promotional film starring Kangana Ranaut and Amitabh Bachchan about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, has taken the country by storm. Aditya Bhat, Head, Aur Dikhao, the digital content company that conceptualized the film, says, “While growing up, my grandmother would tell me the story of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and how she goes away from places that are dirty and littered. That remained at the back of my mind. Even the Prime Minister’s vision has linked India’s prosperity to cleanliness. The intent of the film was to entrench this story in the minds of people so that they think twice before littering.”
On the film’s objective: “We just wanted to present a simple idea to make people think twice before dropping a chewing gum on the floor or spitting. We just wanted them to remember that their act could upset Goddess Lakshmi. When people organically shared the film, it was a big high for us.”
On Kangana as ‘Lakshmi’: “I would not have made the film if there was no Kangana. Without a face like hers, a million people would not have watched it in a day’s time. Since I did not have a budget for media or digital to feed the film, we were very clear about the casting.”
On the video going viral: “It has been liked and tweeted by the Prime Minister, the HRD Ministry and several ministers. Lots of people from Bollywood, including Amitabh Bachhan, Anil Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan, etc., have appreciated the film. Even TV celebrities have supported it. We never anticipated a reception like this.”
(As told to Samarpita Banerjee)
‘THE HARRIS IS OBVIOUS; THE MINT IS TO MINT THE BEST & FRESHEST IDEAS’
J Walter Thompson ‘lifer’ Colvyn Harris exited his role as JWT Executive Director (Global Growth & Client) three months ago to form his company, Harris-Mint, a name that is garnering its share of attention. Nepal-based noodle brand Wai-Wai, which just launched its maiden TVC, is the first client on board for Harris-Mint. Here is what Colvyn Harris has to say about his new venture:
Why the name Harris-Mint: The Harris is obvious, the Mint less so. Mint not to make money, but to mint the best and freshest ideas to this changed marketplace we operate in. On his entrepreneur avatar: The idea is to use my experience to find the best solution for businesses and brands. The model is based on aggregation of specialist talent and agencies – cherry-picking the best of partners, both online, mainstream across the many interfaces a brand has with its consumers, and curated for the specific brand solution sought. Change in marketing and advertising is steeped in sameness and ‘oldness’. Brands are precious. We will do whatever it takes to ensure the brands we work with continue to be relevant in an ever-changing world.
On take-aways from JWT tenure: The biggest thing JWT gave me was an opportunity to work across categories. As a philosophy, we only wanted to work with the best clients.
(As told to Priyanka Mehra)
NEW ADITYA BIRLA GROUP LOGO HAS AN ADDED ENERGY ELEMENT: VYAS
Preeti Vyas, Chairwoman and Chief Creative Officer at Vyas Giannetti Creative (VGC), has just redesigned the Aditya Birla Group logo as part of a re-branding exercise. Talking about it, she recounts her long association with the Group: “In 1996, the idea was to create a brand that would combine all the companies that had been formed by Aditya Birla himself. Aditya means the sun, and the creative logo had to be around that. We embarked on that journey and within 10 years, the Aditya Birla Group became an extremely important Indian brand. The Chairman then felt the need to move the logo into a more emphatic zone, with a more pronounced identity. So, we refreshed the logo, creating a stronger ABG nomenclature. This time, the brand wanted a logo that carries the core value but has a far more dynamic, vibrant, energetic, inspirational feel. Therefore, the latest communication is ‘Begin your life’, because every second, some product from the ABG touches your life.”
On the new design: “We always had the semi-circle and the rays, but there is now a sense of ascension where the rays are combined like a triangle. That’s an added energy element where the colours remain the solar colours and the ascension is like a pyramid. That was the idea behind the new logo.”
(As told to Samarpita Banerjee)
