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Advertising
often works on
trends. While storytelling
and episodic campaigns, with or without a social
message, seemed to be the safest bet for a top of the mind recall a year
back, agencies today are showing an increased inclination towards a
new trend called roadblock advertising. Defined by The Economist as "exclusivity in any number
of advertisement slots for a single client over a given period of
time", roadblock advertising is a popular strategy abroad and today
many brands are taking to this route even in India.
Volkswagen, the reputed German car maker, was the first
to use this idea that triggered a new genre of creativity. The auto
major went all the way blocking as many as 16 editions of the
widest circulated and the most expensive national daily of
India—The Times of India, which carried an
incredible nine pages of exclusive advertisement inserts that
focused on the company. The basic underlying intention of
the innovative campaign was to create a base for its future strategies as
the company was on the threshold of ambitious new launches,
namely, Beetle (the compact car) and Toureg (Sports
utility Vehicle) in the country. With merely two
brands, Jetta and Passat playing in the Indian market, the auto major
felt the necessity to make a loud noise and create an element
of excitement for its upcoming brands.
If reports in 4Ps Business and Marketing, a popular Indian
journal on marketing, are anything to go by, Volkswagen had invested
close to Rs. 8-10 cr for a single day campaign exclusively in the Times of India. The entire campaign, inclusive of print, digital,
outdoor and television, cost the company a whopping Rs. 40 cr. |
