Mktg - India;Airtel DTH to 'come home soon'

Abhishek Chanda

You’re relaxing, flipping channels on your TV set, when someone out there says, ‘See you at home soon’. Of late, several such teasers have been doing the rounds on Indian telly screens, and that big red couch accompanying the message is hard to miss. As some may know, the brand behind the ads is cellular service provider, Airtel, which has launched a teaser campaign for its DTH service – a first for the brand in the entertainment services category. The Airtel DTH service is expected to roll out very soon, along with an elaborate campaign spread across various media. The campaign has been created by JWT Delhi, while Airtel’s media duties are handled by Madison Delhi. According to industry sources, the teaser campaign has been unleashed with heavy presence on TV and some activities on the outdoor front, too.

Titled 'See you at home soon', the campaign has four teasers – Masai, Cowboy, Band and Meercats. The element that binds the campaign together is a big, red couch. Each teaser starts by revealing a unique character that utters the words, 'See you at home soon', followed by a big red couch flying in and landing with a thud. The teaser ends with the super. Every teaser focuses on a particular genre of entertainment that the DTH service aims to offer. For example, the Masai teaser hints at infotainment packages, while the Cowboy teaser promises the latest blockbusters (Hollywood, in this case). The Meercat teaser is suggestive of entertainment for kids, while the Band teaser is a peek into the music genre. The teasers are currently playing on all major channels, including GECs, news and sports channels.In the case of outdoor, the content remains the same, but the brand has done an innovation of sorts. Billboards with one character are replaced with those for other characters on a daily basis, in order to build up hype. New Delhi and Mumbai are the cities of choice for the outdoor campaign.Though officials were not available for details, a company insider says that the brand plan is to shower in all possible genres of entertainment on the consumer, right at the comfort of his/her 'couch'. Another source close to the development says that the launch campaign will be packed with celebrities and will be riding high on some media innovations to reach the consumer effectively and differentiating the brand from other existing DTH players.