Category: Publications & Media
Advertiser: BENNETT, COLEMAN & CO.
Product/Service: THE TIMES OF INDIA - KERALA
Agency: JWT
Chief Creative Officer: Bobby Pawar (JWT)
National Creative Director: Senthil Kumar (JWT)
Copywriter: Senthil Kumar (JWT)
Art Director: Suresh Pv (JWT)
Art Director: Abhijit Mallik (JWT)
Art Director: Sreekumar Lakshman (JWT)
Media placement: Press, Outdoor, Radio & Postcards - Mathrubhumi, Urban & Rural Outdoor Sites, Radio Mirchi, Newsagents, Airport & City Book Stores - 22/01/2012
Media placement: Elephant Delivery Boys - 10 Different Cities Across Kerala - 01/02/2012
Media placement: Boat Delivery Boys - 1500 Kms Of Backwaters - 01/02/2012
Media placement: Warrior Delivery Boys - 800+ Square Kms Of Hill Country - 01/02/2012
Media placement: Wake Up To Ambient Delivery Events - City Centres, Affluent Neighbourhoods, IT Parks, Housing Colonies & Apartment Compllexes - 01/02/2012
Describe the objective of the promotion.
Kerala was the stronghold of local language dailies like the Malayala Manorama & The Mathrubhumi. And every other newspaper was treated like an outsider.
The Times Of India was entering this almost forbidden market for non-locals and was seeking out new readers and recruiting new subscribers.
The strategy was to clearly gain acceptance as a local player in the market by first ensuring that the Kerala edition was printed in 10 different local locations, to capture and feature the local news on a daily basis and reach out to the local target audience with iconic local delivery boys.
Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation.
It was time to twist local tradition and deliver local news with unexpected local delivery boys, drawing upon ancient local folklore. The Times employed 108 Elephant Delivery Boys across 10 cities, 126 Boat Delivery Boys across 1,500km of backwaters and 180 Kalari Warrior Delivery Boys across the hill country.
Local Loudspeakers, Postcards, Posters, Press ads & Radio spots announced the phone number to call for home delivery anywhere in Kerala and the deliberately different delivery boys delivered the The Times Of India every morning to the target audience, reaching out directly to urban and rural homes across the state.
Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service.
While every other newspaper employed regular delivery boys on cycles, The Times went much further and reached out to every potential home in the state with a phone number for direct home delivery with unusually local delivery boys.
1. Elephants who elevated traditional festivals by visiting homes only to bless people, were delivering newspapers door to door.
2. Kalari warriors, who historically delivered messages of war and peace across the several mountain kingdoms in this region, were home-delivering newspapers.
3. Boatmen who traditionally transported people and goods on the backwaters, were bringing home the newspaper and hot morning tea.
Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results.
The true story of how thousands of local readers welcomed the world's largest English daily into their homes. Waking up to God's Own Delivery Boys became a much anticipated event every morning in the various localities, generating phenomenal word of mouth, local PR and the much desired local acceptance for The Times of India.
Recorded results:
100,000+ newspapers delivered on launch day.
500,000+ newspapers delivered in 7 days.
Readership crosses 1m in 30 days.