New Delhi: Fevicol, the adhesive brand which promoted the concept of strong bonds, has launched a heartwarming campaign after touching the 60 years milestone in its quintessential humorous execution.
Conceptualized by Ogilvy, Pidilite’s creative agency partner for over three decades, the new television campaign follows the journey of a well-made sofa which is handed over to many generations. The film showcases the strength of Fevicol while drawing parallels with the changing paradigms of Indian social and cultural scenario. The ad film is the longest by Fevicol ever and is be aired on leading general entertainment channels (GECs), digital platforms and supported by radio and cinema. It will also be run on video streaming platforms such as Zee5, SonyLiv and Hotstar.
Bharat Puri, managing director, Pidilite Industries Ltd said, “Fevicol is one of the rare adhesive brands to feature in the most trusted brands in Indian households. It is loved by Indians for its reliable performance as well as its earthy, humorous and contemporary advertising. The 60-year Fevicol campaign celebrates its unbreakable bond with generations of Indians.”
Born in 1959, Fevicol made its television debut in 1997 with its first television ad ‘Dum laga ke haisha’ featuring filmmaker Rajkumar Hirani. The tug of war visuals along with the elephant for an added effect became synonymous with the brand. The initial leg of advertising was focused on the functional aspects and it was followed by campaigns with humorous real-life scenarios and contextual references.
“The brand advertising of Fevicol has always been heartwarming bringing smile to your face. The idea was always to bring out small cultural nuances and mix it well with the bonding proposition of the brand. The simplicity of the Fevicol advertising has resonated well with consumers over the years,” said Piyush Pandey, chief creative officer worldwide and executive chairman India, Ogilvy.
Barely with dialogues, Fevicol commercials conveyed its point with strong humourous storyline and an equally strong background score. “Fevicol’s commercials often transcend languages and are submitted to the jury at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity without subtitles as well,” added Pandey.
Not just real life nuances, the ads also featured real people. The popular ‘Egg’ spot featured a real life person called Sitaram. The ad showed a man unable to break an egg. Then he later realizes that the hen who laid the egg is eating grains from a Fevicol container. In the ‘Moochwali’ campaign which marked company’s 50-years of operations, the brand narrated a quirky story of a girl born with a moustache.
Ambi M.G. Parameswaran, brand strategist and founder of Brand-Building.com feels that Fevicol advertising connected with consumers because of its simplicity and infectious humour. “Their advertising has always been non-urban, quirky and had a typical heartland feel to it. The early Fevicol ads including the tug of war, egg or the bus commercial had a very Hindi heartland feel to it which helped established the brand amongst its target consumers.”
Along with the storyline the commercial was also known for its background score. An overcrowded bus which had people sitting all over vehicle had no dialogue just a simple message at the back of the bus ‘Fevicol – The Ultimate Adhesive’ emerged as one of the most memorable ads. The ‘Train’ spot featuring the then model Katrina Kaif also turned out to a major hit with consumers.
K.V. Sridhar, founder of creative outfit Hyper Collective noted that the new campaign along with brand’s previous ad spots always had good music. “Music has been an integral part of advertising. Along with that impeccable film making further made the ads much more memorable. The new campaign is a good example of both these elements coming together to narrate how the brand has lasted so long over many years whilst taking about a sofa which has been passed on to many generations.”
With dominance of digital platforms, Fevicol now uses topical and quirky creatives on digital media including platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to further enhance its imagery on creative advertisements among younger audience. The brand, for instance, leveraged Game of Thrones, to promote its ‘Mazboot jod’ proposition in context of these topics and stay relevant amongst the younger consumer base.
