BigRock's big idea campaign

Internet domain registrar BigRock is betting on a first mover advantage in the category with its recently launched integrated campaign on providing website solutions to businesses.

Ever felt the need for a ramped up website for your business ideas and did not know who to ask? BigRock.com has the answer.

The internet domain registrar recently launched a big noise integrated campaign to further its services of personalised web presence solutions.

In a category that is not known for loud campaigns, BigRock is banking on the early mover advantage, assuring entrepreneurs that building a website does not require a big effort or huge expenses.

Its creative agency, ideas@work, has designed a television campaign consisting of four films centred on humour and aimed to achieve category and brand building for BigRock.

A series of four films directed by Sanju Ayappa and produced by Footcandles are currently on air. The television commercials feature people providing insights into their quirky businesses - a recovery agent boasting of innovative ways to recover money from defaulters, a woman talking about her maid training institute, a businessman talking of his nut making company, and an acting institute called 'Rambo Acting Classes'.

Each film ends with the message that if you have an idea, you need a website, which BigRock will help provide at a price as low as Rs 99.

The team at the agency includes Roy Abraham, Joshua Newnes, Mahesh Gorde and ideas@work co-founders Prashant Godbole and Zarvan Patel.

Talking to afaqs!, Tarun Davda, business head, BigRock.com, says, "We wanted to create something that we could clearly exploit. We want people to understand that BigRock is a company that is reliable and transparent, without any price arbitrage, with a 24X7 support team."

"We want people to equate 'website' with BigRock. We briefed the agency to create disruptive and clutter breaking communication. Our primary targets are small businessmen," Davda adds.

The communication, he says, is based on key consumer truths found by the company. According to Davda, a study by BigRock revealed that people were not aware of the price at which a website is available. They thought that if the business required a web presence, one needed to be tech-savvy and that no one brand could tell the consumer where to head with their requirements.

"The core insight behind the films was 'if they can, you can, too'. We could have gone the education route, but we chose to entertain the consumer with the message. At the end of the day, television is about entertainment," says Patel.

On using humour as a prime tool, Godbole says, "Humour is a huge weapon. Most people have this fear factor that humour in a communication might overtake the brand, but we are a long way from that. With the prominent presence of the brand in the films, it cannot happen."

With an aim to capture 20 per cent of the market share in the next three years, BigRock has earmarked Rs 10 crore on advertising spends in this fiscal year. Looking at the number of users of the Internet, which, as per industry reports, has grown by 200 per cent (from 27 million to 81 million) in 2010 in India, BigRock identifies this as a segment with much promise.

The television channels are being supported by online, viral and print campaigns, and a hoard of on-ground activations in a bid to get closer to the consumer. Much is being done on the Internet to promote the idea, particularly on the social networking media front.

Mediacom is the agency handling the media duties for BigRock.

For the record, BigRock's product portfolio includes domain registration, business-class e-mail services, web-hosting services, website builder products, web design services, e-commerce solutions and digital certificates.

Just the right idea

When asked, experts have offered a kind word for the campaign, appreciating it for its simplicity, executed with a strong concept.

Deepesh Jha, executive creative director, Lowe Lintas India agrees as he says that it is a simple thought, written and executed well.

"It is an uncomplicated proposition. We will set up a website for any business model. The execution beautifully brings it out without labouring over it. Any advertising that breaks clutter usually has recall. And, this is definitely going to be remembered," Jha says.

According to him, the humour in the film adds to the message, making the proposition more memorable.

Michael Follett, senior vice-president, strategy and planning, DDB Mudra has a slightly more critical take on the campaign, although appreciating it at the same time. Interestingly, he is of the opinion that the ads could have been funnier.

"The idea has not been taken far enough. In its current avatar, these ads seem to say that if these silly little people, with their silly little businesses, can have websites, then you can, too. We are meant to laugh at them, and then register our own website for a social media start up or Twitter-killer," says Follett.

"I am left thinking - at least these guys have useful businesses. If the businesses in the ads had been slightly more absurd, slightly less realistic, perhaps the ads would have been funnier," Follett adds.

"The concept is strong and humour is probably the best way to grab the attention of the young, affluent, aspirational audience that goes about setting up businesses and buying URLs. It is certainly the strategy that GoDaddy.com used to build a business in the US, and it has been pretty successful. However, it went all-out for comedy, which is something that has not happened here," he further explains.