Fevicol: Glue magic has newlyweds in a fix

The adhesive brand, popular for its interesting campaigns, has returned with the story of a newly wed couple.

Launched in 1959, Fevicol was the easy-to-use white glue, introduced by Pidilite, mainly for carpenters. However, over the years, Pidilite took the brand further ahead by introducing variants. The adhesive brand, Fevicol, soon became a household name, thanks to its interesting campaigns - Bob Christo wrestling with a chair made of Fevicol, a politician who is glued to his chair, a hen that lays unbreakable eggs, an overloaded bus, a joint family that refuses to fall apart, and many more. This time, Pidilite has returned with yet another new campaign for Fevicol.

Conceptualised by Ogilvy India, the creative agency that has been working on the brand ever since its inception, the television commercial, titled Cyclist, is about a newly married couple travelling in a jeep. A cyclist riding directly behind the jeep interrupts the private moments between the groom and his bashful bride. The groom speeds away and directs his attention back to his bride - but, the cyclist returns, trailing behind the jeep.

No matter how hard he tries, the groom is unable to shake off the cyclist. In the end, the secret behind the cyclist's persistence is revealed - the jeep is shown loaded with Fevicol cans.

Speaking to afaqs!, Vishal Malhan, chief, marketing, Fevicol division, Pidilite Industries, says, "The new campaign once again strengthens the 'strong bond' factor in a humorous and uncanny way, going with the tradition set by Fevicol over the years. It's a challenge to tell a story of bonding through Fevicol, but our creative agency, Ogilvy, manages to break the clutter through interesting concepts and execution every time."

Commenting on the concept, Piyush Pandey, executive chairperson and creative director, South Asia, Ogilvy India, says, "It's not very easy to make a Fevicol TVC, but we have always managed to do a good job. The new TVC is another fabulous piece of work and I am very proud of it. I enjoyed writing the song for the TVC, and had a wonderful time watching the final film."

The creative team for the TVC includes Piyush Pandey, who has also written the lyrics for the background song, and Abhijit Awasthi, national creative director. The servicing team includes Vivek Verma and Ramanathan Sridhar. Prasoon Pandey of Corcoise Films has directed the film.

Apart from television, Pidilite will launch below-the-line (BTL) activities, especially for carpenters. The company had also initiated the Champion Club eight years ago, targetting people in the construction industry. Currently, there are 357 such clubs functional in 122 cities across the country, with 46,500 members.

Does it adhere to past experience?

While most of the campaigns of Fevicol are still remembered for their concept, the catch phrases are also equally popular, including memorable ones such as 'Dum Laga Kar Haisya, Zor Laga Kar Haisya', 'Fevicol ka Majboot Jod Hai, Tootega Nahi', and 'Pakade Rehna, Chhodana Nahi'. So, has the new TVC been successful in bringing back the past experience?

For Sailesh Wadhwa, group planning director, strategic planning, Bates 141, the TVC is quite an entertaining take on the hinterland's version of 'Honey, let's go for a drive' sentiment, something always expected from Fevicol's brand of advertising.

Wadhwa adds, "So, if the task was to build recall or buzz, the TVC does the job, with its hummable 'Maina' number and expressive cast. However, it is anyone's guess whether it builds on the 'glue magic' created by 'Chutki Mein Chipkaye' or 'Egg and Hen' TVCs. The comparison is inevitable and it always would be an uphill task to live up to the signature magic of Fevicol's brand of advertising."

According to Satbir Singh, chief creative officer, Euro RSCG, it's a charming little film. Singh says, "The casting is top rate. The insecure guy is funny. The woman's appropriately coquettish. Usually, long-standing campaigns suffer from diminishing returns. The agency and client, in this case, have been successfully refreshing the idea over the years. Like with most long standing campaigns, people will have their personal favourites - but, isn't that lovely?"