Tata Sky urges consumers to ask questions

Using humour as a communication aid, the tactical campaign attempts to urge consumers to ask retail-level questions regarding the brand's available offers.

Taking forward the 'Jingalala' fest, DTH player Tata Sky has now broken a three-film campaign, crafted by Ogilvy India, with the tagline 'Poochne mein kya jata hai?'

As the catchphrase suggests, the communication attempts to urge consumers to shed inhibitions and quiz retailers about the various options, packages and offers available. Such an effort comes in the wake of Tata Sky's recently introduced value benefits and services, over and above offers and discounted rates on new connections, as well as channel packages.

The Hindi phrase, Poochne mein kya jata hai', often used in local parlance, has deliberately been used, in the hope that consumers will relate to it and consequently muster up the courage to go ahead and ask questions about the brand's offers.

The communication builds the magnitude of this question by humorously putting forth an analogy through three TVCs. Each film spells out a situation in which the two male protagonists (Sonu and Cookie) benefit because they go ahead and boldly ask questions in potentially risky situations. Each film ends with a VO (voice over) saying, "Pooch dala toh life jingalala."

In this manner, the brand highlights offerings such as its subscription packages, with two to 12 months free, a value pack that is under Rs 200, and a discount for the second Tata Sky connection in a single home.

Recall that in July last year, Tata Sky broke an education-centric campaign featuring Aamir Khan --'Badalte India ke badalte classrooms' -- comprising interactive services that helped viewers learn via Tata Sky. Popularising interactive services on television, the brand covered a range of areas, with special focus on educational services through applications such as Actve Wizkids, Actve Stories, Actve Learning and Actve English.

Speaking about the current tactical communication, Abhijit Avasthi, national creative director, Ogilvy India, states, "Product-related offerings have always been the centre of Tata Sky's communication. However, this campaign is the first ever service/value proposition from the brand."

Avasthi claims that the brand, being an aspirational one, is perceived by many as one that is premium and 'out-of-reach'; thus many consumers tend to be too hesitant to ask for details. This campaign, he explains, addresses this perception.

Campaign jingalala?

According to Ashwin Parthiban, executive creative director, Dentsu Communications, 'Poochne mein kya jata hai' is "a brilliant creative device to get across a bunch of very tactical messages." It reminds him of the way the 'Surprisingly SBI' campaign was executed, with the whole 'bets' angle used as a lead into very straightforward product-related messages.

Regarding Tata Sky's shift away from education, at least on the advertising front, Parthiban says, "While education seemed to be the calling card for the brand at one point, I recall humour being the executional cornerstone even then. I think this campaign is not only a logical creative progression for the brand, but it also very efficiently serves to drive home product messages in a memorable way."

Amongst other elements of the campaign, Parthiban loves the strategic use of the supposed foreign locales and contexts, the casting, screenplay and dialogues.

For Rajdeepak Das, executive creative director, BBDO India, the education factor is still very much present for the brand. "The campaign reminds people not to forget their 'great Indian bargaining skills'," he explains. "Due to modern retail, people are losing their power to bargain. This is scary for the domestic economy. And now, people will get those golden words back -- "Iske saath free kya hai?" says Das.

Does he see this stance working for the brand?

"Today, I saw an old man carrying a Tata Sky package in a taxi with an LED TV on the taxi roof; he must have asked the right questions!" Das responds with candour.