Idea gets honey-tongued

The latest television campaign of Idea Cellular has at its core a catchy tune that has found a spot on several media platforms and consumers' lips. The objective of this campaign is to showcase the brand's vast countrywide network presence.

'You are my pumpkin pumpkin, hello Honey Bunny'. Sounds familiar? The latest television commercial (TVC) rolled out by telecom major Idea Cellular rides on a catchy jingle and positions it as an omnipresent, pan-India network.

The film showcases people from different parts of the country humming the tune while they follow their daily routines. The funny, soothing tune relaxes their mind and gives them a chance to share a laugh with friends.

In the initial phase, four teasers were launched to create curiosity for three days. Supported by timely radio and TV spots, the teaser campaign generated a lot of buzz, especially among the youth. Later, Idea launched the full 60-second TVC on both digital and television media.

The minute-long TVC is developed by Lowe Lintas and the music is composed by renowned Bollywood music composer Amit Trivedi.

The song and TVC have gone viral in the online space and continues to generate a lot of buzz and conversation on social media. The TVC has got more than a lakh views already on YouTube.

Sashi Shankar, chief marketing officer, Idea Cellular, says, "In new age India, people are moving and relocating to towns and cities for education, career and family commitments, leading to more travel and communication needs. Mobile telephony has effectively bridged these distances and Idea's strong pan-India network offers seamless connectivity across the length and breadth of the country, connecting people with their 'Honey Bunnys'!"

Ashwin Varkey
, creative director, Lowe Lintas, says, "Idea wanted us to come up with an ad that showcases its footprint all across the country. It is like saying 'wherever you go, there is an Idea network'. The idea was that if you have the network, your phone will ring." The scale of the network is underlined.

Shankar is delighted at the phenomenal response to 'Honey Bunny'. Varkey is confident that people will stick to it for a long time. He says, "If it was not a sticky tune then it would not have been successful."

Idea has planned a 360 degree media mix using television, radio, digital, outdoor and cinema to support the campaign.

afaqs! spoke to experts in the industry to find out whether Idea's Honey Bunny campaign will stick around.

Priti Nair
, co-founder, Curry-Nation finds the execution of this commercial excellent. She says, "The lyrics are hilarious and, after a long time, something has come that will stick in people's mind. "

Jitender Dabas, executive vice-president, planning, McCann Erickson, says, "I like the attempt to do something different to convey the network story. Also, the song has a 'Kolaveri di'-like disruption that is catchy enough to push any commercial message. It has high recall value."

Dabas, however, adds that the message 'Idea equals big network' is not strongly reflected in this campaign and reckons this is the reason the creative team put names to towns (as supers on the screen) in the communication.

While both appreciate the creative, doubts exist. Nair wonders why Idea has abandoned its theme of social reform via the cellular network platform, while Dabas asks if the ad will work to get currency for the brand, and if it does, how much of it can create network credentials.

Nonetheless, if the aim is to convey the brand's 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' network presence, then the verdict is: message received (no pun intended).