Tanishq: Invest In Happiness

No glitter, no glamour, no women. Tanishq's latest TVC is a simple dialogue between two gentlemen followed by the product shot. As the brand positions itself as a man's 'Pehla Heera' for his better half, we take note of the shift in focus from 'consumer' to 'buyer'.

In its communication so far, Tanishq has been focusing on the end user - the woman, often shown as a bride. In its latest ad film, the jewellery brand from Titan, takes an unconventional route and shifts focus to a very important segment of the buyer pool - men looking to gift jewellery to their partners.

For the most part, an Indian man's relationship with jewellery is limited to occasion-based gifting of the "Will you marry me?" or "Happy Anniversary!" kind. And both purchases tend to be supervised by family or friends. Tanishq's latest campaign, aptly titled 'Pehla Heera', is not about any specific life event as such. Rather, it is aimed at giving men sitting on the fence - about their decision to buy their partner that 'first diamond' - a nudge.

Part of a three film series, the minute long ad takes us through a heart to heart between two mid-level executives on a coffee break. The seemingly younger one wants to buy his partner a diamond ring but is not convinced about its "return on investment".

His colleague tells him about "Nandita's" tongue-tied, emotional reaction when he gave her the same gift; his use of his wife's first name, among other cues, establishes the fact that they're buddies. That sheer joy, he explains, is the return on investment. The film ends as a voice over goes, "The first diamond. Try giving one and see what happens."

We spoke to Arun Iyer, national creative director, Lowe Lintas and Partners, the agency that has created the ad, about the brand's apparent shift from the consumer (the woman) to a section of the buyer pool (men). He clarifies, "The intention is to help the buyer overcome any 'barriers' or 'apprehensions' he may have while buying (read: investing in) the first diamond."

The visual execution of this film defies category codes in that it doesn't show women 'interacting with' their jewellery at all. And come to think of it, it's not difficult to imagine an additional scene at the end that shows the guy going ahead and gifting his partner the ring, and watching her break down with happiness. Iyer explains that the idea is to break away from the "assumed and clichéd imagery" of women and jewellery.

Deepika S Tewari, head marketing, jewellery division, Titan Company, says the brand wanted to break through the "regular clutter" of ads around women-centric jewellery, where focus is either on the jewellery or the wearer, or both.

This film, Tewari says, "Reflects the typical way in which a man thinks when he has to make any big purchase or investment. Analysing return on investment comes very naturally to every man. In this ad, we have tried to mirror this particular aspect of every man's nature when it comes to purchasing jewellery," she explains, going on to share that her team has noticed a healthy growth in the number of men purchasing diamond jewellery at the store level, of late.

"It is common to see men accompany their wives/partners while purchasing jewellery, as against men shopping for jewellery alone or with friends," she says, giving us insight into the retail level behavior of her buyers.

Besides TV, the month-long campaign will be promoted through print, outdoor and digital (including a microsite) media.

Widening The Buyer Base?

Our brand expert, Anand Halve, co-founder, Chlorophyll, a brand consultancy, believes this film is an evident attempt to widen the brand's buyer base.

He explains his assessment, "Brand communication today has to be far more encompassing. While Tanishq will continue to engage the 'marriage segment' as well as its female customers, it is important for them to indulge other segments through periodic communication. In this case, they have done so by targeting male buyers."

"Other segments" and "periodic", being the operative words, we gather. When Tanishq launched Mia, a range of jewellery targeted specifically at working women, it in no way meant the brand was abandoning its focus on non-working women or on the whole 'marriage segment', Halve reminds us.

The campaign, he feels, is "timely", given the fact that men are increasingly getting involved in the jewellery buying process.

To what extent will this film help change the attitude of men towards 'diamond gifting'? "I think," Havle shrugs, "Tanishq has a strong consumer tracking system. They will know in another three months if there is a spike in male buyers. If not, the next campaign might just have two young female executives talking. The opportunities are endless."