Titan Celestial: Young Blood

Titan raises a toast to young entrepreneurial minds who have steered their way to success, knocking down every possible roadblock on the way.

Titan seems to have made it a habit of getting hold of the pulse of young India. While its campaign for Raga range of watches portrayed Katrina Kaif urging consumers to not get married for the wrong reasons, its recent ad for the Celestial Time range speaks to the young dynamic breed of entrepreneurs. It's newly launched moon phase watch - Celestial Time - is targeted at confident and ambitious young men who are eager to make their mark in the corporate world.

Executed by Ogilvy and Mather and directed by Vivek Kakkad, the film opens in a restaurant with a young, successful entrepreneur (Rajkumar Rao) meeting his ex-boss (Asif Basra). Over a friendly conversation, the ex-boss appreciates his meteoric rise and then enquires whether he's found a suitable CEO for his company. The young entrepreneur says he has someone in mind but is unsure of how to make an offer for the post. His ex-boss says it's no big deal; all he has to do is go up to the person and say, "You're the guy for the job". The young man looks down at his treasured Titan Celestial Time watch and gathers the confidence to look at his ex-boss and tell him "You're the guy for the job". This catches the senior gentlemen by surprise and he finally accepts the offer by shaking hands in disbelief as he smiles with pride. The film ends with the message: Your time has come.

Rajan Amba, GM - Titan, speaks about the thought process behind the campaign, "The past one year has seen a start-up boom which is reflected in every corner of the country. We have been witness to the realisation of many dreams in the last couple of years, from a generation that is brimming with talent. The latest film from Titan reflects this can-do, gutsy, sky-is-the-limit mentality of this generation."

On being quizzed whether watches, as a category, still have the "aspirational quotient" attached to them, Amba asserts that the aspirational quotient has got a notch higher. "Just like shoes, our consumers now have a separate watch for parties, one for formal wear and one for casual dressing," he reveals. Technology wearables like smart watches are not a threat either for brand Titan believes Amba. On the contrary, he says, it has helped the category by bringing a sense of style into it. "People now talk about watches, thanks to newer innovations. But that said, a wearable has limited use."

Commenting on the campaign, Steve Hough, executive creative director, Ogilvy and Mather Bangalore, adds, "More and more people in India are setting up new businesses because they believe it's time to do things, their own way. We wanted to weave this in a story that would reflect the values of the brand in a very honest, charming and an intimate way." Apart from digital, the campaign will be amplified on television, print, cinema and outdoor.

Impeccable timing

Prathap Suthan, chief creative officer, Bang in the Middle, says that the campaign is definitely a good watch and gives a thumb's up to casting and ambience. However, the execution for him is predictable. "I like the pace of the film, and the pauses. The inadvertent look at the watch goes well with the overall construct of the film," he notes.

Does the campaign push up the brand's "aspirational value"? Suthan thinks not. According to him, this is the 'classic mistake' of a middle class brand upping its reach. He finds Celestial watch a little too fuddy duddy for the smart age. "Titan Celestial is not going to dislodge the aspiration from the existing range of watches at the top. I know people would rather sport a good quality and easily available fake Hublot or Breitling on their wrist than a Titan," he explains.

Meanwhile, Jitendra Dabas, EVP and head of planning, McCann Worldgroup appreciates the fresh take on an ex-boss and employee relationship. Dabas finds the campaign an 'extremely good' piece of advertising for the brand. He believes that the campaign seamlessly marries the narrative with the tagline - My time has come. Does it really push the product though? "I'm not sure even it is trying to," says Dabas, adding that the ad talks to young men in their late 20s or early 30s who are doing well in their professional space.

On the never ending debated on technology wearables vs. watches, Dabas says that both categories serve different purposes and hence don't clash. "Traditional watches are not being worn today for functionality anymore. People tend to look at their phones to check time," he concludes.