"Right product, right cost and right timing ensure the success of a car": Sumit Sawhney, country CEO & MD, Renault India Operations

The automobile brand has launched a campaign featuring actor Ranbir Kapoor, with music by AR Rahman, to build affinity for Renault among young Indians.

Prior to the launch of its hatchback Kwid, this festive season, Renault has released a 'sound' campaign featuring actor Ranbir Kapoor, in collaboration with music composer AR Rahman. The creatives have been conceptualised by L&K Saatchi and Saatchi, built along the brand's tagline 'Passion for Life'.

The upbeat soundtrack composed by Rahman, 'Re re raftaar', is accompanied by visuals of Kapoor, starring as himself, driving around - attending a wedding, getting a haircut from a barber who's a fan, among other things. The ad ends with the brand message and announces that arrival of Kwid.

Charles Victor, national creative director, L&K Saatchi and Saatchi, says, "The brand wanted to connect more with the diverse Indian consumer, and build social acceptance and affinity for Renault across the country. The song captures the soul of the brand, making it far more affable and endearing to the TG."

It is interesting to note that Kapoor has been associated with Nissan, Renault's strategic partner, in the past. When asked if this could hamper the brand's connect with him, Sumit Sawhney, country CEO and managing director, Renault India Operations, says, "Ranbir Kapoor's association with any other brand in the past does not have any bearing on Renault or its strategy. His association with Renault is for the entire portfolio and there is no such issue."

The core TG of the brand is young, progressive Indians who are looking to fill their lives with enriching experiences. The campaign is being launched on television, digital, print and OOH mediums, with specific targetting of top 30 Indian cities in the automobile category. The campaign will be television-heavy; the ad is being aired on 60 channels across GEC, movies, news, regional and infotainment genres. In the OOH leg, there'll be extensive branding on Delhi metros, to reach the target audience for Kwid - the people's car - along with display of other vehicles. The campaign continues till mid-September.

Elaborating on the brand philosophy, Sawhney adds, "We believe there are three pillars in ensuring the success of a car - the right product, at the right cost, launched at the right time. When we launched the Duster in India, we created a new segment in the industry and the response was overwhelming. We expect the same mass appeal with Kwid."

On the company's future plans in India, he adds, "We are targetting 5 per cent market share in the next two years by focussing on widening our product portfolio and enlarging dealer network. Renault has laid strong plans for India with technology centre, which employs 5,000 people and two design centres (Mumbai and Chennai)."

Starry Appeal?

Divyapratap Mehta, founder and chief twiner, InterTwined, finds no strong emotional message, creative impact or 'X-Factor' in the ad. "I would call it a lazy ad. When you can't think of a smarter formula, get a celebrity, add a song, montage and you will surely not fail; but I doubt if you will succeed with such formulaic work," he says. He adds that while individually the track is hummable, overall, the strings do not come together in the film.

Pranav Harihar Sharma, ECD at Rediffusion Y&R has similar views. "Though 'Re re raftaar' has a zing, it has nothing to do either with the brand or, for that matter, with this particular ad. The music and the story are in different zones and don't go together. How can 'Raftaar' be a brand's imagery? It is, on one level, so generic that it can apply to a bike or a bus, and could also be specific to a super bike or sports car," he observes.

According to Sharma, the brand's tagline, 'Passion for Life', does not resonate well with the song. "This ad exemplifies that despite having champions like Ranbir Kapoor and AR Rahman on your side, you can't have a winner if there is no script and/or idea," he adds.