Flying Machine flaunts a series of Instagram films

Flying Machine has launched a new campaign 'Zero Gravity', for the brand's F-Lite denim range. The campaign includes a TVC and a series of Instagram films. We spoke to experts about the campaign.

Indian denim brand Flying Machine has unveiled a new campaign titled 'Zero Gravity' for the brand's F-Lite Denim range. The #LightweightDenim is a sequel to an earlier launch campaign for the same product range.

The campaign presents a group of friends, appearing to defy gravity thanks to their 'lightweight' jeans. Conceptualised and created by Dentsu Aegis Network, the campaign includes a TVC and a series of Instagram films.

The F-Lite product range saw a different launch campaign earlier, which drove on the denim range's endurance of flexibility. The ad film saw South African freestyler Justone Du Plessis pull off multiple 'splits', making a case for durability of the jeans even in very athletic exercises.

However, what is different with this campaign is its venture into Instagram. The series of ad films for Instagram see similar visuals like those in the TVC with characters defying gravity while they float in the sky with air balloons and sky dancers.

Commenting on the films, Malvika Mehra, chief creative officer, Dentsu India said in a press release, “After the ‘Split’ TVC, which was a hardcore proof of really flexible jeans, in this new set of films for ‘light weight denim’ we’ve taken a leap of faith…After the success of ‘Split’, we are hopeful that these fun films fly for us.”

Campaign Review

Speaking on the campaign, Rahul Vengalil, founder, What Clicks says, “The communication, the creative idea, and the execution are all same for both the YouTube and Instagram videos. The only difference is that of the aspect ratio of the video. Making a shorter version for Instagram doesn’t make sense in the age of IGTV and Instagram stories.” Critiquing the ad films, Vengalil opines, “…With this particular campaign, the capabilities of Instagram aren’t really used. Without media promotion, I do not see the videos getting much traction. This is as good as a regular advertising campaign.”

Answering a question on how social media has affected advertising and marketing, Vengalil reckons, “Social media has had a tremendous impact on consumers, as well as on brands’ perception of the medium. In my opinion, social media is still in the Zeitgeist phase, with just a few brands truly understanding it and adopting it correctly. The biggest lacuna that the marketing community faces while using social media is the belief that social media is cheap and easy to use. When you start with such a mindset, then you also fail to understand the nuances, you fail to understand the metrics, you deploy wrong KPIs for social media and so on.”

Commenting on the campaign’s presence on Instagram, Navin Theeng, creative lead, Coup says, “Instagram is a great medium for apparel and fashion. Add to that a product innovation and you have a great story to tell…So for F-Lite to go Insta, it is a no-brainer.” Assessing the efficiency of the campaign, Theeng suggests, “…some things could have been done differently. Assuming there will be a strong online sales campaign, some critical elements are missing. Once you have grabbed your TG’s attention, you want them to traverse the entire sales funnel resulting in a sale or a strong consideration."

“Earlier, when a TVC would work along with a press ad, the TVC would be a sort of thematic showcasing while the press ad would talk about the nitty-gritties of the technology. Now your Insta ad has to do both,” says Theeng, suggesting that the campaign misses out on product details. “While the present ad does a great job on the ‘TVC’ aspect, it misses out on the ‘press’ aspect completely. Calling out the tech will increase conversion percentage by at least 30- 40 per cent. The team should do some A/B testing, keeping this in mind,” he adds.

Speaking about the campaign’s omission of product price range, Navin says, “The second miss is not mentioning the price point. Once you have got the TG showing a strong inclination, it is time to close the deal...Sure, there will be a certain percentage drop-off when you mention your price. But you can always re-target them when discount prices start.”

Theeng suggests that digital campaigns are just as expensive as TVCs, especially if they entail computer graphics (CG). He says, “There is a misplaced notion that producing digital advertising is cheaper than TV commercials. This fallacy started at a time age when mobile screen resolution wasn’t anywhere close to a TV screen. Not anymore. So, if your script calls for a lot of CG, like in F-lite, you have to put in what is needed. Going with an L1 production company can actually damage your brand.”