Paperboat Says Happy 2016; Features 14 Start-Ups In New Anthem

Giving a unique twist to its New Year campaign, Paperboat wishes for a better and bigger 2016, along with leading start-up players such as Hari Nair of HolidayIQ, Tanmay Bhat of All India Bakchod and Shaheen Mistri of Teach for India.

For Paperboat, the home-grown ethnic-flavoured brand of drinks, advertising always rode on childhood memories. The brand is back again with a powerful campaign, setting the tone for 2016 along with 14 start-up friends.

The video, which has been executed by Lowe Lintas Bangalore, features Paperboat, along with the start-ups, with the iconic song Hum honge kamyab playing in the background.

The campaign features leading players such as Hari Nair (HolidayIQ), Tanmay Bhat (All India Bakchod), Shaheen Mistri (Teach for India), Sumit Jain (Common Floor), and Amuleek Singh Bijral (Chai Point) in the start-up space, with the focus on the venture's core idealogy.

Sung by popular Bollywood singer Sunidhi Chauhan, the track is dubbed as the 'Song of Hope, an anthem or a call for 2016'. Uploaded on YouTube and Facebook on December 31, 2015, the video has garnered over 5.5 lakhs and 9 lakhs respectively, on both platforms.

Speaking about the unique initiative, Neeraj Kakkar, co-founder and CEO, Hector Beverages, says that when they decided to make this film, the only constant thing in his heart was the song.

"I have grown up listening to this song as have most Indians. We wanted to start the year with positivity and good vibes. And to top it all, our dear friends are a part of this positivity. What more could we ask for?," says Kakkar.

Kakkar believes that his company and the other ventures featured in the video sail in the same boat. According to him, it's a 'start-up conglomerate' where one experiences the same barriers, struggles and joys.

"It was pretty difficult for us to choose 14 companies, and even more difficult to shoot this film with them in one week. If we had the luxury of time, we would have been able to feature all our dear friends," he smiles.

According to Kakkar, 2015 was an eventful year with the launch of the company's second plant in Mysore. It also rolled out its first-ever TV campaign, as well as partnered with Indo Nissin Foods as its up-country distributors. The company raised Series C funding in July and launched a full-fledged campaign to announce the launch of the Anar (pomegranate) flavour.

Kakkar adds that in 2016, the recipes will be improved upon and new drinks will be introduced.

Rajesh Ramaswamy, executive creative director, Lowe Lintas Bangalore, says, "When Paperboat first told us about its desire to make this film, we were like wow, who thinks like this? But then, that is Paperboat. They've always taught us how to think from the heart. We feel special to be a part of this beautiful tribute. We partnered with director Joyeeta Patpatia, who too, thinks from the heart, in order to make this come alive. Here's to a new India that thinks and dreams so beautifully."

Rajiv Dingra, founder and CEO, WATConsult, finds the film a leadership attempt by the brand Paperboat, and feels it is elite and evolved.

"The video concept and execution are nice, but what it probably lacks is mass or large appeal. If the brand's objective was to build thought leadership, take a higher ground and leverage the start-up community," he says.

Dingra believes that the impact of this video will largely be limited to the internet intellectuals.

Meanwhile, Kartik Iyer, CEO and co-founder, Happy Creative Services, give a thumbs up to the film. He feels that it is an inspiring and campaign of a higher order.

Iyer believes that such films tend to create higher recall value as they do not just promote a product or service. In his opinion, some of the best campaigns of 2015 were designed on similar lines, such as Dabur Vatika's Brave is beautiful, Myntra's lesbian campaign, or the Red Label ad featuring a young couple in a live-in relationship.