When was the last time you saw a TVC that specifically addressed gym-goers?

MuscleBlaze, marketer of sports nutrition products, will release its first 30 seconder on TV soon. In the meanwhile, sample the longer, digital film.

Sports nutrition brand, MuscleBlaze, has recently launched its new digital film 'Tum Nahin Samjhoge'. The ad, conceptualised by Medulla Communications, focuses on hardcore gym goers who always workout and stay fit, no matter what. The brand plans to launch its 30 second TVC soon. The ad film has been produced by Storytellers and directed by Arun Gopalan.

Digital campaign by MuscleBlaze - Tum Nahin SamjhogeAccording to the data provided by the company's spokesperson, the size of the protein supplement market in India is about Rs. 1200 crore. More than 30 supplement products are available from MuscleBlaze.

Speaking about the brief given to the agency, Amit Tandon, associate vice president, MuscleBlaze, says, "As a brand we always put our customers first and acknowledge that the journey of fitness is full of sacrifices and hard work. That's why, in our brand film, we wanted to bring forth the lifestyle of fitness enthusiasts and gym goers and recognise their efforts and sacrifices."

Amit Tandon

Kaustuv Paliwal

Praful AkaliThe brand's core TG is 18 to 30 year old males from metro and non-metro cities.

Talking about the challenges, Kaustuv Paliwal, marketing manager, MuscleBlaze, says, "One of the major challenges is fighting against counterfeit products and the mind-set of consumers that imported is the best. These are the major battles that you fight as a brand."

He adds, "The marketing challenge gets in the way of reaching consumers because there is no mass channel that we can use. There is a lot of wastage that happens. What we mostly rely on is digital marketing which helps us reach our particular TG. We as a company rely heavily on below the line (BTL) activities. We do a lot of sampling by going to the gym or a small workshop and get them to taste our products."

About the media mix, Paliwal says, "Since we are not a mass brand, our background study was mainly about who our consumers are and what their affinity to consume the channels is. We did a certain study and according to those affinities, some channels were selected. It is not as easy as a hair oil company where you end up taking a Kapil Sharma show or some sports tournament. We will be present on music channels and news channels since most of the gyms put on MTV and let it run for two hours so that people are entertained with the music. So it is totally affinity based."

Praful Akali, founder and managing director, Medulla Communications, in conversation with afaqs! about the challenges, says, "The biggest challenge that we faced was getting into the mind of the gym goer. The second one was talking to serious gym goers but at the same time, not pissing off the non-gymmer."

Yes the ad focuses on hardcore gymmers but a lot of people make new year's resolutions to hit the gym for fitness. So we asked our digital expert if the timing of the brand releasing the ad is correct and if it is well executed.

Carlton D'SilvaCarlton D'Silva, chief executive officer and chief creative officer, Hungama Digital Services, says, "People make resolutions on new year's eve only to break them the very next day. The brand is speaking to the serious kind and not to these individuals who merely put fitness on their list once a year. I think that line is the most powerful line in the ad and it does not matter when the ad is released because it still holds relevance."

About the execution, D'Silva says, "I loved the ad. It beautifies the art of discipline for fitness/body building. It's a difficult job but this one hit the nail on the head."

Agency Credits:

Chief Creative Officer: Amit Akali

Creative Team: Ritu Sinha (Creative Director, Copy), Abhinay Patil (Creative Director, Art), Nisha Desai (Senior Visualiser) and Mrittika Chaki (Senior Copywriter)

Sr. Director, Consumer Healthcare: Subash Franklin

Account Management: Rekha Hindlekar

Brand Planner: Shifra Baviskar

Social media strategist: Swejal Gangan

Managing Director: Praful Akali

Director: Arun Gopalan

Producer: Zina

Production house: Storytellers

Team MuscleBlaze: Sameer Maheshwari, Amit Tandon, Kaustuv Paliwal