AXN: Butterfly on TOI

The English GEC launched a high decibel innovative print campaign to announce the launch of eight new shows.

On October 18, AXN announced the launch of eight new shows in style through The Times of India (TOI) in Mumbai and Delhi. TOI readers across these areas woke up to a high decibel print innovation that included a centre butterfly flap on the front page of Delhi Times, Bombay Times and Gurgaon Times.

Spread across four pages, the innovation included
pictures of the new shows
and programmes. Except for one, all other shows were announced with
half page creatives
.

The innovation targeted especially the male audience in the age group of 18-40 years from SEC A category residing in the major metros.

The centre butterfly flap innovation implies that the paper was glued at the centre vertical fold, thereby allowing the reader to turn the flap on both left and right, thus making it interactive and arousing curiosity. An innovatively styled concept, more importantly it gave the advertiser four full pages at its disposal for the brand message.

Speaking about the concept, Sheena Kapoor, head, innovations, The Times Group, says, "AXN wanted a high impact advertising solution that best explains and does justice to the launch/ premiere of its new programming content with the launch of eight new programmes - each being iconic in content and style format that enthrals the audience."

Kapoor further adds that it is for the first time that this innovation has been done ever in the media and entertainment industry. The team brainstormed with the client to offer a format that is unique, impactful and engaging. Anyone who picked the newspaper that morning couldn't have missed the ad!

The shows that were announced in the innovation were The Hero, Top Gear, Chosen (Season 1), Sherlock (Season 1&2), So You think You can Dance, Supernatural, and Orphan Black.

The channel especially chose Friday for the innovation as on the same day, AXN premiered The Hero starring Dwayne Johnson. The programme is in the same action thriller category as Fear Factor, where contestants vie for the title of The Hero and compete with one another in missions to test their brains, their brawn and even their morality.

Some of the previous innovations done by TOI for different brands are 3D Creative for Mahabharat launch, wherein it also attached 3D glassed with the print ad. It changed the Bombay Times masthead and called it Maha Crorepati Times for KBC launch. It also did the XXL innovation for the movie BOSS, wherein the front and back pages of the edition were converted into a massive poster for the movie. A gatefold innovation was done for the release of Chennai Express.