Mathrubhumi comes closer to consumers

The Malayalam daily has launched a campaign where it has turned around the name of popular brands to names popular in Kerala.

Mathrubhumi, the Malayalam daily, has launched its latest print campaign around the festival of Onam, which is round the corner. The campaign has turned around the name of some of the popular brands into some of the most common names used in Kerala. It is about millions of men and women aspiring to "making your brand their own".

The idea behind the campaign is based on questions like: 'Who owns a brand? - the people who create it or the consumer who buys it?' or 'Who takes pride in a brand? - the people who flash it or the ones who made it?' 'Can the pride be shared?' 'Can the belonging be common?' The answers to these questions are, 'Yes'.

The theme is woven around the aspiration customers have for owning a premium brand. The whole idea of the campaign is to show the pride that Malayalis have in owning brands that they think are close to their heart.

Onida (washing machine), for instance, becomes Omana, Whirlpool (refrigerator) becomes Waheedamol, Sony (television) becomes Sofy, Voltas (air conditioner) becomes Varkey, Nissan (the car) becomes Nissar, Samsung becomes Saramma, Arrow becomes Andrew and so on.

George Sebastian, senior GM, marketing, Mathrubhumi, says, "Our intention is to say how good and credible Mathrubhumi is in talking about brands to consumers. People of Kerala take pride in flashing the brands they use. They even go to the extent of voicing their support to the brands that are present in their day-to-day life,"

Says Venugopal R, director, creative, Maitri Advertising, "By advertising in a credible daily like Mathrubhumi, the brand becomes so close to a Malayali that he/she thinks it is his or her own." Mathrubhumi has a daily circulation of 14,58,796 copies.