Agent Vinod: Spy in action

Four innovations for the film executed at strategically placed low-clutter areas create high impact.

Laqshya Media has carried out an extensive out of home campaign for Hindi action film Agent Vinod to grab eyeballs and engage people. As a part of the campaign, huge billboards with life size cut-outs of actor Saif Ali Khan, who plays the protagonist Agent Vinod, is placed at strategic locations across Mumbai.

Four innovations are particularly engaging and have been executed at relatively less cluttered areas to generate maximum attention.

On Vile Parle SV Road, a 24X24 feet billboard features Agent Vinod in action, jumping out of a shattered glass wall while firing from his gun. The billboard is made in three layers. The first layer is the 2D background with the effect of broken glass. The second layer is the 3D cut-out of the actor. The third layer adds a special touch as 12-13 glass pieces made from foam board are placed separately over the second layer to create a 3D effect. Also, the tip of the actor's shoe juts out of the billboard to bring out the 3D effect. The entire billboard is back-lit.

Another billboard at Juhu Koliwada features a movie still in which Khan and his co-star, Kareena Kapoor are riding a bike. To give an impression of the bike coming out of the 40X20 feet billboard, the sides of the billboard are broken and a part of the bike's tyre juts out.

Two other innovations are placed at Bandra and Juhu, with the same creative in which the actor is shown standing holding guns in both hands. The 20X60 feet billboard at Juhu is placed on the wall of a building and is illuminated by lights controlled by a timer device. A red light flashes first from the gun, then on the face of the actor. Then, the whole billboard lights up.

Another innovation on a unipole at Bandra showcases a 65X40 feet cut-out of the actor placed over a 40X40 feet billboard.

The OOH campaign has been ideated and executed by Laqshya Media and Filmybox. The creatives are by Marching Ants.

Naveen Jalan, general manager, Outdoor Media Integrated (OMI), says, "OOH is an impact medium and creates instant connect with a rousing curiosity. A large number of sites do not matter but larger than life cut-outs attract attention. Therefore, we have used larger than life cut-outs of the actor to achieve the campaign objective."

Rajan S Ahuja, chief executive officer, Filmybox, says, "About 40 per cent of people are out for more than 12 hours a day. So, outdoor media establishes direct communication with the audience for a major part of the day. For this reason, we have promoted the film through outdoors, moving a step ahead by creating innovative billboards and placing them at clutter free spots."

The three and a half week campaign started in March. It is backed by regular 2D billboards spread over 22 outdoor sites.