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Our Bureau

New Delhi, Oct. 22 Hot on the heels of its digital TV launch, Airtel and its ad agency have started work on launching a campaign for Airtel’s proposed IPTV services. The company claims the DTH campaign, starring 10 celebrities in its launch TV commercial, has been a “hit”.

Refusing to share its advertising spend for the launch, Airtel says it aims to capture 20 per cent of the net additions of DTH subscribers this year, and has a marketing spend to match.

An IMRB study conducted on the October 9, a day after it launched the complete DTH ad, measured an ad reach of 47 per cent. More than a third of those surveyed were aware of Airtel’s DTH service. These are the kind of comforting figures that generally a campaign sees after a week of its launch, claims Airtel, and the advertising agency JWT. “For a brand to get this kind of recall the day after the launch, speaks a lot about the category and how much it is spoken off,” says Mr Chandrasekar Radhakrisnan, Head - Brand and Media, Bharti Airtel. The quick survey was conducted in New Delhi and Mumbai, amongst those from Socio Economic Class AB and above the age of 15.

Instead of highlighting the services or the product as had been done by other DTH players in the past, the brand chose to sell the experience. “Although we have a fabulous product, the strategic intent was to be seen as a leading integrated players stretched across three screens,” explains Mr Radhakrisnan. Thus all of Airtel’s brand endorsers (with the exception of Shah Rukh Khan who is tied with Dish TV) were roped in to sell the idea of ‘Come Home to the Magic’. The talent alone could have cost them around Rs 5 crore, say industry sources, with the launch campaign estimated at Rs 20 crore.

Airtel Digital TV was also the third hottest or most searched keyword a day after the TVC was aired, according to Google Trends, adds Mr Rohit Ohri, Managing Partner JWT. On Youtube it had close to 10,800 views. The celebrities in your house, says Mr Ohri, was to use the stars as a metaphor for the superior quality of television viewing that was being offered.

The DTH brand has been associated with TV show Big Boss and with the India-Australia cricket series.

More Stories on : Advertising | Telecommunications | Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd

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