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Return of the Prodigal

In its latest campaign Idea has gone back to doing what it does best ? helping the common man?s voice to be heard

Campaign: Idea Ullu

Brand: Idea 3G

Company : Idea Cellular Ltd

Agency: Lowe Lintas

The Campaign

The film opens with a politician promising to bring water to the parched villages at a election rally. As the public responds with a huge applause, Abhishek Bachchan and his colleague, who are putting up a hoarding just next to the ground, watch this from the top. As his colleague comments that it is easy to fool the people (India me koi bhi kisiko ullu bana sakta hai, Becharon lo koi idea hi nahi hai) Bachchan interrupts to say ?Idea hai? and points to the people below. A young man from the crowd interrupts the politician holding up his phone in his hand which shows a YouTube video from the previous election when the politician had made the same promise. The entire crowd jeers the politician and mimicks the owl to indicate that they can’t be fooled. The ad then shows a series of situations where somebody or the other is trying to take unsuspecting people literally for a ride ? an auto driver assuring a newcomer in the city that he will take him by the shortest route, a singer who promises to come up with an original hit song but is actually belting out a plagiarsed song, a young suitor trying to chat up a girl with a supposedly original joke, a godman promising to conjure up rain ? but each of their lies is caught out as the internet comes to the rescue. Soon we see people from all walks of life mimicking the owl. The film ends with Bachchan’s colleague saying, ?Har mobile par internet. What an India, Sirji? on which Bachchan corrects him replying, ?What an Idea, ullu?.

Our Take

He’s back! Abhishek Bachchan, the brand amabassador for Idea Cellular who had disappeared from Idea’s ad campaigns for sometime as the brand experimented with other formats is back with a bang in this ad. Idea’s previous ads promoting its 3G internet service had not been that memorable and the brand has stuck to promoting its core service through its popular ‘Honey Bunny’ campaign. Meanwhile, rivals Airtel and Vodafone have raced ahead and Idea had the challenge to find a unique take on mobile internet. So, what better than to go back to its winning formula of reminding the masses how an ‘Idea’ can change their lives, by dipping into an interesting cultural trait that consumers across the country can identify with, and resolve it using Idea?s data services. This campaign has been able to do that well as it picks up everyday examples of people being conned and how the internet with a little help from Idea can keep them one step ahead. Idea’s target audience has always been the masses ?people who need not be comfortable with using mobile internet– and therefore the idea was to tell them how mobile internet was easy, accessible and had the power to change their lives. With the catchy jingle ?Idea Internet lagoing, India ko no ullu banoing?, this campaign should be able to resonate with viewers. While this ad starts with the smooth talking politician making tall promises ? something that every Indian can identify with in this election year, the second ad shows the tout trying to fool the tourist, who is now no longer so gullible, thanks to Idea’s data services. All along the campaign remains true to the brand’s original promise of changing the common man’s life.

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First published on: 11-03-2014 at 03:14 IST
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