Campaign: Chulbul Pandey Rides Hayate To Deccan
Brand: Suzuki Hayate
Company : Suzuki Motorcycle India
Agency: RK Swamy BBDO
The Campaign
Suzuki Motorcycle India, a subsidiary of the two-wheeler manufacturer Suzuki Motor Corporation, Japan, has launched a new ad campaign for its bestselling mass segment motorcycle ? Suzuki Hayate. An extension to the 2012 campaign, Suzuki?s new ad features Bollywood actor Salman Khan in his characteristic Dabangg persona of Chulbul Pandey, this time in a full blown south Indian avatar.
The ad features Khan manoeuvering his Hayate through meandering streets in a south Indian town while recapturing the much acclaimed tagline – ?Suzuki Hayate, yun hi nahi chalate!?. Challenging Chulbul?s heroism is ?Gundappa?, a character played by veteran south Indian actor Kota Srinivasa Rao, who is known for his prowess in blending comedy with villainy. Gundappa and his gang of friends are seen selling cinema tickets in the black market. Enter Salman Khan aka Chulbul Pandey riding his trusted Hayate. A constable points at Gundappa and his group. There starts an action-packed sequence as Khan gives chase effortlessly riding the Hayate. Ultimately Khan is able to arrest Gundappa and stop the black market racket. The ad ends with Khan reciting the tagline and urging the viewers to buy Hayate.
Our Take
Unlike most of the motorcycle brands which tend to target the smart youth of today, quite evidently Suzuki Motorcycle intends to capture the attention of the masses that reside in rural areas and semi-urban peripheries. And when that?s the choice, what better than to chose Salman Khan in his Dabangg avatar to help position that brand just right! The first Suzuki ad with Khan was quite a roaring success – viewers could not forget the Salman-Suzuki association. Now even as that association continues, the latest ad only makes it clear that Suzuki Hayate does not just intend to be a product for consumers belonging to a particular geographic and psychographic segment (read Hindi speaking markets), but is rather ready to go pan-India. If not, how does one explain the Salman Khan-Kota Srinivasa Rao combination? A south-Indian twist can definitely help expand the brand?s reach.
Now here is an observation that confirms that hypothesis even further. Even as Salman Khan is enough to catch the attention of the audience set that it targets, the commercial conceptualised by RK Swamy BBDO, gets even bigger and more entertaining with a hint at our much favourite south Indian superstar Rajnikant. How? Well, when one of the goons chasing Khan asks him, ?Do you know the boss?!?, the latter blatantly points at a movie poster standing just behind him that reads Mr. Boss; the face on the poster is not visible at all but that is enough to indicate that there can be just one boss ? Rajnikant (as ably demonstrated in the hit movie Shivaji the Boss). Meanwhile, just when the announcement is made as to who the real boss is, the weapons get magnetically pulled toward the poster, a strong reminder of another Rajnikanth blockbuster hit, Robot. And the trail of hints just does not end here. As the ad reaches its fag end, the final ?mind it? squeal from Rao quite strongly emphasises the fact that Suzuki Hayate targets not only those who are ardent fans of Salman Khan from the north of the country but also those who never forget to bend their knees before the God-like Rajikanth from the south.
All in all, considering that the brand intends to target the masses who are more rural and semi-urban in nature, the ad is surely a good effort to help establish the brand connect. The ad also appeals to all age groups, unlike those only eying the growing youth population of India. However, the commercial does appear to be a little loud, something which could be a put-off ? at least for a few.
