Serendipity

One doesn't get to watch much TV these days. What with one thing and another, television isn't really high on my list of things to do. But am I glad I was sitting in front of the TV with my mug of coffee this evening! I came across one of the most effective commercials I have seen in a long, long while.

This one is for the Bajaj Discover DTS Si. Now, I don't know the first thing about bikes, but the basic premise of the ad is that one litre of fuel will take you about a 100 km on this one. It has been positioned as the best way to 'discover India': apparently, it isn't just a bike - it is an experience, and a chance to experience.

A young couple sets off on their DTS Si, duly wearing helmets, with the woman carrying her handbag. As they ride deeper into the heart of what we soon realise is Maharashtra, the woman begins to enjoy the ride, albeit with city-bred caution. She is extra careful about her bag and their helmets, insisting on carrying them wherever they stop for a rest. Thirty seconds into the ad, they find themselves in a strange town...every house is sans doors! She enters one of these to ask for directions to the temple...and this is where we are told that at a distance of about a 100 km from Aurangabad - or one litre of fuel on the DTS Si - is Shani Shingnapur, where no house needs doors because the people believe they are protected by Shanidev [the equivalent of Saturn in the Hindu pantheon]. As the couple gets ready to enter the temple, this young lady finally lets go of all the extra caution, leaves the helmets on the bike, and runs into the temple smiling with faith - of more than one sort.

Brilliant concept. Exceptional execution...and truly unique positioning. There are ways of telling the target audience about the USP, and there are other ways...but this stands out because it builds trivia and the discovery of India into the concept. True to its name, the product promises to allow you to discover all that you didn't know about your own country. Take a bow, Lowe Lintas!

It's been a while now...this commercial served as a reminder of how much my first love - Marketing - still means to me. Maybe I should start watching more television. :)

Video courtesy YouTube