IPL Season 2 in 2009 was quite a washout…literally as well, with a lot of matches being affected by rain in South Africa. But along with IPL 2, came perhaps the most successful advertising campaign in recent times – the Vodafone Zoozoos. Riding on the high reach that IPL offers, each match had a different creative involving the Zoozoos. The Zoozoos created a furore, advertising honchos were gaga about the creativity of Vodafone and the O&M team, and general consumers were absolutely overawed by the cuteness of the Zoozoos. So much so, that it seemed that the Zoozoos were more popular than the IPL matches itself. The campaign was touted to be one of the most triumphant campaigns in the history of Indian advertising and Vodafone had successfully got the pug off its back! Expectedly, the campaign walked away with most of the awards at various ad fests.
IPL Season 3 has begun with a bang, and the Zoozoos are back. But there’s a twist to the tale. This time, the Zoozoos seem to be a washout. They haven’t been able to create a buzz at all. It is quite unbelievable that the same characters that created unprecedented history last year are now hardly noticed. The advertising fraternity is blaming the creatives – they feel that the storylines are far more complicated. I am not entirely convinced that this rationale is accurate. If Vodafone had run a similar campaign as last year, I am not sure if it would have met with the same success. There are some who attribute it to the novelty factor. It was a novel idea, but over exposure has made it repetitive, is the contention. Again, the same country where a Fevicol ad still gets a smile on the face despite it being aired for over two decades, cannot decimate the most loved characters of last year so soon.
So, where is the problem? If I were the brand custodian of Vodafone, I must confess that I’d be thoroughly confused. It is quite an anti-climax (ironically like a T20 match) for a campaign that consumers loved last year to have fallen like a pack of cards in less than a year. For me, I think its all about innocence. For whatever reason, the Zoozoos don’t look innocent anymore. The lesson that I draw is that there are some characters like Tom & Jerry and Spiderman which stand the test of time and there are others which ride on innocence and just can’t last long. I guess that creative and brand teams need to take cognizance of the difference between the two.
I am sure Vodafone may be contemplating to get the pug back. I think that they must get back to the drawing board and chart out a brand map soon, coz the Zoozoos aren’t just working anymore. It’s sad but true for the Zoozoos – it’s the end of innocence.
IPL Season 3 has begun with a bang, and the Zoozoos are back. But there’s a twist to the tale. This time, the Zoozoos seem to be a washout. They haven’t been able to create a buzz at all. It is quite unbelievable that the same characters that created unprecedented history last year are now hardly noticed. The advertising fraternity is blaming the creatives – they feel that the storylines are far more complicated. I am not entirely convinced that this rationale is accurate. If Vodafone had run a similar campaign as last year, I am not sure if it would have met with the same success. There are some who attribute it to the novelty factor. It was a novel idea, but over exposure has made it repetitive, is the contention. Again, the same country where a Fevicol ad still gets a smile on the face despite it being aired for over two decades, cannot decimate the most loved characters of last year so soon.
So, where is the problem? If I were the brand custodian of Vodafone, I must confess that I’d be thoroughly confused. It is quite an anti-climax (ironically like a T20 match) for a campaign that consumers loved last year to have fallen like a pack of cards in less than a year. For me, I think its all about innocence. For whatever reason, the Zoozoos don’t look innocent anymore. The lesson that I draw is that there are some characters like Tom & Jerry and Spiderman which stand the test of time and there are others which ride on innocence and just can’t last long. I guess that creative and brand teams need to take cognizance of the difference between the two.
I am sure Vodafone may be contemplating to get the pug back. I think that they must get back to the drawing board and chart out a brand map soon, coz the Zoozoos aren’t just working anymore. It’s sad but true for the Zoozoos – it’s the end of innocence.
No comments:
Post a Comment