As advertising evolves beyond its traditional role, we see a whole lot of interesting work happening across our regional offices. One such example has been the work done by Ogilvy India at the 69th Nehru Trophy Boat Race 2023 in Kerala – possibly the most competitive and popular boat races of this scale in the world. Initiated in 1952, the Nehru Trophy Boat Race takes place on the Punnamda Lake, near Alappuzha. It is held on the second Saturday of August every year. An estimated four lakh people, including tourists from abroad, attended the event this year. It is said that for the people of each village in Kuttanad, a victory at this race for their village boat is something to be celebrated for months to come.
Ogilvy’s Group President, India, VR Rajesh said, “As regionalisation and localisation is becoming important for large national brands, connecting with audiences in their home ground is becoming key for brands to build equity. We believe that India’s rich culture offers us opportunities to emotionally connect with consumers in large cultural and spiritual congregations. It’s about creating associations with beliefs that are closer to their hearts.”
The organising team, was looking for meaningful partnerships with brands that could work with their teams to enrich or to give a delightful experience of the games. Ogilvy’s branded content & activations wing set up a small core unit at Alappuzha in July 2022 to work with the local team and identify areas where brands could play a role. Across India, Ogilvy took stock of brands that had purpose and rural consumers in their DNA and reached out to clients like Asian Paints, Bajaj Pulsar, Pidilite, and others; with ideas in direct response to the direction received from the Nehru Trophy Boat Race Society.
Ogilvy had three distinct activities happening on ground.
Asian Paints WoodTech – Preserving the beauty of Kerala’s Wooden Furniture:
Strategically Kerala is an important market for Asian Paints’ wood finishes brand – Woodtech. In most parts of the country, including Kerala, Asian Paints is synonymous with walls. The intent is to build the same equity in the context of wood. Nehru Boat Race is a strategic sweet-spot right at the intersection of strong cultural significance and seamless product connect. The objective was to tap into this unrealised opportunity and strengthen Asian Paints’ emotional association with wood through, arguably, Kerala’s most symbolic wood icon.
The prestigious Nehru Trophy Boat Race is a source of pride for every Keralite. Year after year, thousands of people from Kerala and all over the world come to watch this phenomenal race. And this year, Asian Paints WoodTech became its title sponsor. Asian Paints paid tribute to Kerala’s great heritage, by showcasing the skilfully crafted furniture in front of the world. As an ode to the incredible craftsmen, life-sized iconic traditional wooden furniture were paraded through the Punnamada Lake in a stunning live display, that celebrated the local community and artistry. Further, it also decided to turn everybody’s attention towards a group of people, mostly unnoticed – the boat makers. They created a two-part long-format film highlighting the outstanding craftsmanship of the Boat Makers while showcasing the role of Asian Paints Woodtech Range of products in optimising performance and preserving the beauty of the iconic snake boats.
Araldite’s Best Seat:
While Araldite refreshed its positioning nationally, it wanted to appeal to its strongest market in a culturally relevant manner as that further strengthens affinity. And one of its strongest markets being Kerala, the brand wanted to reach out to the Malayalees by engaging with them hyper locally. To achieve the above, the brand activated itself in this year’s Vallamkalli race that takes place in a 1.370 km long stretch of the Punnamada Lake. Unfortunately, the spectators watching it from the banks of the lake catch only a tiny glimpse of it, as the boats zoom past them. Moreover, their view is often obstructed by the large crowd. But this time, a lucky few had an elevated viewing experience. Literally! Thanks to the Best Seat by Araldite – a breathtaking vantage point, offering an uninterrupted view of the race. Perched high on top of tall coconut trees, The Best Seat by Araldite offered a spectacular view and became a spectacle in itself!
Bajaj’s Pulsarmania 2.0 on water:
Pulsar has always tickled riders when it comes to raw motorcycle performance. The brand stands for thrill with stunting as its proof of performance. For a powerful brand like Pulsar, it is imperative to strengthen emotional equity. Especially in Kerala, the catalyst market, where emerging competition brands try to find their footing with various methods of owning ‘performance’. We drew a parallel with the thrilling, high-intensity sporting spectacle – the Nehru Trophy Boat Race. Showcasing Pulsar’s thrilling stunts at an adrenaline infused cultural phenomenon is our attempt to make the brand not just admired but loved.
After the spectacular success of Pulsarmania 2.0 as a pre-race buzz event at Alleppey Police Parade Ground on 10th August, Pulsar captivated the crowds at the Nehru Trophy Boat Race on 12th August, where the brand unleashed a thrilling first-of-its-kind stunt spectacle on water! The NTBR is the most thrilling sporting spectacle, which is looked forward to by the state of Kerala. With daring & precise stunts and adrenaline-pumping feats, the new and upgraded bikes from the Pulsar portfolio, namely N250, NS200, N160, and P150, paid a thrilling homage to the most thrilling race boats of Kerala!
