HBO Defined & HBO Hits go outdoor to drive home 'break-free' message

Conceptualised and excecuted by the DDB MudraMax team, the OOH campaign in Delhi and Mumbai used jigsaw puzzle pieces with the line 'Don't watch movies in pieces'

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | September 20, 2013

Launched in September 2000, HBO is an English language movie channel available in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Maldives and Bangladesh). Early this year saw the launch of HBO Defined and HBO Hits, two premium movie channels that are 100 per cent commercial-free and showcase the best of Hollywood blockbusters and Bollywood hits.

HBO Hits and HBO Defined were launched in India with the launch campaign '100% ad free, Hollywood meets Bollywood'. The foremost purpose of the second phase of the campaign was to make sure that viewers know that the two new channels are 100 per cent ad free and give audiences a theatre-like movie watching experience. Communicating the new ad-free channel in a different way was the main challenge.

The challenge for the outdoor team at DDB MudraMax was to communicate the message in this cluttered market in order to provide maximum visibility.

The movie watching experience on television is not a pleasant one with ad/sponsor breaks during a movie. The ads don't just interrupt but also drown the interest and the experience of a movie. Hence, the idea came from the thought that watching a movie on any other channel is like putting pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. The creative execution showcased this thought by showing different movies on different jigsaw puzzle pieces with the line 'Don't watch movies in pieces, break free movies only on HBO Hits and HBO Defined'.

The DDB MudraMax OOH team chose the media and locations strategically, keeping in mind the objective of the campaign. Only high impact sites at prominent locations with high traffic movement were covered, such as Mahim Causeway, Haji Ali, Juhu circle in Mumbai, and Nehru Place, DLF Cyber City Gurgaon, South Extension in Delhi/NCR. The team also executed the 'Cut innovation' with the four jigsaw pieces jutting out of the billboard at two sites each in Delhi and Mumbai.

Shruti Bajpai

“Our proposition was to communicate a first class seamless movie experience for our viewers through HBO Defined and HBO Hits. The campaign beautifully encapsulated this through the jigsaw approach while retaining the premium brand image that HBO is known for,” said Shruti Bajpai, Executive Director, HBO India.

Subhashish Sirkar

Subhashish Sirkar, Senior VP, DDB MudraMax OOH Delhi, said, “HBO Hits and HBO Defined together make a very compelling case for movie buffs who now have the choice to enjoy their favourite titles from the comfort of their own homes. Contemporary releases without the irritation of having to sit through commercials are a godsend. This needed to be underscored boldly and to the prime audience. As before, the team at DDB Mudra Max profiled the consumer flawlessly and laid out an OOH communication that received positive feedback in no time at all. The campaign had barely been 48 hours out there before people began calling back wondering about the depth and spends, always a good sign correlating to visibility. We are happy to have partnered with HBO in yet another successful communication of a stellar offering.”

Credits:

Unit Name: DDB Mudra

Chairman & CCO: Sonal Dabral

President: Vandana Das
Business Head: Ashwani Dhingra
Creative Head: Talha Bin Mohsin, Mahesh Parab
Account Management: Yashaswi Bhatt, Deepak Misra

Art: Divyesh Kansagara, Aakash Swami
Copy: Eman Bose
Outdoor Unit Name: DDB MudraMax OOH Delhi

President: Mandeep Malhotra

Sr. VP: Subhashish Sarkar

Business Head: Manpreet Kaur

Account Management: Purnima Moni

Operations: Hari

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