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Personalised brand connect – the Vikatan way

Customised, theme-based caricature frames and greeting cards were created for trade partners. Caricatures of Tamil celebs like Rajnikant, Kamla Hassan, Sridevi, Surya, Ilayaraja, AR Rahman alongside the client/agency executives were designed

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Personalised brand connect – the Vikatan way

Personalised brand connect – the Vikatan way

Customised, theme-based caricature frames and greeting cards were created for trade partners. Caricatures of Tamil celebs like Rajnikant, Kamla Hassan, Sridevi, Surya, Ilayaraja, AR Rahman alongside the client/agency executives were designed

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | February 12, 2014

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The Tamil Nadu-based Vikatan Group recently launched a pioneering trade-led initiative to strengthen its brand connect and recall. Rowz N Lines, its brand activation partner, enabled them to achieve the objective through a personalised branded caricature rollout across all leading clients and media agencies in India.

Vikatan Group is one of South India's leading media houses which publishes 12 Tamil magazines, produces television content, publishes books and has a website that has now emerged as the bridge that connects Tamilians across the globe. It was founded by the visionary media mogul SS Vasan in 1928 with the magazine 'Ananda Vikatan'.

The activation was launched nationally around Pongal. Customised, theme-based caricature frames and greeting cards were created for trade partners of the group. Caricatures of Tamil celebs like Rajnikant, Kamla Hassan, Sridevi, Surya, Ilayaraja, AR Rahman alongside the client/agency executives were customised and designed. The frames and cards were created based upon the client and trade partners' likes/dislikes, hobbies, personal attributes and achievements.

Rajnikant doing a thumbs-up to a leading lady from a Mumbai-based FMCG company while she is painting a portrait is an example of how the brand wished to connect with her interest in art and placate her “Rajni style”. A client who is a fan of Ilayaraja was shown playing drums while Ilayaraja was playing the keyboard. Kalyan Raman, Media Manager at M&M, was shown standing alongside a XUV 500 with Rajni's arms over his shoulders.

Pravin Menon, National Head, Vikatan Group, commented, “Our Vikatan mascot is already a part of the consumer psyche. Through this activity we wished to thank our partners and get into their mind-map. Vikatan is known for its wit and caricatures – that's the Vikatan trademark. Through this activity we are reinforcing our brand values to our business associates. Vikatan has taken a step towards knowing them better and creating something special for them, something which will make them smile, today and for many years to come.”

The activity has generated immense curiosity within the target group. The customised frames adorn the walls of agency heads' cabins and the greeting cards add to the overall appeal of their cubicles and cabins.

The activity also got an overwhelming response online, what with most trade partners and clients uploading their caricature images as their Facebook display pics. The strong buzz and positive word of mouth led to high brand recall. Trade partners called the initiative “refreshing and one-of-a-kind” and “extremely heartening and delightful”. A demand from agency people to get their own caricatures designed similarly was most heartening for the Vikatan Group.

Srinivas A, Partner, Rowz N Lines, said, “Customising nuances while designing each and every caricature is what set us apart. Social media enabled us to discover hobbies and interests which formed the crux of every distinct theme-based caricature. So we had Rajinikanth with an agency head who loves playing football in his favourite team's jersey and an agency head who had an interest in playing musical instruments, playing the instrument alongside Rehman.”

Clients and agencies from Tamil Nadu could relate more easily to the Tamil celebrities and for the rest, small cards with 'Tamil Celeb Trivia' were designed and offered along with the frame or card.

Sudhir Abichandani, Partner, Rowz N Lines, added, “At every stage we have remained close to the Tamil DNA that Vikatan stands for and yet cut across all regional barriers. Going the extra mile and making what each client and agency staff will treasure and cherish has been our endeavour.”

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

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