HomeShop18 gets cat's whiskers

Creativeland Asia chooses animated cats as mascots for Homeshop18's new campaign

Sohini Sen | Mumbai | June 9, 2014

Click on the image to watch the TVC.

You can't go wrong with cats on the internet. Or so they say. Putting this theory to the test is the new campaign by HomeShop18, a digital e-commerce platform. HomeShop18 has taken two animated protagonists to show users why it is the best place to shop.

The campaign created by Creativeland Asia went on air on Friday, June 6, 2014. In the 45-second TVC, the two animated cats, Sunny and Billy, speak to the audience focusing on each of the USPs of the shopping platform. While the fullm campaign comprises five TVCs, the next two will come out in quick succession.

“HomeShop18 has a multi-platform presence. We have the TV channel which targets the mid and bottom end of the market, with housewives and middle aged women from smaller towns purchasing through the medium. The online platform is slightly more male oriented while the mobile platform looks at the youth,” said Vikrant Khanna, CMO, HomeShop18.

The challenge for Creativeland Asia was to come out with a campaign that would address all three target audiences together, especially when the consumer in each case is diametrically from each other.

Sajan Raj Kurup

Sajan RaJ Kurup, Founder & Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia, said, “Our understanding of the category told us that the core idea of 'Shopping makes me happy' is one of those truisms you can't disagree with. Shopping in the past was about buying necessities. Today, shopping has become a stress-busting, mind-opening and a mood uplifting recreational activity.”

The agency took the idea of 'Sshopping makes me happy' because that is the common feeling that is noticed among all shoppers.

“We noticed that even though we have been in business for quite some years, we have never really tried to talk to our consumers and given them information. We haven't told them about the multiple platforms we are available in, or that we have such a wide variety of products, that there is cash on delivery and free shipping, etc.,” Khanna explained.

They noticed that cats are the most searched creature on YouTube. They decided to use this information and bring out the information through two cats – a father-son duo. The duo gets into a conversation with the viewers, telling them about the benefits of shopping on HomeShop18. The cats inform about the various product categories and ease of shopping at India's leading digital commerce platform, pretty much like a shopowner would, in a pleasant, witty and humble manner.

“Remote shopping is at the cusp of becoming mainstream in India. Since this category deals with a lot of information decimation, we had to find engaging characters to deliver it. Cats are famous on the internet. Cat videos are the most watched and viral videos on the internet. So, we decided to go with two cats, a father and son duo, to star in our commercials that represent different generations of shoppers across TV and internet. We have created multiple engaging films where the father cat and son cats sit and woo audiences with the skill and wit of traditional Indian shopkeepers,” explained RaJ Kurup.

All the five TVCs will end with the jingle 'Shopping makes me happy'. The campaign will further be extended to print, radio and social media. For the first time in India, the company is also using Whatsapp for marketing. Another interesting twist will be the use of memes for the brand.

HomeShop18's TVC campaign has been designed and filmed with Photo-real Animation technique with finishing touches given by UPP in Prague. The company has provided animation to popular Hollywood movies like Wolverine, SALT, etc. Mindshift has handled the digital marketing for the brand.

The TVC:

https://img-cdn.thepublive.com/filters:format(webp)/

Credits:

Client: HomeShop18

Creative Agency: Creativeland Asia

Creative Chairman: Sajan Raj Kurup

Production House: Equinox

Director: Ram Madhvani

Director of Photography: Pushan Kripalani

Animation: UPP Prague

Sohini.Sen@bestmediainfo.com

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