Flipkart shows how to 'be trendy always', features kids as adults again!

Today, top brands are constantly trying to find a way to reach out to the new e-shoppers while struggling to not let go of its existing customers. Through its advertising and brand building approach, e-commerce sites try to make consumers feel that online shopping is safe and easy. All the top e-commerce companies aim to convince the shoppers to buy online more and more and extol the virtues of e-shopping with them.

E-commerce giant Flipkart has been aggressive in this run to hold on to its existing customers and invite the new shoppers as well.

Around six months back, Flipkart has launched an integrated campaign focused to promote its fashion category through ‘Flipkart Fashion’ pitching. This time again, the brand is back with its original concept of using kids as adults. The second phase of its campaign basically focuses on helping people to ‘Be trendy always’.

Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas Bangalore, the two latest TVCs revolve around two characters – Neha and Naveen. The videos, shot in two days, show two characters who know the solution of being always trendy without exceeding their budget. Through these videos, the e-commerce giant aims to convey consumers that the brand is not only providing the latest trends handpicked by fashion experts, but is also making it affordable.

The Flipkart kids are always at the rescue of the brand when it comes to convincing the consumers that shopping with them is always worth doing. Since 2011, the kids have always succeeded and made a memorable impact in the shoppers’ mind. Since then the brand has created a sensation with a trio of kids as adults in its ‘No Kidding’ campaign.

Then came ‘The Newshour Debate’ in 2013 where the brand informed the pros and cons of shipping on Flipkart. In some way or the other, the brand has always come up with relevant and witty concepts to appeal all types of audiences.

Rajesh Ramaswamy

Speaking about the idea behind this concept, Rajesh Ramaswamy, ED, Lowe Lintas, said, “Our insight came from the fact that when someone is stylish and chic on a day-to-day basis, people often think that he or she must be really rich. This is because keeping up with constantly changing fashion trends is quite an expensive affair. The idea, therefore, was to portray two characters who were trendy every day thanks to Flipkart, and all the misconceptions that people have about them.”

Speaking about the second phase of the campaign, Shoumyan Biswas, Head, Marketing, Flipkart, added, “Flipkart is the market leader in fashion among all online businesses. Our vision is to be India's most preferred destination for trendy and affordable fashion. Hence, our category communication task for fashion is to ‘democratise trendy fashion’ for every Indian consumer. On the back of deep consumer research, we have understood that the desire to look good and be ‘trendy’ is universal and cuts across all demographics. Though, there are a few 'beliefs' that hold people back. In phase 1 of the fashion campaign in January, we had addressed the belief ‘that fashion trends are confusing or overwhelming’.

The integrated campaign has been divided into three phases, two out of which has been launched already. The third phase will comprise two 15-second films, in which the same people who were wondering in the last phase have now become trendy, thanks to Flipkart Fashion.

For a long time, Flipkart has been using the concept of ‘kids as adults’. When asked for how long the brand plans to use kids as adults in their communication, Ramaswamy said, “I don't think the treatment of using kids as adults is something that has lost steam over time. When we are ideating, we do not use the treatment as a crutch for humour or uniqueness. We try to write scripts that are funny and fresh even sans the treatment. Whenever you see kids dressed as adults you automatically think about Flipkart.”

“We do not know if using kids as adults is a desperate move by the brand to just attract the consumers or merely is just a marketing campaign with a fresh approach using a tried and tested formula, but all we know is Flipkart kids can really communicate an idea in the simplest and most adorable way,” Ramaswamy added.

Tedious job to shoot with kids?

Is it difficult to shoot with the kids for the campaign?

Ramaswamy shared, “Shooting with kids comes with its own perks and challenges. Being kids, they often take quite a few takes before getting it right. But even when they are getting it wrong, it's good fun to shoot because their interpretation of the character is just so raw. You can never brief them like you would brief an adult. Every now and then, you will find a kid who is a better actor than most of the adults out there.”

“The sets are a lot more fun. Including the extras, we have nearly 20 kids on the sets of the Flipkart fashion shoot, and they were an absolute riot. Between takes, it's really good fun to chat with them and tease them. Sometimes, they have hilarious opinions and interpretations of our ads,” added Ramaswamy.

The kids are not selected after auditions and a selection procedure. Ramaswamy shared, “Each kid is auditioned to see how expressive he or she is and how comfortable they are in front of the camera. Based on that, we decide which character they will be suitable for.”

Thumbs Up?

Nilanjan Dasgupta

When asked about the campaign, Nilanjan Dasgupta, EVP & Executive Creative Director (East), Rediffusion Y&R, said, “I think this idea should not be dragged any further as it is becoming a little too overused and predictable. It is the same old idea about the kids enacting the adults and their mannerisms.  It is a ‘device’ idea and it gets monotonous when stretched beyond a point.  If they are addressing the ‘best price’ as a brief, they should think afresh on it outside the kids playing adult platform.”

Jagdish Acharya

Jagdish Acharya, Founder, Cut the Crap, liked the campaign. He said, “Using kids is the brand’s signature style and there is not much of a time limit that one can put to it. It can only go down if the creative element goes down else it can go as long as they wish to. This is not something which you can kind of get bored and it’s a kind of good thing they have come up with where they can explore.”

Marking a single drawback, he added, “The only part is you know it is Flipkart and you don’t pay attention to the message. You just sit back, relax and smile seeing the kids. As far as I think, one of the characters should have shouted out the message at the end.”

The TVCs:

College

Office

Credits:

Client: Flipkart

Agency: Lowe Lintas Bangalore

Creative: Arun Iyer, Rajesh Ramaswamy, Ujjwal Kabra, Adarsh Atal

Account Management: Hari Krishnan, Anand Narayan, Parshuram Mendekar, Jayendra katti, Ketaki Joshi

Planning: Ajay Ravindran

Production House: Opticus Inc.

Director: Nitesh Tiwari

Info@BestMediaInfo.com