Humour takes centre stage in Shark Tank's 'Corporate Bidaai' ad

The rise of internet culture has ushered in a new era of humour dominated by memes and viral content. Crafting content that resonates with the meme-savvy generation while remaining authentic to the brand's identity is a formidable task. While humour can be an effective way to connect with consumers, there is a risk of diluting the brand's image or sending conflicting messages. Therefore, many opt for safer alternatives.

However, breaking away from the norm, Sony Liv recently embraced the challenge and launched a humorous ad film titled 'Corporate Bidaai,' aimed at promoting the launch of the upcoming season of Shark Tank.

The ad film:

 

 

 

 

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Aman Srivastava, Head of Marketing at Sony Liv, pointed out that humour worked well for them as the film is already making rounds on social media for its sharp and cutting sarcasm.

Srivastava highlighted that the decision to include the humour element in the campaign was influenced by the fact that GenZ appreciates and understands it well and their primary goal was to simply bring smiles and have fun.

He said, "We had great fun while ideating this campaign. Humour has always been the better off for us to create Shark Tank communication and also we believe that GenZ appreciates humour.”

“Moreover, the kind of entrepreneurs and pitchers that we see who have come in the last two seasons and even in the upcoming season, get the insight with which we present information as well. The aim was to give the idea to the GenZ that there is no right time to actually start on your own idea,” he added.

Written by Devaiah Bopanna, Tanmay Bhat, Puneet Chadha and Deep Joshi, and conceptualised by Moon Shot, the ad film sheds light on the challenges encountered by a young employee. Having weathered mistreatment from his bosses, he departs amid a backdrop of sarcastic remarks and clever comebacks, marking the culmination of his tenure at the office.

During the process, the bosses coincidentally meet the departing employee's co-founder. The co-founder expresses a commitment to fostering a positive relationship with the departing employee in their upcoming venture. Together, they depart in a car displaying a sign that reads 'just founded.'

Srivastava expressed that the team responsible for creating this campaign thoroughly enjoyed the process of crafting and bringing the character in the advertisement to life, and the positive response from the audience is evident. The engagement and comments observed from individuals discussing the campaign reinforce our confidence that we are indeed on the right track.

He believes that finding the right balance is crucial throughout the journey from the initial brief to the actual execution. The team they have been collaborating with for the past two seasons understands this concept well.

"Honesty in our efforts is what makes the product impressive. The goal was to create something that brings a smile to everyone's face without causing clashes over an insight or an idea. We aimed to have fun and that's why humour works for us," Srivastava said.

While several other shows with concepts similar to Shark Tank have been launched and they actively engage in their marketing efforts, Srivastava said that it is everything put together which makes a platform and a format come alive and first-mover advantage is not the only thing which works out alone.

"There is a legacy with Shark Tank and this is our third season. The good part is that the brand has been able to sustain its credibility and also the way we have been able to present the content and the platform. We are a platform which gets the entrepreneur who wants to pitch their idea and the 'Sharks' who are the investors. We bring them together and after that, it is a fair evaluation of each other," Srivastava said.

"So, if we can provide comfort to both of them, that is the victory of the format and the brand. The success of our marketing efforts plays a key role in establishing credibility. Over the past two seasons, we have worked diligently to achieve this and as we enter the third season, our goal is to continue in the same honest manner. The outcome, however, remains unspoken for now. We greatly value and appreciate the support of our loyal customers who continue to choose us," he added.

Furthermore, Srivastava shared more insights into their efforts to promote the show, aside from the current advertising campaign. Influencers, who he prefers to call 'social voices’, are also a part of that.

He said that these individuals play a role in the marketing strategy by effectively expressing the views of consumers. Those who excel in this role attract more listeners.

"A good campaign also draws these social voices towards you and that is part of our strategy but promotion of Shark Tank has always been equally impactful, both on traditional and on digital media platforms. So, we will be looking at utilising all these mediums. The idea is to create a story which creates an impact on that platform. It is not just about being present on a medium, it's about how to utilise that medium," Srivastava said.

In this campaign, Sony Liv chose to work with creators like Tanmay Bhatt instead of hiring a creative agency. When asked about the difference between collaborating with creators and working with an advertising agency for a creative campaign, Srivastava pointed out that this marks their third film together with these creators.

"Last season, we completed the primary campaign, followed by the call for entries for this season in collaboration with them. We've also successfully executed the brand campaign once again. Interestingly, the team involved in these projects have been a part of creative agencies,” Srivastava said.

Furthermore, he went on to say that Devaiah and Tanmay run their own production house called Moonshot, under which they have made this film. Rahul Bharti, on the other hand, has a history of creating various brand films through the agency and they truly understand the show’s vision.

"When we initiated our collaboration and began discussions with them, the process of coming together unfolded. A positive initial experience encourages continued collaboration. We aspire to sustain this positive momentum as we plan to engage in more work with them in the near future,” Srivastava said. 

“Seeking or not seeking the services of a creative agency is not a strategic move; rather, it depends on the individual you choose to work with, a like-minded collaborator with whom you can create something compelling. That, in essence, is where the heart of the matter lies," he added.

While sharing a noteworthy memorable thing from the campaign's creation process, Srivastava highlighted that there was a comeback for the last two brand films they created and similarly, a comeback was also planned for this film as well, however, the team did not use it.

"The idea was to test if the comeback was effective. After filming it, Rahul and Devaiah reviewed the footage and agreed that the comeback, which is generally a signature of theirs, was not good enough. Therefore, we decided to go in a different direction, and it turned out to be the right choice for us," Srivastava said.

The one thing that makes this particular ad stand out is the honesty with which it was conceptualised, and written and also how the characters were visualised and finally its execution, he added.

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