American Tourister says survive Mumbai, survive the world

American Tourister’s new campaign looks at positioning the premium luggage brand as one that can survive the toughest journeys; a weapon against surviving what the big, bad city can throw at travelers. Created by Contract Advertising, the campaign features the brand’s new positioning ‘Survive Mumbai, Survive the World.’

Watch TVC here.

The TVC opens on a foreigner walking on a local train platform in Mumbai, carrying his American Tourister suitcase. As the train comes to a halt, he is pushed alongwith the sea of humanity around him into the local and once in, he is separated from his suitcase. The foreigner is pushed into various nooks and crannies of the compartment, ranging from a man’s armpits, into the lap of fellow passengers as well as into the arms of a eunuch.  As the train comes to a halt, the same sea of humanity ensures that he is deposited outside. As the train starts pulling away, he rushes forward, realising that the suitcase is still inside the compartment. As he does so, a number of hands from inside the train push his suitcase forward and the men standing on the edge of the train push it forward towards him. He catches his baggage just in time and stares at the departing train with some sense of relief and wonder. The voiceover says ‘American Tourister, the tough international luggage.’

Talking to Campaign India, Ravi Deshpande, chairman and chief creative officer, Contract Advertising says, “American Tourister is a reputed international brand of luggage that has been in existence since 1933. In India, the task for the brand is to drive brand salience and firmly establish the brand as a maker of reliable luggage. American Tourister follows stringent norms and quality checks - so that its products withstand the ups and downs of travel. In a nutshell, the task was to establish American Tourister as international and reliable.”

Adds Sudip Ghose, marketing director, American Tourister, “We were looking to target ‘mass with class’. The idea was to establish American Tourister as the luggage that can withstand the most rugged conditions. Our objective was in being able to convey the toughness, without losing the brand’s international, premium appeal.”

Adds Deshpande, “American Tourister consumers travel overseas at least once a year, on holiday, however, they aren't exactly seasoned travellers, but are just beginning to explore the world. Keeping this in mind, we dug deep into the 'beginner' international traveller's psyche. What emerged was that destinations around the world can be a challenging place for the 'beginner' international traveller.  Every destination is unique in itself and there is a lot that can happen - and catch you unawares. Mumbai for instance, can overwhelm you with its crowds, LA has no public transport system to speak of, New Yorkers can be rude... and so on. It's in these instances when you need the reliability of an American Tourister by your side - so that your luggage can withstand whatever the world throws at you, so to speak. It was from this point that the idea evolved and we had the line 'Survive Mumbai, Survive the World' take shape. We believe this idea has a bigness that American Tourister deserves at a stage where the brand is starting a new journey with Contract.” 

Deshpande says the 'Survive Mumbai, Survive the World' positioning lends itself to some interesting adaptations later on. “We feel we have been able to develop an interesting property for American Tourister. This idea is imminently extendable and has longevity. The future could see us developing executions around different destinations like Rio or Shanghai or New York. The message we'd like to leave consumers with is loud and clear: No matter where your travels will take you and no matter what the world throws at you, your American Tourister luggage is ready to withstand it.”

Credit Details:

Client: American Tourister

Agency: Contract Advertising

Chief creative officer: Ravi Deshpande

Copywriter: Ravi Deshpande and Malobi Dasgupta

Art Director: Ravi Deshpande

Director:Jeff Balsmeyer

Production House:Far Productions (Jeet Surendranath)

Post Production: Prime Focus