‘The idea of the sequel came from Bollywood’: Vivek Nayer

Like the most successful Bollywood films, Mahindra Adventure's 'Live Young, Live Free' campaign in 2012 created a genre unto itself, leading the brand to release a sequel this week, according to Vivek Nayer, CMO, of the company's automotive division.

“The first time we rolled it out, it was one of our most successful campaigns," Nayer told Campaign India. "People loved it and appreciated it. The thought to create a sequel came from Bollywood. A good film creates a certain genre of its own and then a sequel follows. We’ve seen that with series like Don, Dhoom and more. The tweets we’ve received say it all. We believe, we started as a song and now it’s an anthem. It started as an ad, now it’s a way of life.”

What’s different?

Between now and the last film, Mahindra had rolled out new models such as the TUV300, KUV100, and new variants of the established Thar, Scorpio and XUV500, the result of which was this film. Nayer explains, “On social media, some people said that why don’t you get a new one, for the new products that were launched.”

Nayer revealed that Mahindra and the agency (FCB Interface) were wary about what to carry forward from the first film, and what to add.

“The portfolio of brands worked well, and so we carried that forward," he said. "The tough rugged DNA also was carried forward, along with the idea of road trips and road travel with fun and adventure. The inspiration of the ‘Live Young, Live Free’ song remained with aspirational locations too. We wanted to add novelty too with newness. We added the new products like the TUV100 and the KUV along with the refreshed Scorpio, Thar and XUV500. We added locations like the North East and Rajasthan too. The first film saw a storyline of people getting together for a reunion. This time it’s as if the ‘live young, live free’ movement has spread across the country and people are living these moments wherever they are. They are rendering their own versions of the song. The music genres are different for each region too.”

The film which released on social media, will have a shorter edit for television and is scheduled to release in a couple of weeks, Nayer said.

Mahindra has also rolled out a ‘Live Young, Live Free’ app which unites like-minded people and helps them plan road trips. People can share their trips as tips for others. The app has been created by Hungama Digital Services.