Hrithik Roshan turns Pied Piper for Reliance Mobile

 

"Our task was to communicate the simplest tariff plan ever in a memorable and larger than life manner," said D Ramakrishna (Ramki), creative director, when asked about the brief given to the agency.

 

Watch the commercial below:

 

 

 

The TVC begins with a man looking crestfallen at a 'members only' sign, while a young boy is disheartened by an 'extras charged' sign. Similarly, a girl is upset with a 'conditions apply' board. They are all mobile phone customers. Hrithik Roshan is watching all their disappointed faces, and begins whistling a tune to attract all the irritants, which in turn, begin to turn into mice. Hrithik, too, acquires a flute, and begins leading all the mice to a cliff in true 'Pied Piper' style, where they begin jumping off, thus leaving the Reliance Mobile consumers happy.

 

"This plan rids the mobile customer's world of all its irritants - hidden charges, special tariff vouchers, STD charges, roaming charges, uncertain charges... They are not unlike the rats in Hamelin. That's where the Pied Piper theme came from," Ramki explains.

 

When asked how difficult it was to reflect the 'Pied Piper of Hamelin' in a positive light, he said, "With Hrithik dancing, some delightful music, unusual animation and the general joy that comes from the 'liberation', it was not difficult to brighten up the tale."

 

Ramki says, that the campaign stems from the consumer insight that mobile users can't be impulsive and happy if they are dogged by uncertainty about what they are paying for their calls and SMSes.

 

With a media mix comprising TV, print, outdoor, radio and PoS, the film has been shot by Abraham Cherian of MAD. The creative team that has worked on this campaign includes Ramki, Arthur, Nadeem, Atin, Shaun Kiran Waval, Sourabh and Sachin.