Reliance Telecom bets on ‘non stories’ for promoting CDMA handsets and Netconnect

Reliance Telecom has unveiled three new TVCs for promoting their Netconnect service and CDMA handsets. The campaign aims to dispel the myth that CDMA handsets are low value and functional with neither a range to choose from nor features to make them interesting. The films draw on real insights and build entertaining stories around them. This is the first set of films from Reliance post the account moving to Grey.  

“The new communication is born off insights that resonate. That’s why every interaction with the brand will make a connection and build an overriding feeling that this brand is tuned into his way of life,” said, Mithun Roy, vice president-director client services, Grey.

 “These films don’t have any big or clever story. They are just regular incidents that may have happened to any of us. Hence the acting, casting, etc. has been kept extremely natural. We’ve kept away from typical advertising crutches like over the top acting and attention grabbing background scores,” added Amit Akali, national creative director, Grey. 

According to Malvika Mehra, national creative director, Grey, “They are ‘non stories’ and more ‘situations’ that happen to people in their everyday lives. Even the treatment by Ram Madhvani, with very little or no music is very stark and real, almost like a video clip from someone’s life. We want people to look at communication on Reliance and say ’Hey, that’s happened to me.” 

Commenting on the film, Rohit Malkani, executive creative director and head of Grey Mumbai, said, “This is yet another film in the genre of the ‘non-story’. Every one of us has been in a similar situation, jostling to be the first one to exit a plane. The film merely mirrors a scene from our lives and dovetails it beautifully with the product. A simple, real and compelling way of bringing the product promise alive”  

The first CDMA film opens on a family in a car out for a weekend lunch. The enthusiastic father starts off a ‘tremor’ in the car by suggesting they have ‘Chinese’ for lunch. The pesky younger daughter disagrees vehemently and demands for pizza, the grandmother who has just broken her fast, is petulant; the mother tries to make peace with her suggestions while the elder daughter sulks. Finally, in exasperation the father turns to a little girl who is clearly the younger daughter’s friend and asks her to choose since she is the guest. The poor girl is put in a spot as a voice kicks in explaining how we all have our own preferences, which is why Reliance has the widest choice of CDMA handsets. 

The second CDMA film features two friends in a store, picking out clothes. The slim friend looks at himself in the mirror and says “I need to hit the gym”. To his amusement his fat buddy asks him to join his gym, even though he has never really visited it himself. He goes on to explain how he paid a one-time fee and got gym facilities, sauna, massage, Tai Chi classes etc. As he drones on and on, a voice kicks in and explains how we can’t resist an offer when it’s heavily loaded with lots extra. Which is why a Reliance CDMA handset comes loaded with features. 

The Netconnect film opens in an aeroplane that has just landed. In a scene that we all know too well, the air hostess has scarcely begun to make the mandatory announcements about keeping seatbelts locked and not using mobile phones that people begin to stand up, switch on their phones and open overhead lockers. As the ‘crowd’ jostles for space and makes their way to the front, we see a young female executive pushing her way through and bumping into the Purser. At this point a VO kicks in introducing the Reliance Netconnect broadband product saying ‘Because we know you’re always in a hurry…’ Linking the superfast speeds on the Data dongle with the constant hurry that we all seem to be in.  

Credits:

Agency: Grey

Client: Reliance Telecom 

Creative:National

creative directors: Amit Akali and Malvika Mehra

Executive creative directors: Rohit Malkani and Karan Rawat

Pallavi Chakrabarti

Aarati Kakkad 

Servicing:Mithun Roy

Amarendra Singh

Nitin Goyal

Rumi Behramkamdin

Sumiran Chaudhry

Aditya Kaushik 

Planning:Shweta Khosla

Aunkita Dey 

Films Department:Samir Chadha

Sharad Shinde 

Production House:CDMA - Equinox

Netconnect - Footcandles 

Director:

CDMA Films: Ram Madhwani

Netconnect Film: Aiyappa