Cafe Coffee Day eyes category ownership; kicks off 'Sit down-ism' in first TV commercial

Two months after it ventured into print media advertising, Cafe Coffee Day has released its first TV commercial.

Created by Creativeland Asia, the film portrays youngsters shunning the idea of 'standing up' for every issue. They decide to spread a new culture, a new 'ism': 'Sit down-ism'. The bottom line remains that a lot can happen over coffee; the commercial urges the audience to 'sit down' with a cup and have that conversation, whatever it is about.

K Ramakrishnan, president - marketing, Cafe Coffee Day, said, "Our research suggests that 50 per cent of our target consumers in the top six metros - in the 17 to 35-year age group - haven't been to a cafe. It's surprising data which suggests that the glass is half empty or only half full as yet."

Ramakrishnan added that TV was essential as a medium to grow the category and correct the perception of cafes among the consumers who haven't been to a cafe yet. On the 'Sit Down' idea, he said, "It will help us in communicating that the cafe culture is very much part of Indian lifestyle. People have had their first dates, their break-ups and even their interviews at a cafe."

Sajan Raj Kurup, founder and creative chairman, Creativeland Asia, said, "We have beeen toying with this (Sit down) idea for close to a year and a half. Cafe Coffee Day has around 1400 outlets across the country now and this was a good time to introduce this idea to consumers. It lends a deeper meaning to the cafe culture and makes Cafe Coffee Day symbolic of cafe culture in India."

In a statement on the new film, Kurup explained the genesis of the idea thus: "We wanted Cafe Coffee Day's first ever TVC to be a little more than an advert. Something that Cafee Coffee Day-goers identify with. Something that is effortless and not trying to hard. Something that is neither too
heavy nor too frivolous. In the whole idea of Sit-down, we eventually found all these and more."

The film integrates social media in good measure; it features youngsters in a cafe sharing their videos on YouTube, posting on Facebook, et al. Kurup explained, "Today, socialising is about meeting people offline as well as online. You have a tendency of posting your offline actvities on social media. With this film, we were careful to show both these aspects."

The campaign will be on air till end-January 2013. After evaluating its impact, the coffee chain will decide on whether TV should become a permanent part of its media plan. The current campaign will air on music, movie and news channels keeping the core target group in mind - and not on GECs.

Unplugged moments:

Kurup disclosed that the team wrote 80 to 90 scripts before they finally arrived at the idea of 'Sit down'. The sound track was born out of a tune that Kurup was humming at 1 am when Mikey McCleary and he were trying to think of a tune that was basic and catchy. The film was shot across different CCD outlets and had about 90 people appearing in front of the camera. These included a few people from the agency and the client's side as well. The shoot lasted seven days and the post production over a month. "The video was edited by seven different people, four of which were amateur editing students," he added.

Credits:

Client: Cafe Coffee Day
Agency: Creativeland Asia
Production house: Equinox Films 
Director: Ram Madhvani
Media agency: Madison Media