ITC recreates memories of school with Classmate notebooks

ITC has rolled out an ad campaign for its line of school notebooks that has been conceptualised by Rediffusion Y&R.

The film is a collection of instances of kids enjoying lighter moments in school beginning with a young girl who falls asleep on her notebook; a young boy asking his chemistry lab partner on a date; and another boy entertaining his friends on the staircase with a flipbook he made himself.

The film cuts to a shot of a student stumped during an exam followed by two classmates playing X’s and O’s in a notebook very nonchalantly trying hard not to attract their teachers attention. As they pass the book around, unfortunately they are caught.

The film then shows few shots of younger children enjoying some finger painting as the film ends with a shot of a little girl writing in her notebook as a voice over says, “Classmate. India ki number one selling notebook” (Classmate. India’s number one selling notebook).

Chand Das, CEO, ITC ESPB, said, “It has been Classmate's constant endeavour to offer consumers superior products at affordable prices. A pioneer in producing quality notebooks, Classmate has always been the consumers' ally in their pursuit of academic excellence. With this new commercial, we have attempted to reaffirm the faith that millions of consumers have placed in us that has helped Classmate become the No 1 notebook brand in India. Through a unique montage narrative, we have tried to showcase how the brand is much more than a mere notebook. Our brand is a reservoir of memories — wonderful memories of school days, one of the most cherished times of our lives.”

Chraneeta Mann, Rediffusion, national creative director- regional added, “We decided to cut it a little different from the typical performance oriented communication that tends to be the norm when it comes to notebooks. The idea was to show the Classmate notebook as more of a confidante. The notebook that is privy to everything that a child’s life is about. He could be studying, or just doodling or even writing a cheeky note to a friend, whatever be the content, the notebook when glanced at should reveal what the year has been to the child who has written between its covers. We wanted to capture everything that school time is about and let the notebook be a mirror to that.”