The latest commercials by Vodafone featuring Zoozoos have hit the Indian Market like a storm. They have caught attention, became popular and will now probably go into history as one of the most brilliant advertising idea for the industry. The question on every advertising manager’s mind will be “Why have they clicked?” Can there really be an answer to this!
If you look at the history of Vodafone in India, they have had a similarly succesful campaign when they were known as Hutch. The Hutch Puppy started as a small campaign, grew into a really popular one and got a lot of recognition. The Hutch Puppy probably had a decent enough brand value and now you can see a puppy being used in a lot of other ads trying to use that brand equity, which Vodafone did not care to take along.
You can never tell what will click with the masses. Sometimes the most perfectly surveyed and tested campaigns fail miserably (example the new coke campaign) and sometimes small campaigns become a rage! This campaign of Vodafone Zoozoos should get credit for all aspects! Vodafone launched the campaign during IPL, one of the most expensive times to launch a campaign on television. Vodafone made 15-30 advertisements for different services offered, which involved a decent commitment to the campaign! Plus they have taken all the right steps to make it popular both on television and online.
The advertisement also puts a question in front of other telecom companies, does having big movie stars and cricketers as their brand ambassadors really help? Can’t simple animated characters based on local theatre slim built women dressed in white costumes, called Zoozoos draw more attention? It has changed the way advertising can be done and seen! A new trend, a new wave!
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Wow, that’s a lot of hype and praise, but you still don’t seem to answer the question, why did the zoozoos click (if they have clicked at all)?
Perhaps one great aspect about Zoozoos is that they move away from the usual Celebrity advertising… This campaign, like the earlier puppy campaign is different.
However, I didn’t like all the ads, some ads when played frequently become downright irritating…
@megha – perhaps the ‘ads with a difference is one of the reasons, what say?
Creative genius coupled with smart ad strategy made the Vodafone campaign successful. To come with the Zoozoo idea, adored by all massses is a stroke of artistic genius. To back the campaign by not just one ad of its kind, but with a series of different ads, each with its distinct story ensures that novelty of visuals is ably supported with novelty in ad scripts. With this, the breaks in b/w IPL games becomes just as much interesting as the games themselves! Ads that also create anticipation in people’s minds…Whats the next cute thing Zoozoo gonna do?!
I was just reading the report on Top 100 brands in the world and they said that brands actually come out because of people. When people collectively start liking / disliking an attribute they create a brand. Zoozoos was a campaign which a particular campaign manager liked, took the risk and launched it and it has become really successful. Why did it become a success? Probably an analysis can point out the aspects which appealed to the human brain but I guess that cannot be used to recreate a campaign
Zoozoo idea indeed is good and has clicked well… but i guess its not that new . Having animated cartoon characters in ads was used by hutch itself before they used that puppy. cartoons of two cute little kids, a girl and a boy.. they were used in similar fashion, Zoozoos are being used.. in fact the score alert piece ( one in which a ball comes and hits a Zoozoo) has been used previously exactly in a similar way..
I have liked most of hutch ad work and definately the zoo thingi. We usually do the comparison between various brands. So whats different?
Believe the quantum vs quality could explain why some work and why others dont.You compare a vodafone to a reliance or a airtel..reliance is all tactical – vfm propositions- no idea being bult upon…whereas vodafone as explained puts it might behind a idea. Airtel is too lost in celebrities to think of anything else..
@Parija
Excellent argument Parija. I agree that Vodafone has built a successful theme arounds its campaign of Zoozoos. Moreover the investment they made is huge and risky but the results are also proportionate.
@Divyanshu, thanks for the comment. You are right there have been many attempts at animation but perhaps this is the most successful one.