Campaign: XUV500 fascinating stories
Brand: Mahindra XUV500
Company : Mahindra & Mahindra
Agency: Interface Communication
The Campaign
The ad was shot in Thailand with an Australian director and a global team from 19 countries. The ad opens with a young man scared of eating carrots because of a strange experience in the past. He shares with his friends, the story of being lured by a bevy of beautiful women in the jungle for a bath. However, reality soon hits him when he realises that he has become an ingredient for their carrot soup. Finally,fortune smiles on him when one of the women falls for the man and escapes with him in the XUV500. The escape segment highlights the speed, features, energy and looks of the car. The commercial ends with a voiceover: May your life be full of stories. The cheetah inspired XUV500.
Our Take
During the first phase of XUV500’s launch in October 2011, M&M had received more than 8,000 bookings in 10 days across 5 cities. It has received more than 25,000 booking applications for the second phase. It will now undertake a draw since the number of applications have exceeded 7,200 in the second phase. So the ad’s job was to take the brand story beyond that.
The campaign revolves around the concept that consumers today are seeking diverse experiences and discoveries that enrich their lives. XUV500 is a global SUV so all the actors and locations are aligned to the idea but the global audience has been exposed to some of the best creative landscape and whether this ad appeals to them remains doubtful. The product doesn?t have a tagline but a wish line -?May your life be full of stories?.
The whole idea of telling stories is not new but the storyline here is quite convoluted involving a lot of characters ? the prey, carrots, hunger, hungry women, guy escaping and the woman coming back to the restaurant. The woman coming and saying ?I am hungry? at the end of the film makes it all the more confusing. The film fails to establish a connect and the viewers remain confused as to what the brand is trying to point out. The commercial concentrates on the man and not the product. However, the ad does justice to the stylish looks of the car with its sense of adventure, breaking the monotony of traditional automobile advertising. It could have been clutter breaking if the idea had been executed in a simple manner. Whether the campaign will go a long way in promoting the brand remains questionable but there is no doubt that Mahindra and Mahindra has delivered a great product backed by great pricing. Wish the ad too had been equally captivating.