Sodhiji, a middle-aged Sikh played by brand ambassador Aamir Khan, is driving his car and criticising the hype around cricket. Making matters worse is Tata Sky’s superior picture clarity which makes TV viewing addictive. He complains that while he stands in queues to pay bills, his son watches cricket on Tata Sky.
Upon seeing someone on the road, Sodhiji hands over the Tata Sky set top box and drives off. At home, his visibly upset son whines that someone stole their box. With a smirk on his face, Sodhiji tells his son it was bound to happen with a product like Tata Sky.
What could easily be misunderstood as negative publicity for the direct-to-home brand is actually an attempt at reverse psychology. “Viewers are very sharp and our creativity has paid off so far,” says Tata Sky Chief Marketing Officer Vikram Mehra. The brief given to the company’s agency of six months, O&M, was to reinforce the real fun that comes with the digital experience and to build the relevance of picture quality with cricket.
What prompted the company with around five million subscribers to launch this campaign? It was cricket, cricket and more cricket. “With IPL in full swing and the T20 World Cup around the corner, everyone wants to upgrade TV viewing. This is the right time for the overall experience to go up,” explains Mehra.