The puppy has come to life. Calcium Sandoz, the 40-year-old calcium supplement brand for kids from Novartis, has long been synonymous with its cute ‘puppy’ packs. The company has now rolled out a television commercial which for the first time features the puppy in action — it helps a kid do his everyday tasks and activities with ease.
The film starts with a kid (Ayush of Slumdog Millionaire ) dreaming at his breakfast table about his upcoming challenges and tasks for the day. He sees himself carrying a heavy, super-sized school bag, just when the Calcium Sandoz puppy (an animated one) comes running and snuggles him. The bag becomes smaller and lighter and the kid is able to carry it effortlessly with a smile.
The next shot shows the kid trying to lift a huge cricket bat that’s almost his size when the puppy snuggles him again and the bat too becomes smaller and lighter with which he hits a six on the next ball. The shot moves to the kid’s mother emphasising the need for two tablets of Calcium Sandoz a day in addition to the regular diet. It ends with the closing phrase, “Agdam , Pagdam, Tagdam”, which the company says is a creative expression of the strength that the product delivers and hopes it to become an anthem sung after every adventure, competition and achievement.
The new commercial is a part of a brand revamp exercise that the company started last year in October when it redesigned its white and rather bland Calcium Sandoz puppy packs to look more colourful and vibrant (it added a smile to the puppy’s face) and also introduced new flavours to the brand — American ice-cream, orange and chocolate.
“The world in which children live today is quite different from what it used to be ten years ago. Kids respond to colour and there is a lot of vibrancy in their actions and expressions. The stuff on television that they watch is so much different... hence the need to revamp the product and make it more exciting. The new ad is a part of our strategy to communicate the revamped product,” says Vineet Singhal, head of Novartis’ over-the-counter business in India. “The animated puppy in the ad certainly adds vibrancy to the brand, which kids will find very appealing.”
Apart from appealing to kids, says Singhal, the ad successfully encourages mothers to address their concerns regarding their children’s calcium deficiency. “Growing kids need about 800 mg of calcium a day for strong bones, which in turns helps them to be active during the rough and tumble of life. Even milk along with milk additives may not really provide the requisite daily dosage of calcium. The ad thus also talks to mothers on the need for proper calcium supplementation (two Calcium Sandoz tablets a day).”
According to ORG-IMS, the total oral calcium market (solids) as of April 2009 is valued at Rs 265 crore. Calcium Sandoz has 13 per cent of this category. With the revamped product and the new communication, the company is eyeing to increase its market share significantly. The commercial has been created by Mudra Health and Lifestyle with Bobby Pawar and Manav Malvai as creative directors and the brand positioning is “Banaye bachon ko har din solid” (Makes kids strong everyday).