Goodbye to old baggage

CAMPAIGN LOGIC

Placing his suitcases on the car roof, a man is all set to start his journey. A jingle that closely resembles the Sound of Music hit So long, farewell, is running in the background "" "Bye bye, bye bye... goodbye."

As he drives off, his mother stands at the window waving, while the jingle continues, "It's hard to say bye bye bye bye, goodbye."

A montage of sequences like this are used to tell the VIP suitcase story. A dog stands stock-still on seeing a young woman with a VIP suitcase.

Then, a runaway bride makes her escape, VIP bag in hand, as the jingle goes, "I'm on my way." A little boy clings to his father's leg, not letting him leave, while the jingle continues, "Darling I love you so...but I just got to go." The ad ends with a male voice-over "" "Happy journeys begin with VIP."

With its new campaign, released recently, the Rs 325- crore Blow Plast India's flagship brand, VIP, is back on television screens after a four-year absence.

It's gone in for an image makeover in the meantime "" fresh, young, hip and contemporary "" a complete contrast to the serious luggage brand of before. VIP has largely been perceived as a boring, fuddy-duddy luggage brand for most of the last 30 years.

With increasing competition from international brands in recent years, that had to change. VIP competes with Samsonite in the premium (Rs 2,500 and upward) segment and Aristocrat and Safari in the mid-priced (above Rs 1,000) segment.

Agrees Sudhir Jatia, managing director, Blow Plast India, "There was a clear need to make the brand look young and with the times. The underlying objective of the new campaign is that we want to own travel."

The changes aren't just cosmetic. Along with the ad, Blow Plast has also changed the positioning of VIP. Having nursed a melancholy brand image for years, the company has now positioned VIP on a cheerful, happy platform.

Until now advertisements for the luggage illustrated sad moments of departure: remember the emotional overtones of the powerful VIP campaign, Kal bhi, aaj bhi..., in the early 1990s? Now it's all about happy times and hence the tag line "" "Happy journeys begin with VIP."

Says R Balakrishnan, executive creative director, Lowe (the agency that created the campaign), "Though the new ad, too, captures the most critical aspect of travel "" departure "" it's presented in a happy way."

Of course, the agency had other options, too, like celebrity endorsements or expanding on what "VIP" stands for.

But, points out Balakrishnan, "We needed to own a moment where the consumer is most closely involved with luggage. And we realised that that moment is when the traveller bids goodbye. There is a happiness associated with starting a journey. By saying 'Happy journeys begin with VIP', we are tying the brand to travel. Also, the use of 'bye-bye' is something bubbly and endearing that people can easily associate with."

The change in positioning has, naturally, also led to a shift in VIP's target audience. The earlier ads targeted the 35 to 40 age group while the current campaign is focused on the 25- to 35-year-old audience.

Says Jatia, "Because the user group was 40-plus earlier, the brand looked old. With young and travelling executives as our core target audience now, we are certain that VIP will be perceived as a young and an appealing brand."

In contrast, VIP's direct competitor, Samsonite, has always targeted the young, upwardly mobile consumer.

Also, the earlier VIP ads mostly showcased the hard luggage, once again giving the brand a tough, but dull look. The new ads show soft, stylish luggage, aimed at young executives who are frequent travellers. In fact, the print ads of VIP focus on the brand's style aspect.

With an ad budget of Rs 15 to 20 crore, VIP will talk to the top-end and the mid-priced bracket customers.

While Blow Plast claims its brand currently holds a 60 per cent market share in the Rs 1,500 crore branded luggage market, the company is expecting the brand's new image and positioning will help perk up the share to 65 per cent by next year.

Blow Plast conducted extensive research before zeroing in on its new strategy. Over 40 focus groups were interviewed; the message that came through was that while the brand was trusted and reliable, it looked too old-fashioned to be bought.

And then, it was largely associated with hard luggage, which is not too appreciated by the younger generation.

"Young buyers look for glamour and style which is more distinct in the soft luggage category and therefore, we decided to showcase soft luggage in our new communication," says Jatia.