Ride your attitude

CAMPAIGN LOGIC

TVS tries reverse psychology in its ads for the Apache.

Unkind critics have dismissed it as the TVS Apache music video. As it happens, the television commercial for Chennai-based TVS Motor's new 150-cc bike does seem rather full of music, but it's more of an anthem than a jingle. The 20-second ad begins with a shot of an airplane hangar; the doors slide apart to reveal the Apache.

A young man kickstarts the bike "" and the ad. As he and his friends speed on past other men wheeling prams and getting yelled at by their bosses and wives, middle-aged men dressed in monkey caps look on enviously.

The jingle resounds: "Thoda hi hai age gap, phir bhi pehne monkey cap. Aaj tumhare saath jawaani, karlo jo chahe man maani. It's now or never. Bacche kacche, raashan paani, kal hogi yahi kahaani. Ghar se office, office se ghar, boss ka darr, biwi ka darr. It's now or never."

Conceived by ad agency McCann Erickson, the commercial's been on air for some weeks now "" and has generated considerable debate online. It's not just because of the jingle, though. Overspeeding and showing young men revving up their engines and being disrespectful of their olders and betters also has many Indian viewers up in arms.

But TVS Motor Company probably doesn't mind the controversy "" anything that generates interest in its new bike must be welcome. After all, the Apache is TVS' renewed attempt at meeting Bajaj Auto head-on in the 150-cc engine segment of the motorcycle market.

That's a market so dominated by Bajaj's Pulsar that other bikes end up as mere footnotes. TVS's earlier performance bike, the Fiero, too, met a similar fate when it was launched a few years ago.

With the Apache, TVS is determined to get things right from the beginning. A big grouse against the Fiero was its lack of style "" in fact, that's a complaint common to all TVS offerings. Not the Apache, though.

Working on the learning that appearance and styling are critical components in the performance bikes segment, TVS made sure the Apache, at least, wouldn't be found wanting. An all-new chassis and six-spoke black alloy wheels have ensured it earns a high style quotient among most bike enthusiasts, and awards from three motoring magazines (including Bike of the Year from BS Motoring).

All performance bikes, whether it's the Pulsar, Honda's Unicorn, or Hero Honda's Achiever, are targeted firmly at younger buyers (those between 18 and 25 years), and the Apache is no exception. But there is a difference, claims TVS.

Says Prasad Narasimhan, vice president, marketing, TVS Motor Company, "We believe that the Pulsar already has the overtly male, macho and mean machine image. Hence, we have tried to position the Apache as a lean, athletic fun machine expressing youthfulness and liberation."

However, the positioning wasn't arrived at by differentiation alone. TVS claims that its decisions are well supported by research. In the second quarter of 2005 "" six months before the launch of Apache "" TVS Motor began researching the market in an attempt to identify need gaps and category motivations prevailing in the segment.

After speaking to 400-500 respondents chosen from 25 cities across India, the company found that young college students and those who have just graduated felt the need for a young, playful brand. The Apache's positioning was decided, and so was the tone of communication with the target audience: tongue in cheek and slightly irreverent.

"When addressing the youth, you have to be slightly over the edge," agrees Narasimhan, "or you risk going unnoticed."

To ensure that didn't happen, TVS called several leading ad agencies to make a pitch for the Rs 8-10 crore account. McCann Erickson's "Now or never" campaign seemed the best fit and the TV ad was promptly shot over a week in Mumbai and parts of Rajasthan.

Media buying agency Madison then took charge and booked spots of channels that have a clear youth positioning, such as MTV, Channel [V], VH1 and Ten Sports.

Points out Dileep Ashoka, senior vice president and general manager, south, McCann Erickson, "The Apache is targeted at the collective consciousness of the group of youngsters who are upbeat, optimistic and living in the moment. It is a position that plays off sharply against the mindset that we call "born old". The brand is building its appeal by saying who it is 'not' for, rather than saying who it is for."

Which is not to say TVS isn't reaching out to potential buyers. Promotions and contests form a significant part of the Apache's marketing exercise. TVS has tied up with TV channels for joint promotions "" on offer are free tickets to the Moto GP in Australia (in association with Ten Sports) and a round trip to Egypt (through National Geographic).

The company has also undertaken a branding exercise through Cafe Coffee Day "" it is displaying its banners and table top leaflets at the coffee chain's outlets across the country.

The television commercial will go off air this month, to make room for an extended print campaign "" all the major national English dailies and some regional papers in Tamil Nadu will be covered. A second TVC will kick off in September.

Meanwhile, TVS already has glow signs and an outdoor campaign in place. Edgy one-liners juxtaposed with images of the Apache are on hoardings in close to 25 cities across India: "Do what older guys can't. Ogle publicly" and "Flirt now. Or you'll grow up to be a dirty old man".

The campaign has been extended to bus shelters, too, in cities like Pune and Delhi: "In a few years, girls will get up to offer you a seat" and "Watch every girl on this bus. Soon your wife will be watching you".

If it helps sell the Apache, TVS could very well have a new anthem: Now. Not Never.

WHO DID WHAT
Client: TVS Motor Company
Agency: McCann Erickson
Creative: Prasoon Joshi
Client servicing: Sonal Devraj