Global Briefs
HSBC
JWT London + Singapore
Faced with intense criticism and scrutiny during the banking crisis, HSBC wanted to lay the groundwork for a fresh start. Using simple, relevant & engaging storytelling, we returned to the core values of the brand - "Integrity & Responsibility". The two films were broadcast around the world and quickly became one of the most talked about campaigns of 2009.
Shell
JWT London + Singapore
A simple brief that quickly became one of the toughest ever - something on the lines of "a powerful demo that establishes product superiority without a doubt." We finally came up with an equally simple, yet seemingly impossible to execute, solution. A real-life transparent car that actually shows how the lubricant works inside the engine. What you finally see here is not CGI, but an actual 3D model of a car made in clear perspex and bonded with special UV-glue.
Shell
JWT London + Singapore
One of the 3 globally released films as part of Shell's Let's Go initiative to showcase its move to clean energy solutions, "Kim" was scripted as a young-at-heart, bring-a-smile-to-your-face piece that celebrates the Malay & Singaporean emotional landscape.
Lux
JWT Singapore + India
A dream brief: the first-ever brand endorsement by the newly wed celebrity couple, Aishwarya Rai & Abhishek Bacchhan. We decided to keep it simple and answer the prayers of a million fans. Give them a glimpse of the very private life of Bollywood's royalty.
Brand Launches
MakeMyTrip.com
Before MakeMyTrip, India had never imagined booking flights and hotels online. The brand had to be built on a simple, yet powerful premise that would inspire confidence and demonstrate ease. The idea of Wish Click Go resonated with the country and subsequent research found high recall of the brand promise.
For the launch campaign, we decided to make their offer the hero - "Lowest Price Guaranteed." Using disruptive storytelling we created the most memorable TV Commercial of the year, and which very interestingly set the tonality of communication for most web startups that followed later.
Monster India
As a late entrant, Monster.com needed a disruptive campaign with a message that would resonate with millions of Indian job seekers. We created an integrated campaign around the idea of "Caught in the wrong job", and it sure did catch the imagination of the nation.
Aircel
A Love Story in Eleven Tongues
Aircel, a newcomer in the fiercely competitive cellular services market, wanted to reach out and connect with people in Tier 2 & 3 cities across India. An honest & transparent brand personality was crafted, promising consumers a different kind of cellular provider. One that doesn't fudge bills, drop calls or overcharge minutes.
As it aggressively entered one new regional territory each week, we greeted consumers with a simple line - "It's a Promise". Translated in eleven regional languages, the Aircel Vaada Raha campaign was widely talked about in media, and even spoofed online! With the promise came simple product features (that were revolutionary for the time) - flat calling rates, free SMS, uninterrupted voice calls, lowest data rates etc.
Within a year of launch, Aircel became the most trusted cellular brand in India and the country's second most loved cellular brand.
My Baby
The Horlicks Portfolio
I took over the entire Horlicks bandwagon of seven brands in 2005. In just over a year, Junior Horlicks, Horlicks & Horlicks Lite had a 4x increase in mindshare, Chocolate Horlicks beat Bournvita to the number 1 spot, and new entrants Women's Horlicks & Mother's Horlicks became the fastest growing brands in their category.
I built Exams ka Bhoot as an iconic property for the brand that survives till date, catapulting exam-time consumption of the product every year. Epang Opang Jhapang is still an anthem for kids in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerela & Andhra Pradesh. While all packaging innovations developed under my direction are still in active use by the brand.
The nutrition of vegetables with the goodness of chocolate. We stripped the film of any extra information, keeping it visually disruptive with simple, direct messaging. The film ran for over a year and worked wonders for the brand.
We spoke directly to Moms frustrated with their kids' seasonal obsession with a single food item. The simple and memorable message worked wonders for the brand and drove up sales dramatically. The "Chowmein kothaye" (Where is the chowmein?) kid became as popular as the Rasna girl in Bengal.
A cute, little spot introducing the delicious new packaging for Junior Horlicks. This was an instant hit on Pogo & Cartoon Network. We used the super addictive Pingyaon pingyaon theme song for radio spots, playschool activations and fun games.
Award-winning work
Diet Pepsi
McDonald's Home Delivery
Spice Mobile Phones
This might need some explanation. Created right before the smartphone era, this campaign celebrates the crystal clear display of Spice phones. The ads were put up as massive outdoor hoardings and also pushed out as double-spread print ads.
Philips Genie CFL
Scripted & voiced by me, this was a critically as well as commercially successful campaign.
Hero 360° BMX
McDonald's - Now in Lucknow
All three spots written and voice-acted by me.
Other Work
Nokia Ovi Singapore
A film that takes customers on a journey through the connected world of Ovi. This was played on loop inside Nokia signature stores in Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia.
Timex
The idea was to reinvigorate the Timex brand with a high-fashion, lifestyle led communication.
SBI Cards - Yuvraj Singh
Sprite - Dil Saaf Hona Chahida
When Sprite's national campaign "Clear hai" failed to resonate with the youth in Delhi, Haryana & Punjab, we tried a quirky approach. I wrote, composed & sang a Punjabi hip hop song which we then took across radio, college festivals & special events. Over a short 2 month blitz activity, the youth caught on to Sprite's intended messaging and metrics of the mainstream campaign improved. Chak de phatte!
And here are the cheesy lyrics I penned:
Ambale di kudi ya Canada di mem
Dil hai saaf toh all the same
Punjabiyon tey dil vich rehnda hai woh
Dil ko khol ke galla dasda jo
Toh karo woh dil jo boley
Dil saaf hona chahida