How McDowell’s plans to tap into the celebration experience this festive season

McDowell’s No. 1 Soda recently celebrated #ForeverNo1Yaari by recreating the iconic song ‘Yaaron’ by Krishnakumar Kunnath on the occasion of Friendship Day this year and made late singer KK forever memorable in the minds and hearts of the audiences and consumers. ‘Yaaron’ is truly a tribute to everlasting friendship, putting emphasis on the importance of it in our lives.

Music lovers in Mumbai got a surprise when singing legends and KK’s friends and family members - Leslie Lewis, Shaan, Papoon, Pritam, Dhvani Bhanushali, Nakkhul and Tamara, performed live at Phoenix Market city, recreating ‘Yaaron’. KK’s unfortunate sudden death was a shock for everyone and people all over the world have expressed their grief about the untimely death of this singing superstar who has gifted many beautiful songs such as ‘Yaaron’, ‘Aashayein’, ‘Zara Sa’. ‘Tu Jo Mila’, ‘Kya Mujhe Pyar Hai’, ‘Khuda Jaane’ and many other magical songs that are evergreen.

McDowell’s No. 1 Soda has always stood up for its faith in strong bonds of friendship and time and again has come up with such ad films featuring No 1 Yaari.

In conversation with Adgully, Ruchira Jaitly, Executive Vice-President and Prestige Portfolio Head, Diageo India, said, “As a brand, we have always been an enabler of deeper connections and of meaningful friendship. The brand’s narrative has revolved around yaars and yaari that enable us to be better people and grow in life. KK’s voice provided hope, joy, and several delightful emotions to many. A huge generation had found refuge and comfort through his music.” Excerpts:

What was the vision behind recreating the song “Yaaron”?

McDowell’s No. 1 has played a role in culture as the enabler of true friendships or ‘Yaari’, and historically, we have always found ways to make key moments in the consumers’ journey in friendship come alive. Friendship Day is, therefore, that time of the year that has deep resonance with the brand purpose. This year, we had an additional task on hand. One of the most soulful voices in the music industry and one of our original Yaari Jam co-creators and collaborators passed away and we were determined to make his legacy live on. It was then that we decided to recreate the song ‘Yaaron Dosti’ with KK’s yaars and children. And while we did not want to, as a brand, overshadow the organic emotions it brought out for an entire generation, we knew we could make a meaningful contribution.

Hence, we reached out to the original composer, Leslie Lewis to bring back the best of what the song represented and also sensitively re-interpret the same for the current day. The song, of course, isn’t just a song anymore. It is a feeling, an emotion that the youth connect to, and hence, anthemic for many. The music and lyrics capture the essence of No. 1 Yaari so appropriately, that one can relive memories and moments through the emotions expressed.

Who conceptualised the idea for the recreation and the campaign? How has the response been received?

Together with our creative team at DDB Mudra, the Kommune team with Roshan Abbas and Believe, who made this happen by bringing together KK’s family and friends, this has been a conceived and executed as a tribute to KK and Yaari.

The campaign went live on August 7, 2022, the day we celebrate Friendship Day in India and subsequently also went live with a UGC led piece with the social app Moj. The initial reaction to the track was phenomenal and we were able to achieve an overall engagement of 17% and a reach of 60 million just through our YouTube and Meta channels.

The campaign as we speak has also crossed 1 billion views on Moj with over 125+ influencers recreating the song with their favourite artist. This goes on to prove that when your intent (and your heart) is in the right place, it connects with audiences.

How is McDowell’s No. 1 messaging aligning with the campaign?

As a brand, we have always been an enabler of deeper connections and of meaningful friendships. The brand’s narrative has revolved around yaars and yaari that enable us to be better people and grow in life. The track, ‘Yaaron’, has been an anthem for friends for almost 3 decades and is a must-sing in gatherings with yaars, or at reunions. It, thus, fits in perfectly with the brand’s messaging.

How is McDowell’s No. 1 leveraging the digital medium and offline platforms to promote the campaign?

As it is with every campaign that we do, the plan is always to reach out to the consumer on all accessible touch points. On Digital, we have a 4 lakh-plus subscriber base on YouTube. We also have a thriving follower base on the Meta pages (FB and Instagram) that drives the larger meaning and purpose for the brand. We also partnered with artists in this case to share the motivation behind this campaign and the meaning for the team of singers involved.

Early on, we saw the potential for a robust UGC campaign, which we brought to life with our partners Moj, which has led to the over 1 billion views in about 2 weeks since the campaign went live. This doesn’t include the incredible playing time over radio in key markets. All of this culminated with the McDowell’s No. 1 Soda’s No. 1 Yaari Jam – KK Forever concert with live audiences at Phoenix Market city in Mumbai on KK’s birthday on August 23, making it a total 360-degree campaign lasting the entire month of August, celebrated as the season of yaari.

What is the story that #ForeverNo1Yaari wants to communicate to the audience?

Reimagining the youth anthem on Friendship Day is the perfect time for all yaars out there to come together and relive all those beautiful memories they have created over the years. ‘Yaaron Dosti’ is a cult classic that has defined friendship for an entire generation and continues to for many even now. Not many songs go on to become cult tracks like this one, but the intent and emotions were meaningful across generations of listeners, and people instantly felt the connection.

How does the name of the campaign align with the campaign messaging?

KK’s voice provided hope, joy, and several delightful emotions to many. A huge generation had found refuge and comfort through his music. We at McDowell’s No. 1 Soda wanted to recreate the feeling, comfort, and magic of music through KK’s legendary hits and hence, curated this special campaign that is called #ForeverNo1yaari, that not only celebrates his legacy, but also the long-lasting bonds of yaari that we share with our yaars.

What are the other campaigns by McDowell’s No. 1 to be seen in the future?

We are delighted that this campaign has been well received and we cannot wait to present what we have in plan through the next couple of months, as our consumers start to come out of a long pandemic and start to reconnect in person with friends. We are evaluating bringing back some of our flagship properties and creating new IPs that will help reach out to the discerning consumer who is looking to transition to a better celebration experience this festive season.