Nerolac sings its old jingle with a new flavour

Nerolac Paints has evolved with the changing consumer needs and technology. A range of functional products has now taken centre stage in Nerolac’s scheme of things. This innovative approach reflects in its marketing communication as well.

It has always been known for creating ads with a high recall value. A major milestone was the ‘Kuch change karein, chalo paint karein’ campaign that accompanied the launch of Healthy Home Paints range. This has been followed by a series of ads over the past few years that have taken the route of product and brand specific innovations. TVCs that communicated the significance of Low VOC products introduced by Nerolac or the breakthrough technology of High-Definition paints through Impressions HD range are good examples of it.

While from the time Shahrukh Khan became their brand ambassador, Nerolac’s ads have been largely personality driven, Diwali ad is different. Though SRK is a part of the campaign, the story revolves around a family. Another interesting change is return of the Nerolac jingle – though a bit pacier than before, keeping its current target audience into consideration.  Anuj Jain Director, Decorative Paints, Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited elaborates, “In the past few years, Nerolac advertisements have focused on explaining and conveying our breakthrough technological advances and product innovations. The new ad campaign deviates from this, re-establishing the emotional connect that we have had with our consumers. Hence, we have decided to leverage this opportunity to strengthen our emotional connect with consumers. We are certain that the jingle will evoke feeling of nostalgia when a consumer thinks of getting the house painted during this upcoming festive season and hereafter. So it just felt right to have a new version of the jingle, celebrating the feeling of ‘family,’ this festive season.”

Consumers today see paint as a key element, a backdrop against which they map out new home décor. Adults as well as children proactively participate in choosing colour combinations and themes for their home. The ad visuals and feel have thus been created keeping in mind the holistic family approach to painting, while retaining the nostalgic feel. Anuj Jain elaborates on the target group at length, “Over the years market research has revealed that our target audience has remained fairly constant i.e. Males from 25 to 44 years. It is interesting to note however that the engagement of the consumer and the role of influencers in the paint selection and buying process has undergone a tremendous change. This new consumer, conscious of global trends and one who consults his family, is a growing as an integral part of our Target Audience.”

Shahrukh Khan with his family appeal and charismatic personality adds to the brand appeal as well as to the communication’s reach. Anuj Jain explains, “He has been our brand ambassador for the past five years and we continue to value our association with him. He definitely brings his charm and enthusiasm to all that he does.  In addition Shah Rukh Khan is a well-recognized celebrity with a mass appeal. This is a key factor since we have a brand footprint across the Indian subcontinent.”

Essence of the ad campaign, just like its jingle has been modified keeping with trends. While the earlier ads focused on joy the family felt in getting the house transformed, the new campaign gives equal importance to technology behind the products. Anuj Jain states, “Recognizing the increased involvement of the family in selecting paints and themes for their home as a key way to redecorate we have made available ‘Celebration Boxes.’ The boxes have Style Guides with insights on the latest global trends, and their adaptations for Indian homes.”

In sync with the festive mood across the country and focus on distinct festivals in different regions, parallel campaigns too have been launched in certain states. One such campaign called ‘Shera Para Shera Pujo’ has been launched to celebrate Durga Puja this year.

Social media too has been well used. Nerolac launched an interesting campaign on the digital as ‘Impressions HD Story’. Here consumers were invited to share their photograph against their walls newly painted with Impressions HD paint, and to describe how the use of HD paint has enriched their lifestyle. The new ad too was first launched on YouTube and has already been seen by one lac plus viewers. Anuj Jain believes that digital is a powerful medium and can be used in many different ways. He explains, “The digital medium holds a lot of promise for the paint industry as a whole. Content marketing, colour trends and themes are two avenues that we are promoting on our digital platforms apart from our TVCs. Largely our communication positioning is the same, the implementation/ execution of this will vary basis the platform.  The initiative on digital has helped to build credibility as consumers were sharing real experiences through this platform. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised to find a few celebrity testimonials as well.”

The brand seeks to continue and strengthen its bond with the consumer through its product offering and consumer engagement activities. Anuj Jain concludes, “Consumers associate Nerolac with family and festive occasions. This brand philosophy of Nerolac extends through both our creatives and our product offerings. Our Healthy Home Paints range ensures that painting today is a safer and healthier that it was in the past. This is the sentiment that we continue to convey through the new Jingle and Ads as well, as it is equally relevant today, if not more, than it was 20 years back.”

zeba@adgully.com