Second hand product has a lot of memories: RajDeepak Das

One of the top players on the e-commerce platform Olx India rolled out an interesting initiative on the Independence Day themed #Dastaan (Story when translated in English). Through this initiative the brand is looking for a simple theme of telling beautiful stories.

Olx has been celebrated as a website which promises to take you back to your most prized memories – a trip down the memory lane but only in happy lanes. In keeping with this mandate of Olx, Leo Burnett has conceptualised the new initiative #Dastaan in keeping the emotional factor of Olx intact. The campaign promises to capture the lost memories and emotions behind the most loved possession and to bring it back from across the border.

Reflecting upon this new initiative RajDeepak Das, Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett India, says “We are doing real life stories…we are trying to capture beautiful moments, and how things are changing people's life. If you look at it, Olx always talks about second hand things. There is much more to a product than just being second hand. We usually talk about it from the seller’s point of view. This time, however, we worked on it from the buyer’s point of view. We actually realised it when you are buying something you are buying a lot of nostalgia with it.

Olx campaign has always focused on emotionally woven stories. Steering clear of making it a right brain or left brain campaign, the agency has focused on beautiful moments. RajDeepak explains, “See we have not tapped into emotions, we have tried to make people go back to their most memorable moments. We have reunited them with their memories.  It's not rational actually, there is always going to be two different sentiments attached with a product which you are buying. As it is not something that is made in China, you are buying a product which has got a lot of story to it. When you buy a comic book there are two stories one is the story within the book while the other is the story that you have with it. What could be better than giving back a memory which people had left behind in 1947 and moved to different border?  There are a number of interesting stories that you can get out of it. Olx is the top site in both Pakistan and India and we can get something beautiful out of it.”

The campaign is buzzing on social media and the brand as well as the agency is thrilled about it. RajDeepak is excites, “It is one if the best initiatives that we have done. Without spending a huge sum of money, the kind of response we are getting is just brilliant. Our watchable and shareable ratios are very high.”

The initiative told in a poetic version has tried to capture the timeless stories of the 1947 divide. The background scores are nostalgic, largely classical or semi classical and would have a definite connect with a certain age group. However, RajDeepak insists that it is the emotional quotient of the background score that is providing the campaign a youth connect. He says, “Today’s youth want to look at something they can watch, share and talk about. We are actually giving them something to be entertained and to be shared and we are giving them these through the beautiful timeless stories.  Stories are about grandson trying to do something for their grandfather etc. It is a beautiful initiative and I hope it connects each and every one.”

And the challenges – there sure were hurdles as it is a cross border story. RajDeepak smiles, “It is a massive challenge. The initiative was done in Pakistan and India at the same time.  The challenge was to websites in both countries doing the same thing at the same time. Objective is to get people emotional about the product and also sharing of the product because the communication has to work in both the countries.”

zeba(@)adgully.com