Tilaknagar Industries’ Ahmed Rahimtoola on breaking barriers with ‘Welcome The Now’

In this exclusive interview with Adgully, Ahmed Rahimtoola, Chief Marketing Officer, Tilaknagar Industries, shares insights into the strategic brilliance behind Mansion House Flandy’s ‘Welcome the Now’ campaign. Celebrating World Brandy Day, this innovative campaign challenges norms in spirits marketing, fostering intergenerational connections and redefining the conversation in the industry.

How did Mansion House Flandy choose to celebrate World Brandy Day, and what is the central theme behind the ‘Welcome The Now’ campaign?

The ‘Welcome the Now’ campaign, with the launch of the Flandy music video, is a strategic move by Mansion House Flandy to leverage the significant occasion of World Brandy Day. As a leader in the brandy category, we recognize the unique opportunity to disrupt the narrative and introduce a message that goes beyond the conventional norms.

World Brandy Day serves as the perfect stage for this disruption, allowing us to redefine the conversation trend in the spirits industry.

This campaign is more than sipping a drink or a celebration; it’s a movement that encapsulates the essence of living in the present moment and fostering cross-generational connections. The central theme revolves around the belief that every moment is an opportunity to create meaningful memories and connections. ‘Welcome the Now’ is a vibrant, peppy celebration that challenges stereotypes, breaks down generational divides, and encourages individuals to embrace the spontaneity and simplicity of life.

Could you elaborate on the collaborative efforts involved in the creation of the music video, including the partners such as Big Bang Music and Collective Creative Labs?

Embarking on this voyage, the concept of inter-generational friendship was woven into reality through a refreshing music anthem & video: Tango of creativity and innovation – a seamless collaboration between StoryBoats, our strategic agency partner, and BigBang Collective, creative partner on the project. It’s not just an intergenerational friendship; it’s the magic of ‘inter-agency collaboration’, where two strategic and creative juggernauts merge their talents, each adding its unique colour to the canvas.

The result? A masterpiece that not only defines the essence of Mansion House Flandy, but also sets sail to uncharted waters in the world of brand storytelling. This isn’t just a campaign; it’s a testament to the art of collaboration, where ideas collide, sparks fly, and interagency synergy creates something truly extraordinary.

Here, Antony Rajkumar, CEO of StoryBoats, who leads the brand strategy and creative mandate for the larger Mansion House portfolio, said, “Flandy isn’t just a drink; it’s a disruptive flavour innovation in the Brandy category. We envisioned more than a conventional campaign; we conceived a movement that celebrates life, friendships, and the vibrant spirit of now. Beyond a beverage, Flandy is a catalyst for a cultural shift. This campaign is a meticulous fusion of insights, strategy, and creative direction—aimed not just at selling a product but at redefining the entire conversation in the spirits industry.”

Gaurav Wadhwa, CEO, BGBNG Music, emphasised on the campaign’s unique nature and said, “The ‘Welcome the Now’ campaign truly embodies the spirit of diverse collaboration and innovation. Bringing together a diverse pool of artists and talents for this anthem has been an inspiring journey and seeing them seamlessly come alive in the music video has been truly rewarding. We aimed for delivering a unique campaign, and I'm proud to say this anthem stands as a testament to that dedication.”

BGBNG and CCL together made a perfect ecosystem in providing the kind of impactful communication solution we were seeking for the launch of Mansion House Flandy on Digital.

BGBNG brought expertise in crafting powerful music narratives for both artists and brands, delivering innovative ideas. On the other hand, Collective Creative Labs contributed their proficiency in creative production, leveraging a diverse talent network across the country. The campaign’s strategy and concept were developed by BGBNG, followed by audio production. Collective Creative Labs played a pivotal role in bringing this vision to life, sourcing talent and executing the video production.

The campaign emphasises the power of intergenerational friendships. How does the music anthem contribute to sparking conversations, openness, and celebrating connections across different age groups?

A lot was riding on the lyrics of the song and the communication strategy of the music video. The lyrics needed to convey a strong narrative & storytelling approach to usher in an active dialogue exchange between two generations. We wanted the song to be a platform, where different perspectives, ideologies and value systems could be voiced out.

We wanted it to be representative of the issues that were both reflective & representative of today’s younger generation. Our anthem tackled causes of importance like climate change, mental health, women empowerment, gender rights, animal welfare, education along with showcasing the older generation’s belief, value system & life experiences that can help the younger generation enrich their lives.

The music video had the challenging task of visually bringing about the camaraderie, bond & equation between the two generations. The music video managed to drive home the message of harmony & co-existence through friendship & celebration being the binding thread.

There are few sections in the music video that leave you thinking…
For instance, there is this sequence where women from the younger lot are encouraging an elderly woman to display her Kuchipudi skills and her talent without being shy or having the fear of being judged. We also see a sequence where an elderly gentleman is forthcoming and excited to participate in a dance-off with a younger b-boying expert with the attempt of getting out of his comfort zone and learning new moves.

Overall, the song and the music video as key campaign assets have been able to establish the theme of Intergenerational friendship and strike a chord with our consumers.

Could you provide insights into the role of key individuals involved in the music video, such as music director Yashwanth Nag, vocalists Vedala Hemachandra and Damini Bhatia, and rap segment contributors AsurA and Nawab Gang?

We were looking for a music composer and director who could produce a glocal track keeping in mind the brand’s essence and authenticity. We wanted a track that could be an interesting mix of pop and hip-hop genre with a focus on interesting percussion instruments to bring about a local flavour all enabling us to be proud of a track that could be represented on a world music stage when the time comes.

Yashwanth, being a legacy music veteran with his experience spanning across independent and film music, was the perfect partner to do so. As for vocalists, the task was to put together a talented pool of artists, who have the versatility of representing various age groups as well as complement the kind of music composition we were set out to create.

Hemachandra and Damini were perfect fits for this campaign being stalwarts of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana music space, coupled with AsurA and the Nawab Gang, that rule the rap frenzy. We created the perfect melodious track that ticked all the boxes and had everything working for it.

In addition to the music video, the campaign involves collaboration with Telugu influencers. How do these influencers, including Arvind Krishna, Tejaswi Madivada, and Gully Boy Riyaz, add a dynamic touch to the campaign’s narrative?

One of the objectives behind the campaign was to cut through all demographics across Telangana and AP, and use influencers who apart from being popular and having a local connect could also be key opinion leaders for the brand. Arvind, Tejaswi and Riyaz really stood out for us and helped us achieve this objective with their diverse appeal.

Leveraging their social media assets as additional distribution assets and tapping into a highly engaged follower base that cumulatively stood at 7.6 million these influencers added a dynamic touch to the campaign’s narrative.

You have mentioned about the brand’s commitment to living in the present moment. How does the ‘Welcome The Now’ campaign and Flandy as a brand aim to redefine norms in spirits marketing, and what key messages does it convey?

In an industry often confined by standard communication norms, Mansion House Flandy breaks free with a disruptive and innovative approach through the ‘Welcome the Now’ campaign. Traditional spirits marketing tends to narrowly target the youth, but Flandy takes a bold step, recognising youthfulness as a state of mind.

This campaign goes beyond product; it’s a meaningful connection, resonating with the cultural truth of a generation. Flandy captures the essence of young people who, far from alienating other age groups, embrace inclusivity, open-mindedness, and a spirit of learning. It goes beyond the conventional brand talk, weaving a narrative that reflects the remarkable qualities of a generation – celebrating life, shared wisdom, breaking stereotypes, bridging divides, and cherishing moments.

‘Welcome the Now’ campaign isn’t just a toast to the present; it’s an invitation to join a movement that connects generations in a vibrant and fun way becoming a dynamic social hub, where inter-generational connections naturally flourish.