We wanted a communication like never before: Del Monte's Yogesh Bellani

Being the latest entrant in the beverage market what makes Del Monte special is the fact that they have amazing tasting products which are distinct in themselves. In a market where consumer tastes are moving steadily away from carbonated beverages towards healthier alternatives such as fruit drinks, this constitutes a big opportunity for the brand. The aim through the TVC is to leverage the unique taste and use the communication codes of "hip and cool" to communicate a simple brand truth: Taste. Like Never Before.

Another unique advantage with Del Monte fruit drinks is its packaging. Cans and PET are rapidly growing in the beverage market, as these are majorly used for on the go consumption.

Fruit drinks serve the need for indulgence as well as refreshment. Audience today is well informed and aware, challenges existing norms and embraces "newness'. While fruit drink consumption cuts across age groups, younger consumers are more frequent consumers. The consumer insight was that young consumers found fruit drinks as "cool" as fizzy drinks were a few decades ago. This insight was a statement about changing times.

Talking about the brief to Adgully, Yogesh Bellani, Business Head, Del Monte Food Business, FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd said, "The Brief was very simple ' for a range of products that are like never before , we wanted a communication like never before! Our idea was to compare the taste of Del Monte fruit drinks with unlikely people and things. So, the creative idea came from the consumer insight that when we try something new and like it a lot, we may find it impossible to describe to ourselves and others what it tastes like. It could actually be a lot easier to say what it does not taste like!We chose not to follow a standard story based commercial. We wanted to use the montage format instead. We intended to make it look like a music video, which would instantly connect with youngsters who were the core consumers of Del Monte fruit drinks."

Commenting on the TVC, Prashant Mathur, General Manager & Delhi Head, (Contract) said, "The insight set the ball rolling and ensured that we maintained the cool quotient. We wanted to make a fun commercial and did not take the phrase "it tastes like" too literally when it came to communicating the brand message'.

Yogesh Bellani, Business Head, Del Monte Food Business, FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd has this to say about the execution: "We had the option of following a story based approach but chose a montage format instead. Our objective was to arouse a curiosity and a happy feeling instead of simply imparting information about the brand and products. We'd like the consumer to connect with the TVC emotionally and be entertained by it. The simplicity of the message was amplified by the attractive characters, visuals and the foot-tapping Del Monte song'.

The song is the soul of the ad. It is peppy and catchy, reflecting energy and vibrancy with a host of adorable characters singing and dancing to the tune. The diverse characters and scenarios, make for fresh and lively visuals and their antics keep the audience engaged and arouses curiosity in the brand and the product.

The TVC has a very modern look and feel. It engages the viewer to join the party, sing-along and ultimately urges the viewer to try out Del Monte fruit drink to find out what it tastes like. The underlining message of the song sums up the communication on the beverage and the brand itself, "Taste. Like Never Before." Being high on brand imagery as well as having a strong audio track, the ad lends itself to multiple uses across media like TV, internet, OOH and Radio etc.

Commenting on the response so far, Bellani further told Adgully, "The initial response has been very encouraging with feedback coming in from the youth that the music and screenplay is very exciting and that the ad gets instantly noticed. We have been receiving requests for the song as a ring tone and have now made it into a caller tune and ring tone available with almost all operators. The ad was featured in Logo ' a program on brand and marketing on UTV Bloomberg -Del Monte has been referred to as an exciting new entrant with a unique TV campaign."

The Del Monte song was composed by Mikey McCleary, acclaimed song-writer and music composer and the film was directed by Sabal Singh Shekhawat of The Big Picture Company. | By Janees Antoo [janees(at)adgully.com]