Mayan Consultants was my first foray into entrepreneurship. Mayan was the architect of the Pandavas who built the temple at Hastinapuri which was like Onida, " Owners pride and 'cousin's' envy" :) My mothers name was Maya and therefore Mayan seemed to make sense. My father was assured that as usual he had the last word on the matter, the last alphabet was in his honour the 'n' in Natesan!!
Mayan was founded on the premise of "Big Ideas Small Budgets". Big in terms of the idea and inputs given, and small in terms of what we got our clients to spend. Mayan was different in that the focus was NOT on getting the Client to spend the maximum, but the minimum. Even in 1999, I billed the client on retainer fee and called my enterprise a "Consultancy"
GOLDSTAR JEWELLERS: CONTEXT AND STRATEGY
My first major client was Sanjay Shah, the owner of Goldstar Jewellers. Sanjay wanted to launch his range of inexpensive diamond jewellery. He felt that it could be aimed at youngsters because the more mature consumer would prefer his family jeweller. It was also then decided that these would be first time users.
With Valentines round the corner it was decided to launch this line in Februrary 1999. The communication was aimed at young males (18-30) and the benefit was simply "gift the diamond , get the girl". Our estimate was that most of the affluent teenagers spent nearly Rs 500-5000 on Valentines on gifts and that getting them to invest in diamond jewellery would not be far fetched at the lower price range.
Distribution was therefore based on width. We therefore tied up with Archies which was a novelty and gifts chain. Other outlets with a similar footfall and product profile were roped in. However, to induce credibility with the customer and to ensure that off take was not affected by lack of trust, we provided an authenticity certificate with a clear indication of grammage and caratage.
Media chosen was mainline dailies in Gujarathi, Marathi and English. We went for the supplement section, which had a lot of casual readership and was popular with the young reader.
Mumbai Times, Guj Samachar, Navbharat Times, Afternoon Despatch and Courier , MidDay carried the Goldstar blitz. The off-take in a week was what we budgetted for a month!!. It also had the happy consequence that since I paid the publications directly (thanks to sanjay) and on time, my accreditation happened in 6 months!!! I was a one man agency full service agency with the highest per capita billing at that time!!!
Sanjay Shah was more than happy with the result and granted me the Aradhana Collection campaign. Aradhana was a range of gold jewellery which involved engraving of images on gold. This was customised to the extent that any photograph or image could be engraved on gold and provided to the customer within hours. This again did well with the religious use proving to be a hit. Corporate gifting was slow, since diaries and calendars were seen as appropriate and gold it was felt would be melted and used unless of course it was a medallion.
The creatives were done by Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar and Ramanuj Shastry who were working at Ogilvy & Mather at that time. They did this campaign over a weekend at my place which doubled up as my office!!
HL: If you are planning to capture her heart this Valentine’s Day, choose your weapon carefully.
BC: Whoever said that everything was fair in love and war, hadn’t seen our collection of exquisite diamond studded jewellery. Each place is designed to floor the woman of your dreams. Gift her one this Valentine’s Day and rule over her heart.
HL: They speak eloquently of your feelings to someone who leaves you totally tongue tied.
BC: If her mere presence leaves you stammering and stuttering, maybe you should pick up something for her from our collection of exquisite diamond studded jewellery. It’ll speak volumes about your love even if all you manage all evening is “Happy Day Valentines dear!”
HL: If you are thinking of giving her chocolates, may we remind you that it’s the 14th of February. Not the 14th of November.
BC: Just because you call her ‘baby’ all the time doesn’t mean you have to treat her like one. So, this Valentine’s Day, instead of giving her something juvenile, chose something special for her from our collection of exquisite diamond studded jewellery. The only trouble is, on receiving it she’ll act like a twelve year old.
HL: The lord is omnipresent. And now, so is his image.
BC: Now along with the thoughts of your deity, you can also carry the image of your deity with you. Wherever you go. Made with a break through technology which allows the photograph of your deity to be reproduced with amazing detail and clarity, each Aradhana creation is an act of faith. Now no matter where you are, you can be sure that your God is with you- his magnificent image engraved in gold.
Gold Star: ARADHANA COLLECTION
HL: And now finally a corporate gift that is worth its weight in gold.
BC: Aradhana creations. Corporate gifts that are valued and treasured. Made with a breakthrough technology which allows the photograph of your associates, your products, your logo to be reproduced on gold with with amazing detail and clarity, each Aradhana creation is a symbol of pride. Now your best wishes are always with those who matter, remembered and engraved in gold.
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ZERO-B PURIFIED WATER , FROM ION EXCHANGE.
Context and Strategy:
"People who know about water prefer Zero B" was based on the fact that among institutional buyers and those from the industry, Ion Exchange was a known entity and respected. Its technological expertise was recognized. Zero B being its brand, would enjoy the same trust and this was to be capitalized in the launch. As support to the proposition the rigorous process of purification followed by the brand was detailed in brochures and literature.
Copy was by Pushpinder Singh who now runs his own outfit, Saints and Warriors and Viren Kamdar was the Art Director. I did meet Padhi and a writer whose name fails my memory(rajesh, I think it was) who also did some work on this.
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INTERACT VISION: KIRLOSKAR AIR CONDITIONERS
In 1999 September I took up an assignment with Interact Vision. The deal was that I could continue to service my clients provided there was no conflict with IV.
Context and Advertising Strategy:
I did the Kirloskar campaign on my own since IV did not have a writer. Gautam, the Art Director who was hired from Dubai did the layouts. Kirloskar had compressors which were used by most air- conditioners. Given the popularity of their compressors ,they decided to integrate forward and provide consumers the entire package. The colour campaign was the theme and released in magazines while the black and white ads were released in dailies during the elections. This should explain the play of words "opposition", "strong, stable ", etc. The original visual had a gandhi topi on the airconditioner , but the client wanted to be politically correct and the idea was dropped.
HL: Kirloskar, Strong, Silent, Stable
BC: The quiet performer with no nakhras. Strong, stable and capable of giving you trouble- free performance for years. In fact is guaranteed to last its term and beyond. Upto Rs 10,000 off under festive buy-back scheme on any working airconditioner.
Bullets: Faster cooling, Low Power consumption, Noise Free Operation, Voltage Fluctuation Resistant
HL: For Kirloskar, there is no opposition.
BC: The one air-conditioner that understands the Indian weather. Has successfully fought the vagaries of it,for years. Silently, effectively. No wonder then that there is no opposition to Kirloskar. The winner with a clear mandate.
Bullets: Faster cooling, Low Power consumption, Noise Free Operation, Voltage Fluctuation Resistant.
HL: The man in the double breasted Versace suit looked relaxed as he stood up to speak. There was a hushed silence in the room. I settled down in my chair enjoying the cool comfort of the room. The Kirloskar hummed on silently.
BC: It is fact not fiction. Kirloskar Airconditioners have found favour in many Indian homes and offices. Quietly providing cool comfort at the click of a button.
HL: Silence hung heavy in the room. She had not finished her drink. The ice cubes still floated in it, chilled by the cool air. The Kirloskar hummed on silently.
BC: It is fact not fiction. Kirloskar Airconditioners have found favour in many Indian homes and offices. Quietly providing cool comfort at the click of a button.
Creative Route
HL: It was a hot and dusty after noon. As I stepped in, the cool air of the restaurant enveloped me. She looked up as the stillness of the room echoed my footsteps. The Kirloskar hummed on silently.
BC: It is fact not fiction. Kirloskar Airconditioners have found favour in many Indian homes and offices. Quietly providing cool comfort at the click of a button.
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Ministry of Defence:
This involved a pitch with the established provider. I did the copy and concept with art support being provided by Rajul Dhaimade. Pednekar provided the translations and artworks. These were my ex-colleagues from PSL McCann. This was an internal communication exercise and the print order was huge. It generated enough revenues to keep me going for a year in reasonable comfort and most importantly an income that was more than what I made as a Head of Business in McCann!!
Teaching assignments were took a lot of my time and I was very popular at Vivekananda, SIES, and Somaiyah. Students who passed out continue to be friends and are my biggest reward.
