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Nirmal Menon

THIS ad campaign could be a case study of using celebrity endorsement to bolster an industry that succumbs to the fear factor.

January 2004, the poultry industry pressed the panic button. The reason: outbreak of Bird Flu in some Asian countries. Consumption of chicken here dropped by 30-40 per cent. The industry lost more than Rs 1,000 crore. All this happened when not a single case of bird flu was reported in India.

However, though sales came back to normal levels later, the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) decided to proceed with the campaign to promote the consumption of chicken. Anuradha Desai, Chairperson, NECC, said, "Still, as a matter of promotion, we decided to take up the campaign. The brief was to project the Indian chicken in its true form, i.e. healthy, hygienic and absolutely safe to eat."

The strategy was to draw the attention of TV viewers. To create distinct mindspace against the clutter of ads that TV channels relay, and to communicate the message in an appealing manner, celebrity endorsement is one of the most effective ways to get the message across, Ms Desai said.

Ogilvy & Mather Advertising was roped in to revive the brand equity that Indian chicken once commanded. The creatives, including print and television commercials, were executed by Pushpinder Singh, Sagar Mahabaleshwarkar and Abhijit Karandikar. The 40-second TV commercial was shot by Sumantro Ghoshal of Equinox films.

Pushpinder Singh, Senior Creative Director, O&M, said, "It is not so much about the quality of chicken as it was about the long-term vision of the chicken and poultry industry. Hence the baseline `Indian chicken fitam fit' - the Hinglish interpretation to `Indian chicken is healthy.'

"The storyline for the TV commercial revolves around a visibly flummoxed animated rooster being charged with spreading the disease, and actor Sanjay Dutt posing as the chicken's advocate coming to its rescue. He argues for the Indian chicken, interspersing mention of its virtues with popular lines from Munnabhai MBBS, his recent hit movie. The move ends with the tagline Indian chicken fitam fit.

The big idea emerged from the fact that though not even a single case of bird flu was reported in India, the damage was done. It was like being branded guilty without a trial. So when we were discussing the brief, the courtroom idea popped up, Puspinder Singh said.

Munnabhai was doing very well and Sanjay Dutt is a very popular star. We felt that this would be a good combination to promote chicken, and the ad is really being liked, Ms Desai added.

Animagic India created the 2D chicken animation. It was a two-day shoot. The film was shot partly at Famous Studios and partly at Excel Studios, then shots from both were superimposed in the background to get the required effect. Unlike trite ads, which address an issue point blank, introducing humour as a part of the communication strategy could bring about attention in terms of eyeballs registered and longevity of recall in terms of plain comic relief.

As Pushpinder Singh sums up, the most important creative element in this campaign was this animated chicken. "It allowed us to convey a light-hearted message without losing focus on the seriousness of the issue."

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