Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Executive Creative Director – South Asia, O&M, speaks his heart out on the ‘UTI=AXIS Bank’ campaign
On the face of it there was no need for a change,
as UTI was one of the most preferred and established brands in the Indian financial milieu. Seemingly out of compulsion, but still the name AXIS promises to deliver international compatibility and added youthfulness to the brand. It all started off with twins bombarding our television screens to drill the fact into the mind of the consumers that the two are really one and the same.
What was the brief given by the bank?
The brief was to announce the change of name from UTI Bank to Axis Bank, and to reassure customers that it was only a name change, nothing more, nothing less. Everything else about the brand remains the same. A multimedia campaign was required to announce the change. It would serve to simultaneously reassure customers that the change of name would in no way affect the services offered by the bank.
How did the idea came to your mind?
There was a brainstorming session in which the idea of using twins came up. The popular perception about twins is that they are identical in everyway, except for their names. We warmed up to this idea because we felt that it would be the perfect parallel to convey our message.
Most striking thing about the campaign?
The advantage of using twins as the visual device of our campaign is that people have a fascination with twins. When you see twins you cannot help but stare at them and marvel at their similarities. Therefore, the campaign caught the public’s imagination. We even got calls enquiring about who the twins were. The emotional connect helped gain quick acceptability for the new name.
Any last minutes changes or was the idea perfect from the start?
Visually, the campaign was clear from the start. What we had a debate on was about the copy. What would reassure the customers that the change in name does not reflect a take-over of their bank and that their hard-earned life savings were secure. Finally, we decided to go in for KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and write ‘UTI Bank is now Axis Bank. Everything is the same except the name.’
Was their any difference between perceived and actual outcomes of the campaign?
The response was bigger than expected. It got talked about by the general public, in financial circles and in the ad industry. It generated much media coverage, strengthening the impact of the campaign.
Any problems in the execution of the campaign?
It was difficult to find so many pairs of twins at such a short notice.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
On the face of it there was no need for a change,
as UTI was one of the most preferred and established brands in the Indian financial milieu. Seemingly out of compulsion, but still the name AXIS promises to deliver international compatibility and added youthfulness to the brand. It all started off with twins bombarding our television screens to drill the fact into the mind of the consumers that the two are really one and the same.What was the brief given by the bank?
The brief was to announce the change of name from UTI Bank to Axis Bank, and to reassure customers that it was only a name change, nothing more, nothing less. Everything else about the brand remains the same. A multimedia campaign was required to announce the change. It would serve to simultaneously reassure customers that the change of name would in no way affect the services offered by the bank.
How did the idea came to your mind?
There was a brainstorming session in which the idea of using twins came up. The popular perception about twins is that they are identical in everyway, except for their names. We warmed up to this idea because we felt that it would be the perfect parallel to convey our message.
Most striking thing about the campaign?
The advantage of using twins as the visual device of our campaign is that people have a fascination with twins. When you see twins you cannot help but stare at them and marvel at their similarities. Therefore, the campaign caught the public’s imagination. We even got calls enquiring about who the twins were. The emotional connect helped gain quick acceptability for the new name.
Any last minutes changes or was the idea perfect from the start?
Visually, the campaign was clear from the start. What we had a debate on was about the copy. What would reassure the customers that the change in name does not reflect a take-over of their bank and that their hard-earned life savings were secure. Finally, we decided to go in for KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and write ‘UTI Bank is now Axis Bank. Everything is the same except the name.’
Was their any difference between perceived and actual outcomes of the campaign?
The response was bigger than expected. It got talked about by the general public, in financial circles and in the ad industry. It generated much media coverage, strengthening the impact of the campaign.
Any problems in the execution of the campaign?
It was difficult to find so many pairs of twins at such a short notice.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist)
