Sulekha.com Service Description
Starting as a simple blogging site before the term ‘blog&rsqu...
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Sulekha.com Service Description
Starting as a simple blogging site before the term ‘blog’ was invented, Sulekha over the last five years has transformed into a completely user-generated, highly interactive global platform for social media and local commerce in 25 cities. Sulekha has been recognized as one of the Top Six Largest Internet Media Portals in India and a pioneer in marrying community and commerce in a distinctive manner.
Sulekha today is perhaps the most popular site and influential enablers in India and for Indians around the world for these two engines that power its flight:
Social Media: Blogs, networking, discussions in multiple vertical areas such as News, Movies, Food, Travel, Cricket
Local Commerce: Classifieds, Yellow Pages and Events in multiple vertical areas such as Real Estate, Roommates/Rentals, Travel, Coaching/Training, Cars/Bikes, Jobs, Personal Finance in 25 cities and growing. Sulekha is the only site that integrates Classifieds and Yellow Pages
Why a TV Commercial?
Sulekha has not advertised on TV in India to date as we always felt there would be a lot of wastage in reaching an audience that is not yet on online. Over time, we had come to understand that advertising on TV, though frightfully expensive, could achieve certain dividends that other media cannot match, especially in India:
TV advertising, simply because it is only affordable by 0.05% of businesses in India and because of its sheer vastness of reach, makes brands look bigger and more credible than advertising in any other medium. The brand credibility has multiple positive effects including softening resistance of prospective advertising clients and alliance partners, helping in hiring and increasing the click-through rates of online advertising.
If the channel mix is carefully chosen, the fraction of TV audience who are also online can be increased significantly, reducing wastage and acquiring a new user base. Interestingly enough, if the overlap of TV and Internet audience increases, the CPM rates (cost to deliver the ad a thousand times to an audience) of TV are far less than those in other media, primarily due to an amazing proliferation of TV channels competing for business.
Why the focus on Local Commerce?
Between the two domains Sulekha operates in, we found out, through extensive quantitative and qualitative studies, that there would be high receptiveness to an advertising campaign that solves problems. We also have come to understand over time that social media is best promoted through word of mouth and some targeted Search Engine Marketing campaigns that intersect interested users.
Target Group (TG)
The primary objective of the TVC is to communicate to the target segment that Sulekha is the destination to which they should go straight for ‘whatever they want in their city’. The TG was identified as: 22+, living in metros, Sec A/B, male to be the most frequent users of the site and its services.
Extensive qualitative and quantitative research has shown us that the most valuable features are width and depth of information and the ability to get multiple things done and that there are no clear dominant players in the mind of consumers when it comes to ‘local commerce’.
Creative Execution
We wanted to demonstrate the width and depth by exemplifying the utility of Sulekha Classifieds and Yellow Pages in a typical family situation where the family is shifting houses. Out Storyboard research proved that this was well received. We wanted to ensure the following:
The examples that were chosen actually are important to our business as well; real estate, auto, movers/packers, home services, rentals were selected as key domains
The TVC evokes a warm feeling through use of humorous and endearing moments; instead of creating a TVC around a fantastic, hilarious situation we decided to add levity through familiar situations (‘father refusing to sell his rocking chair’, ‘new family leasing house being eccentric’, ‘kids asking for a puppy’)
Incorporates a memorable ‘differentiating’ creative device that Sulekha gets to own and can be rendered across various other marketing campaigns and media we quickly rejected the use of a celebrity in favor of a dynamic icon: Red Arrow.
Storyboard of the TVC
Click here for English, Tamil and Telugu languages Ads
The Red Arrow
While celebrities come and go, the arrow will remain the constant feature in all our brand campaigns and act as a surrogate celebrity.
The Red Arrow, reminiscent of a computer on-screen cursor, clearly demonstrates that Sulekha is an online portal to solve needs
Arrow and the shooting of an arrow are universally understood paradigms and need no introduction or familiarization
Red Arrow symbolizes ‘precision’ and ‘speed’ - two attributes that are important in fulfilling local search needs
It brings about a refreshing point, a make-believe leap for consumer to remember the commercial. Shooting of a Red Arrow is ‘the out of the ordinary’ event in the commercial, making the commercial overall memorable (as our research has proven)
At a subconscious level, it also signifies to the consumer: “go straight to Sulekha.com”
Shooting of an arrow has mythological significance in the Indian context and appeals most significantly to our TG which is primarily young males while also deployable by women as the last scene captures
The Arrow idea translates in other mediums as well:
We can use this idea to show growth in business sales in our trade marketing. Trade marketing gifts and brochures will carry the same theme
We can take this idea into our website too and use the Red Arrow, so that consumers can link up with what he sees on TV and when he actually visits the site
Over time, we may vest the Red Arrow with a humorous ethnic personality and it can start talking, as we have long dreamed of, in pure local languages - Red Arrow to the rescue
We may even make a series of amateur spot ads with the “Red Arrow to the Rescue” - the Red Arrow getting people out of funny but tough situations.
–dog eats a fancy banquet before guests arrive, and the panicked socialite shoots the Red Arrow and finds a caterer who delivers the food on time and a leash to restrain the mammal
–cute but no-nonsense wife haranguing a hen-pecked husband that he can’t fix a broken door and he secretly uses the Red Arrow to find a handyman and claims the credit to a now-adoring wife who dreamily eyes the ‘resourceful’ hubby
–family can’t get a loan but the traditional bahu with her head covered in a silk sari throws the Red Arrow and closes a loan deal on her mobile and the mother-in-law starts serving her instead
–fellow from a village comes to big city and falls for the hottest chick in college who doesn’t give him any patta. Fellow throws the Red Arrow, transforms into a city slicker with his rural Bhojpuri replaced by flawless English, and the girl’s steely glances become soft and dreamy and her knees go soft; they dissolve behind a bunch of flowers
–strikingly beautiful but not-smart girl is read out a will by her grandpa that she will inherit a Crore if she graduates with a Master’s degree. Panic-stricken, she throws a Red Arrow and finds a coaching center that helps her get the degree. She inherits the money but is also transformed into a ‘brains-and-beauty’ damsel of desire
One of the litmus tests of good advertising is if the brand and logo are hidden, will people be able to identify whose ad it is? The use of the Red Arrow motif, we think, over time will uniquely identify the brand and symbolize it.
The shooting of the Red Arrow would, over time, symbolize solving of problems.
Thanks for all the positive comments. It took us a while to a think through this campaign and understand not just what needs to be done for this campaign but how this idea can be taken forward into the future.
Would welcome your ideas on how this can be extended.
I watched both English and Hindi version of the ad this weekend - I liked it - it had a certain zing to it. And the colors worked out well - red arrow - against tinted blue background where it stood out - pop - and the music was good - and the voice over guy - was fun. Well it is a good ad. Feel good . All elements working in place given the set of guidelines.
Simple solution - to get the message across - that is what it is supposed to do - make it clear - how 'simple' it is (or it should be...) motivate.
I like to believe the decision makers at sulekha somehow were inspired by 'target' the store (abroad) and its 'red target' symbol which now is synomoyous with anything you want... If not, then your advertising agency was... and target as a symbol had inherent meaning which added weight to it becoming an icon for a 'yellow pages' kind of store. 'Arrow' does not do that automatically and hence will require more time, more money and more effort to be successfully communicated as 'solving of problems'....Don't just believe everything your advertising agency 'sells' to you as 'strategic' or 'creative'.. most of the time it ain't either... All the same, good luck to sulekha!!
Team Sulekha Ji..... It was my hubby who first spotted your commercial in the Sports channel....He shouted 'Hey....there's your sulekha ad on TV..' And I thought perhaps it was an ad of Ixedoc with a quill in his hand....anyway, turned out to be for the classifieds and yellow pages.......Later even I saw it in various channels....donno why but every time I see it I feel mighty proud to be associated with it:-} Keep it up!
Saw your Ad on Tv day before yesterday and was delightfully surprised... Things are happening out there...eh? Am still trying to find my way through the new corridors...
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HEy Team Sulekha. My in-laws saw the Sulekha ad in Chennai. It felt great when they said that they liked the ad. Keep up th good work!
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I am receiving very good response for sites posted on Sulekha. Thanks
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hi ...can somebody tell me when was this red arrow ad released on TV ....and is this there first ad or has there been a tv commercial before ...
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great idea and work to grow th buisness
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So gald to heard about TV advt..... Hope to watch the same soon!!!
Congrats!!!
regards
geekunnel
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Thanks for all the positive comments. It took us a while to a think through this campaign and understand not just what needs to be done for this campaign but how this idea can be taken forward into the future.
Would welcome your ideas on how this can be extended.
Satya
Reply | | Report Abuse
I watched both English and Hindi version of the ad this weekend - I liked it - it had a certain zing to it. And the colors worked out well - red arrow - against tinted blue background where it stood out - pop - and the music was good - and the voice over guy - was fun. Well it is a good ad. Feel good . All elements working in place given the set of guidelines.
Simple solution - to get the message across - that is what it is supposed to do - make it clear - how 'simple' it is (or it should be...) motivate.
Good to see it as a blog - to see the details :))
I haven't watched it on my TV - yet.
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I like to believe the decision makers at sulekha somehow were inspired by 'target' the store (abroad) and its 'red target' symbol which now is synomoyous with anything you want... If not, then your advertising agency was... and target as a symbol had inherent meaning which added weight to it becoming an icon for a 'yellow pages' kind of store. 'Arrow' does not do that automatically and hence will require more time, more money and more effort to be successfully communicated as 'solving of problems'....Don't just believe everything your advertising agency 'sells' to you as 'strategic' or 'creative'.. most of the time it ain't either... All the same, good luck to sulekha!!
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Team Sulekha Ji.....
It was my hubby who first spotted your commercial in the Sports channel....He shouted 'Hey....there's your sulekha ad on TV..' And I thought perhaps it was an ad of Ixedoc with a quill in his hand
....anyway, turned out to be for the classifieds and yellow pages......
.Later even I saw it in various channels....donno why but every time I see it I feel mighty proud to be associated with it:-} Keep it up!
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Saw your Ad on Tv day before yesterday and was delightfully surprised... Things are happening out there...eh? Am still trying to find my way through the new corridors...
Reply | | Report Abuse
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