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Rina Chandran

MUMBAI, May 24

WHAT happened to Sachin after the Pepsi bottles knocked him out? Did Shah Rukh find the owner of the yellow scarf? Has Shah Rukh been sacked by Hyundai? Welcome to the next new thing in advertising: Episodic ads that tell a story.

Hyundai Santro has actually used the format since its launch campaign in 1998; in fact, Mr Kim, who first chased a reluctant Shah Rukh Khan to sign the contract, has been brought back in the current series, where he first orders the actor out of his car, and tells him his contract has ended. In the `sequel', Mr Kim informs Shah Rukh that he will now endorse the new Santro Xing.

"We wanted to create some disruption in the market, and create a buzz around the new launch," said Mr Anand Narasimha, Executive Vice-President, Saatchi & Saatchi, which created the campaign. "There are so many commercials on air, that viewer fatigue sets in. So this creates viewer interest, and sustains it with twists and turns." In the earlier `sunshine' series, the three episodic ads and one final ad detailed Shah Rukh's progress as he pursued the owner of a yellow scarf.

The main objectives of an episodic campaign are to break clutter and get the viewer hooked, so she will stay tuned in and remember the story - and the brand - that much better. The most famous global examples are actually in outdoors: A woman shown in various stages of undress on a French highway, and the story of a young man courting a woman for a small British pub. Oxo, a brand of home products, used the same director and three main characters through the 16 years of the `Oxo family' TV campaign.

In the case of Pepsi, there was a two-spot World Cup campaign, showing Sachin getting knocked out, and then outwitting his `kidnappers'. The new campaign, featuring Kareena Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Fardeen Khan and Saif Ali Khan, is a three-episode series, with the guys and the girls taking turns at showing how `besharam' they are when it comes to Pepsi. Created by JWT, the series was directed by Shaad Ali (`Saathiya').

"As each episode unfolds, so does the story, leaving the viewer curious for more," said a spokesperson for Pepsi. "It is aimed at sustaining viewer interest over the summer, and we used teaser ads to create the link between the episodes, even though each commercial is a unique brand experience by itself." The episodic character is also a great way of improving GRPs (gross ratings points), the spokesperson added, pointing out that brand Pepsi had a high 47 per cent top-of-mind recall during the World Cup.

"It is a valid approach, and if the characters and situations are engaging enough, you can sustain interest and keep it going - much like a serial," said Mr Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Senior Creative Director, Ogilvy & Mather Advertising. "The characters could become really popular, and you can build an attachment for the brand." It could also work cheaper than making three different ads, as it would often be shot at the same time, with the same characters, sets, location and director.

The challenge is to come up with an idea that lends itself to this format, because each ad must be complete in itself, and whet the viewer's appetite for more, Mr Chattopadhyay said. Also, brand managers move out, accounts change hands, and creative directors leave, so the idea could be lost. There is also a danger of the story or the characters overwhelming the brand or the message.

"The greatest danger is that if people don't find the idea interesting, then the campaign and the brand will seem even more irritating," Mr Chattopadhyay added.

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