Maruti takes ‘Kitna deti hai?’ to the skies, under the sea

Maruti Suzuki India is taking its 'Kitna deti hai' proposition further, underlining its claim to make India's most fuel efficient cars. Two films created by Publicis Capital went on air on 31 December 2012.

One of the films is set underwater, featuring two scuba divers exploring the marine life. They come across a man on an underwater bike. Using sign language, they communicate, telling him that the bike is very ‘cool’. Asked by the duo, the biker reveals that the bike moves at 20 knots, and goes on to show them its features. One of the two divers, an Indian, remains unimpressed. Using sign language, he asks the biker, “Kitna deti hai?” The biker is speechless. The TVC ends saying: “For a country that will always be obsessed with mileage. Maruti Suzuki makes India’s most fuel efficient cars.”

The other film opens with air hostesses welcoming passengers into a swanky, sci-fi aircraft. An Indian entering the aircraft is visibly impressed. An attendant announces that this is a historic first flight of the aircraft from London to New York, which it will cover in just three hours. The attendant then informs fliers of the features of the aircraft including virtual reality windows and hostesses who speak 12 languages. The Indian calls out to an air hostess, and promptly receives the reply in Hindi. However, she is stumped when he asks her: “Kitna deti hai?”

On the creative brief from Maruti, Parshu Narayanan, managing partner and creative head, Publicis Capital, said, “Maruti Suzuki wanted to communicate and re-emphasise its leadership in the realm of fuel efficiency. The Kitna deti hai series developed last year was based on the insight that Indians are a nation are extremely mileage conscious under all circumstances. The success of the earlier campaign and the popularity of ‘Kitna deti hai’ as a phrase in the context of automobile fuel efficiency prompted Maruti Suzuki to brief us on a sequel on the basis of the same concept.”

On the creative challenges faced, he said, “It is extremely difficult to retell a joke. So our search for an engaging reiteration would focus on finding situations of such a unique and delightful nature that the Kitna Deti Hai message would get refreshed easily. The first ad based on Indian Satyagrahis questioning a fictionalized Amelia Earheart/Amy Johnson on her 1932 Biplane had already been released. The second and third now just released are set underwater and in a sci-fi airliner respectively. The creative brief turned from ‘Kitna deti hai’ last time round to “'Unexpected' kitna deti hai” for the follow up.”

Credits:

Client: Maruti Suzuki
Client team: Gaurav Gupta, Sunila Dhar
Creative agency: Publicis Capital, Gurgaon

Creative team: Kohinoor Dutta, Joy Mohanty, Parshu Narayanan

Account management: Saptarishi Banik, Simon Kunjappy, Supriya Pradhan
Agency producers: Sia Bhuyan, Jignesh Maru
Production House: Equinox
Director: Deb Medhekar