Draftfcb+Ulka creates a 'Friendship Express' for Tata Docomo

Tata Docomo has rolled out its newest campaign, that aims to capture the 'Do the New' proposition of the brand in a fresh way. The campaign has been made by Draftfcb+Ulka.

Said KS Chakravarthy (Chax), NCD, Draftfcb+Ulka, "The brief was very simple – after a hugely successful rollout across seven states, when the brand was finally on national TV, we had to supplement the launch pay-per-second TVCs with a pure ‘brand’ film."

Watch the TVC here:



Set in the compartment of the “Friendship Express”, the film shows passengers who are busy with their own thoughts. A young man decides to break the monotony and starts singing the Docomo theme. Soon, everybody joins in to celebrate ‘Friendship’. The communication aims to reinforce the message of celebrating togetherness through the line, “Why walk alone, when we can dance together?”

Adds Chax, "A vital piece in the Tata Docomo brand architecture is the track itself – quirky, unique, and a maverick in every note. So a bunch of friends who decide to start some masti in a train full of stiff, bored passengers studiously ignoring the world around them seemed a great way to give a voice to the brand – and create a visual layer to the tune that would play in people’s heads every time they heard even  snatches of it.

Critical to carrying it off was the execution – it had to feel absolutely spontaneous, natural, and very, very real. And that is exactly what Amit (Sharma) managed to deliver with great panache."

Shot in Mumbai and New Zealand, the production involved massive amounts of casting – not just for the actors, but for the voices as well, says Chax. The Docomo tune, originally composed by Ram Sampath, was re-arranged, re-sung and remixed.

Commenting about the media mix, Chax says, "While the 60 sec and 45 sec TVCs will run heavily on cricket as well as general channels,a huge amount of on-ground activation is planned to bring the campaign alive."

The creative team behind the campaign includes Chakravarthy, Sanjay Sharma, Vasudha Misra and Ekta Varma. The director of the film is Amit Sharma of Chrome Pictures.

Credit details:

Project: Train
Client: Tata Docomo
Creative agency: Draftfcb+Ulka
National creative director: KS Chakravarthy
Creative director: Sanjay Sharma
Creative group heads: Vasudha Misra, Ekta Varma
Client servicing: Sanjay Tandon
Account director: Sudipto Poddar
Producer: Hemant Bhandari
Production house: Chrome Pictures
Director: Amit Sharma
Media used: TV, on ground activation