Lufthansa looks to connect ‘with an Indian heart’

Lufthansa Passenger Airlines has launched a TV commercial specifically made for the Indian market, a first for the airline globally. The campaign was conceptualised by MRM//McCann India and Kolle Rebbe Germany.

 

An extension of Lufthansa's 'Nonstop You' campaign launched in 2012, the new film aims to reflect the 'Soul of Germany, with a heart of India'.

 

The film opens with an old man informing his grandson that they're visiting his father in New York, on a German airline. He goes on to tell the young boy about some German qualities. He labels them as a 'bit different', 'always serious' and calls their movies 'grey'. He also casts aspersions about their food and wonders whether they would have heard of Bollywood. These perceptions change as they board their flight. The duo are greeted a with a Namaste by the in-flight crew, the entertainment features Bollywood content, and the surprised guests are served Indian food. Noticing that all of this is in contrast to what he had been told, the boy tells his grandfather that they've boarded an incorrect flight. The old man realises that things have changed and calms the boy down. A super says, 'More Indian than you think'.

 

Speaking with Campaign India, Sangeeta Sharma, manager, marketing and communications, Lufthansa, said, “We've had our global campaign running in India every year. Our research has shown that our brand is extremely strong in India, but we needed to show that we understand customers and their Indian sensibilities and that's what we wanted to communicate. That's the whole idea of our 'More Indian than you think' campaign. I'll label this TVC as a slightly unusual one. We've kept the importance of family values and relationships in this commercial."

 

The film was released in cinemas over the weekend beginning 18 July and went on air on 21 July, said Sharma.

 

On digital, Lufthansa is looking at page takeovers, promotion of the ad film, flash banners, mobile banners (on smartphones and tablets) and a microsite. Besides an Indian version of the microsite in English, the airline will also launch Tamil, Telegu, Gujarati and Kannada versions.

 

Without stating the airline's current market share, Sharma said that the group, which also owns Swiss Air and Austrian Airlines, among others, ‘is the number one international airline in India’. 

 

She explained, "We've been present as a group in India for over 50 years. The fact that India is the first market to have its local TVC, shows the importance the market holds for us. We cater to specific needs and preferences of the consumer. We even have our own lounge at the T3 in New Delhi (which is Asia's first customer lounger for Lufthansa).”

 

Credits

 

Client: Lufthansa Passenger Airlines

Creative agency: MRM//McCann

Media agency: Mindshare

Production company (Berlin): CZAR Film GmbH 

Production company (India): Highlight Films

Director: Martin Werner