An Original Voice

It is not often that brands become synonymous with the category they operate in. Think Xerox, Google or Band-Aid. Closer home, a good example of this is Bisleri International, a brand name often used by customers instead of ‘mineral water’. These brands have to fight not just peers, but also endless counterfeits which try to adopt similar sounding names and packaging.

“In a category as universal and homogeneous as bottled water, differentiating between brands became even more difficult for consumers, especially with thousands of counterfeit brands existing in the market,” says Anuraag Khandelwal, executive creative director and creative head (Mumbai), 82.5 Communications. Thus, when a consumer asks for a Bisleri, he does not necessarily end up drinking it.

And the company has found a unique way to address this issue with their new ad series with the tagline ‘Har Paani Ki Bottle Bisleri Nahin’. The campaign, which provokes the consumer to think twice before settling for any other bottled water in the name of Bisleri, has a humourous undertone coupled with a strong message. In the 30-second ad, the audience is introduced to a scene of two camels talking to each other while they await a truck carrying Bisleri cartons in the desert to quench their thirst. While one camel jumps at the sight of any truck carrying water, the latter asks him to wait patiently until they spot the real Bisleri. The dialogues and crisp storyline make it an entertaining watch.

The second ad film takes on an endearing note as it shows a mother camel ensuring the baby camel has only Bisleri, because it wants the best for her child.  

“We chose brand ambassadors who only choose Bisleri despite the scarcity of water in their habitat — camels. If camels can understand the difference between Bisleri and other bottled water brands, humans can definitely too. This is done in a humorous but a thought-provoking manner which is the USP of this campaign,” says Anjana Ghosh, director, marketing and business development, Bisleri. The ads are a continuation of the campaign which was first introduced last year. The first ad had showcased two camels reprimanding a crafty shopkeeper for trying to pass off a copy of Bisleri as the original.

As is evident, the campaign carefully avoids clichés such as purity and trust to sell the 50-year old brand. Instead, it chooses a clutter-breaking and quirky concept to drive home the point of Bisleri’s uniqueness. “We decided to use an animal mascot to give the brand a distinct voice and personality, while making the message memorable,” says Khandelwal. And that, it definitely has!