Melodious Musings

Exaggerated action, slapstick comedy and a generous dose of music are the cornerstones of success for Indian cinema. And NourishCo Beverages has cleverly played on this local nuance to advertise their glucose based energy drink, Tata Gluco, which is present in regions including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Orissa.

Under the tagline, ‘Kahani Mein Full Gas Hai, Par Tata Gluco Plus Mein Gas Nahin’, the company has created three musical comical satires. These revolve around air travel, wave travel and space travel. “We wanted to communicate that Tata Gluco Plus is a non-carbonated soft drink that provides glucose energy. Equally important was to tell the story in a manner that is as fun and energetic as the offering,” says Kuttiah KS, VP and head of marketing, NourishCo Beverages.

In response to this, Wunderman Thompson came up with the idea of telling stories full of “gas” and subtly bringing in the fact that while the story has gas, Tata Gluco Plus doesn’t. The campaign was first rolled out in 2018. Senthil Kumar, chief creative officer, Wunderman Thompson India explains that they had developed hundreds of stories that stretched the yarn and took gigantic leaps into ‘Indianisms’ to express a commentary on local culture and attempt a satire on local people like how RK Narayan and RK Lakshman would have done it. Most of the stories were shared digitally and became popular culture as memes and user generated posts, thereby increasing its popularity and appeal.

The brand chose to build on this momentum with new films this year, keeping the ethos unchanged. “If you have a good idea and one great execution, don’t change the idea ever. Just keep refreshing the stories but deliver the idea again in the most memorable ways possible. And since its summer and all stories have to be set in the outdoors, we decided to zone in on travel during summer holidays as a platform for all three films,” says Kumar.

Each film has one exaggerated story narrated in an entertaining manner, with the Malgudi Days theme playing in the background. Kumar says that one of the advantages of the musical narrative is the freedom to communicate beyond languages. Hence only the end voice over (the tagline) needs to be translated. At the same time, it connects easily with audiences across states. On one hand, the stories will bring a smile on your face, and on the other, RK Narayan’s melodious rendition is sure to play on your mind long after you have seen the ad. Ta na na….