Smart Thrifting

Middle class or not, admit it – you have gone to extreme lengths to save money. Jumped on the bed to flatten a shirt? Sure. Waited until Happy Hours begin at a bar? Why not. Refused a carry bag because it costs an extra Rs.5? Definitely. CEAT Tyres brings alive these real life problems in its latest ad series for Fuel Smarrt tyres.

While CEAT is not mocking the money-saving attempts, it is quick to remind its customers to invest in an item equally essential – tyres, in this case Fuel Smarrt.

But how are these situations even related to an ad about tyres, you ask? Kiran Anthony, executive creative director at Ogilvy & Mather, has an upbeat answer to it. “CEAT's Fuel Smarrt tyres inspired us to identify the very basic human behavior of being stingy. Many of us have actually done things we see in these films. People demand value and returns from everything. Then why not from a tyre?”

Nitish Bajaj, vice president (marketing), CEAT Tyres, agrees completely. The three ad films labelled as “Paise Bachane Hai?” convey this concept in a way that is not only light-hearted but also clever. “Tyres are not naturally seen by consumers as something worth investing in. So we decided to keep the tone of the ad memorable, humourous but not technical. Our aim was to pass on this humour and spread the word that you can save money with tyres too,” says Bajaj.

Go on then, tickle that thrifty bone and save some more.