Delighting and surprising customers – that is the essence
of any brand activation. But, it’s easier said than done; a lot of hard work
goes into bringing about those smiles. There are countless challenges we face while
executing an event or activation. Low budgets, high expectations, tight
deadlines, the list is endless…
It begins with seeking permissions and licenses from the authorities,
where, more often than not, red tape is the order of the day! And if the venue is
an unconventional one, like the Gateway of India, India Gate, Juhu Beach,
Carter Road, Marina Beach, etc, well, God help us.
Certain venues come with inherent problems. For instance,
at airports, the time available for production is very limited – we get only
3-4 hours, that too strictly night! Besides, tie-ups with associates become a
huge challenge, especially in remote areas and places like the North East. And
imagine erecting the world’s largest umbrella at Carter Road, Mumbai – right in front of the
Arabian Sea during the windy, rainy season! But, for us, the show must go on, come
rain or shine.
Then there is the issue of manpower – right from scouring
for the right promoters, for which we have to find presentable faces with a confident
demeanour, screen them, train them and then keep a hawk eye on them, lest they
digress from the brief. Because, admittedly, there is a question mark over
their commitment – remember these kids are not in for a career; most are
students who take up the job either to finance their education or just to make
their pockets bulkier for a flashy lifestyle. Not to forget, finding the right
vendors and support staff to help us in creating and controlling innovative set-ups.
We also have to closely monitor and give daily updates to
clients for manpower-driven activities, which is a logistical and coordination
challenge, especially when an activation entails 1000+ touch points across
India.
Last but not the least, is to have a roving eye on the
activation landscape, globally – to keep ourselves abreast of the latest in
technology and explore new possibilities and avenues to bring the most innovative
ideas to fruition.
THREE OF OUR
BIGGEST CHALLENGES
It’s hard to pick three of the most challenging briefs Candid
has executed. Because, like I said earlier, every brief comes with its own set
of challenges. But, these three are on the top of my mind as I write this –
mind you, it’s just the tip of the huge iceberg of 40,000+ activations we’ve
executed in the 20 years of our existence!
Nissan 370Z
For the launch of Nissan 370Z in India, the brief was to
have an unconventional press conference. We began with an unconventional venue
– The Pawan Hans Runway, Juhu! The car became the first ever car to have been
launched on the runway in an action-packed (pun intended) way…
The next big task was to have a high-octane act involving
two open roof double-decker buses and a trailer
running side by side on the runway. We did that with renowned stunt master,
Alan Amin, within the limited time available – just half a day!
Add to that the responsibility of adhering to the
security guidelines, with 200 invitees from the Press in attendance for this
rare spectacle, and you will know just how tough it was to pull this one off!
To promote SabTV’s ‘Sab Ke Anokhe Awards’, we had to erect
the #SabseAnokhaUmbrella – the world’s largest umbrella (30 feet high, 60 feet
in diameter) at a high footfall venue in Mumbai.
Now, the ideal venue for such an installation would have
been a mall. But to ensure that the 2000 kg-heavy steel structure stood its
ground, it required digging a 6 ft. deep hole to lay a solid foundation – something
no mall was ready for!
So, we had to look for alternative venues such as the Shivaji
park, BKC, Police Ground, etc.. But, we finally chose Carter Road, which offered
flexibility in terms of digging required and the working hours, and also
provided space for a stage with high visibility for the official unveiling.
We started digging on 15th July, just when Mumbai
was awaiting its second spell of rains, and built the magnificent umbrella with
huge scaffold structures that acted as wind-cutters from three sides, still allowing
high visibility from the road.
We created a 3D model of Lord Hanuman that was big enough
to attract eyeballs and light enough to be strapped to a drone in one week. As the
drone-strapped Hanuman had to fly over busy locations, apart from getting the necessary
permissions, we also had to hunt for locations where there were no cables at
the height it would fly – which in itself was a task!
All’s well that
ends well!
After a hard day’s work, if a job is executed well, the
smiles on the consumers’ and clients’ faces also mirror ours – and that makes every
drop of sweat we shed worth it.”, quips a broadly smiling Almin.
