Mumbai: There’s a hero in each one of us, but when and under what circumstances we bring it to the fore is what really defines an individual. That’s the core insight with which Streax, the hair-colour brand from Hygiene Research Institute Pvt Ltd (HRIPL) is leveraging as it unveiled a new campaign for its brand Streax Insta.
Conceptualized jointly by Lowe Lintas and LinTeractive, the creative and digital arms of MullenLowe Lintas Group, the campaign addresses the need to transform onself to a hero in the fastest possible time. While it is true that everyone wants to be a hero today, the catch is that they want to be one in the fastest possible time – as that is what will make or break a situation.
To portray this thought to the consumers, Streax roped in Bollywood actor and brand ambassador Akshay Kumar to work his charm in disseminating this vital message. As a precursor to the launch of the integrated campaign that went live on September 14, Streax came up with an interesting initiative on social platforms where it aroused the curiosity of the users using the title – #AkshayBanaDirector. It included a still image of Akshay Kumar posing as a director and followed it up with a 4-second video where he is shown directing a vital scene.
The response was overwhelming with online users speculating Akshay’s latest move and wondering if he indeed was directing a film. It began trending instantly and within a short time, it was the leading topic that was trending on that day. The initiative picked up momentum when Akshay Kumar himself tweeted a video of him directing a scene on his Twitter handle and also his Facebook page.
Commenting on the latest marketing initiative, Ashish K. Chhabra, Jt. Managing Director, HRIPL said, “Streax Insta was launched in 2014 and currently contributes to almost 25 per cent of our Streax portfolio. Our ambition is to treble the share in the next two years. And we signed on Akshay, as his appeal in our key markets is immense. At the time of re-launch our one line brief to the agency was how to drive the 10 minute proposition forward. The initial response to the campaign has been outstanding, and we are excited with the feedback that it has managed to generate till date.”
In a category that has many leading brands vying for the attention span of customers, Streax launched its brand campaign – Streax: colour your passion. It took on the problem of greys head-on and rallied consumers to “hide your greys, not your passion”. The campaign launched with Sonakshi Sinha as the brand ambassador, encouraging a relatively young housewife to not give up her forgotten passions because of her greys. But when it comes to men, it is about no fuss and speed that is of essence. That’s the departure that the brand took with Streax Insta as it rode on every man’s desire in India of wanting to be a “hero”.
Arun Iyer, CCO, Lowe Lintas said, “We took a populist creative twist for this one. In India, grey hair = babuji. And we had the potent creative mix of Akshay Kumar and director AbhinayDeo, and what emerged was a refreshing piece in this category. Akshay in a new avatar as a director, championing every hero’s dream. Just enjoy some of the best of Akshay on “dohdohbabuji”!
The campaign has gone on air on all popular channels and would be promoted heavily on all off and online channels.