Ambuja cement stirs nostalgia

Instead of spinning its latest campaign on the typical category attribute denoting “strength”, Ambuja Cement plays on nostalgia to promote an “Ambuja Plus Roof Special” product in its latest digital campaign “Chhatein”.The film is an ode to “chhat”, or terrace, basically a place sans walls, which not only brings people together but also turns neighbourhoods into communities. Packed with heartwarming memories of childhood and young love, the video is the third in a series of films by the company under the digital campaign “Chhat Pe Milte Hain” (let us meet on the terrace). Uploaded on YouTube on 12 January, the campaign is winning hearts online and has garnered over 270,000 views on the video-sharing website as well as over one million views on Facebook. Made by advertising agency Triton Communications, the campaign highlights the importance of “chhat” in Indian households which has been a place of discovery, childhood, escape, romance, secret hideaways and open skies. The over four-minute long film is a montage of scenes where people across age groups are shown bonding over a game of cricket, flying kites or preparing sun-dried snacks on their terraces. The video is held together by poetry penned and recited by poet and lyricist Gulzar. “The ad is the third in a series of social media films created for Ambuja Plus Roof Special. The brief was to reinterpret Ambuja’s iconic strength, create an emotional connect and specifically point to the roof, without making the films focusing on the product itself,” said an Ambuja Cement spokesperson. The company rolled out the first film called “Guptaji ki Kahaani” in July and “Salim aur Shankar ki Kahaani” in August last year. The latest video is conceived by Ullas Chopra, national creative director, Triton Communications; the background music has been scored by Arjunna Harjaie who has been credited for numerous advertising jingles and for Nikkhil Advani-directed film ‘Lucknow Central’. The video has been shot at various locations across North India including cities like Lucknow, Udaipur and Varanasi by director Vipin Parasher. The company said that the digital-only campaign is being promoted across YouTube, Facebook and messaging app WhatsApp. Prathap Suthan, chief creative officer and managing partner at advertising agency Bang in the Middle, feels that the idea of highlighting memories linked to “Chhat” is lovely, accompanied by heartwarming imagery which makes the campaign a great watch. “The fact that most of us have relatable nostalgia and terrace related stories makes the film an excellent social media plank as well,” he said. Suthan said the only drawback of the campaign is that its imagery is skewed towards North India. “With Gulzar’s words and narrative making it loaded towards one part of India, not many people will fly over visuals and let their imagination lead them to their own regional interpretations. I hope it doesn’t therefore leave it underpowered as a concept,” he added.