The Servo 4T – Pushpinder TV commercial has been on television for quite some
time now. It shows a young man pushing his motorcycle and is being made fun of
by everyone who sees him; he has even been given a nickname – Pushpinder,
because he is always seen pushing his motorcycle. To my mind the approach taken
for creating this campaign is very different from those of its competitors. The
primary function of any lubricant is to reduce friction between moving parts,
thus reduce wear and tear, and also prevent corrosion; this enables the
machinery to work efficiently for a long time. The message communicated in all
advertisements for lubricants is essentially this but the manner in which it is communicated differs from brand to brand. The
Servo 4T – Pushpinder TV commercial also conveys essentially the same message but adds
another aspect, that being, if a person were to use inferior lubricants, he would not only face
hardship (pushing the bike) but also humiliation (people making fun), it further adds that Servo 4T keeps your bike in
great shape by caring for the engine, clutch and gear.
If you were to examine lubricant ads, whether they are meant for
scooters, motorcycles, cars or heavy vehicles, invariably the message communicated is, if the particular brand is used, you could be assured of certain
advantages, which typically are – engine runs more efficiently and for a longer
time, better mileage, engine is protected, smoother drive and such similar such
claims. I would to call these manufacturers’ claims because these claims are
not based on any unique consumer insights but are just facts about the product
which the manufacturer would like his consumers to know. Nothing wrong with such ads but the Servo 4T –
Pushpinder ad is very different, it is based on consumer insight which is about going through hardship and embarrassment if the right brand of oil is not used. The ad
warns you of the consequences if you do not use Servo 4T rather than
saying what the others say. So it is ‘if you use our product’ for other brands versus ‘if
you do not use our product’ for Servo 4T. Let me now briefly discuss the propositions made
by different brands of oils/ lubricants in the last few years.
I have selected a few ads to illustrate my point.
Castrol
Activ Scooter
To watch ad click here
This ad attempts to educate the consumer about the
fact that you cannot use bike (motorcycle) oil in a scooter. Castrol Active
Scooter is specially made for scooters; it keeps the engine as good as new. The
ad is in response to the mistaken belief held by consumers that bike oil is okay
for scooters too. This ad however just touches upon what can go wrong if bike oil
is used in a scooter and nothing more.
Castrol
Actibonds
To watch ad click here
In this ad the manufacturer tells the consumer that
‘actibonds’ present in the oil protect the engine. That is why the consumer should use
Castrol Activ for his vehicle. The ad makes good use of animated graphics.
Elf
Moto
To watch ad click here
In this ad Elf Moto is been associated with winning
against many obstacles. High quality animated graphics have been used to
explain how the product is superior.
Max
4T NXT
To watch ad click here
This ad talks about ‘advanced synthetic technology’ which
leads to ‘maximum riding comfort’, ‘maximum power’, ‘environment friendly’,
‘longer engine life’.
HP
Racer
To watch ad click here
The focus of this ad is to show that HP Racer
4Stroke Engine Oil works better than others even in extreme heat.
Veedol
Take Off 4T Plus
To watch ad click here
In this ad it has been
claimed that the product keeps the engine stronger so you get more horse power,
(superior) acceleration and ageless engine.
MAK Lubricants
MAK Lubricants has always
been associated with optimism – MAK makes
it possible! The ads have been interesting and some of them quite humorous.
Links to two ads are given below:
To summarize most ads for
lubricants explain the advantages of using them which generally are about
better performance and longer engine life, some ads support their claim by
saying that they use high or new technology and good amount of high quality imagery
is also used in the ads. One common element in all these ads is that they ask the consumer to use their respective products by giving reasons
as to why their products are better, that is the only communication. Servo 4T – Pushpinder ad is different from
others, it is perhaps the only ad which actually warns you about what can possibly
happen if you use any other inferior lubricant – you could experience difficult and
embarrassing consequences. At the same time it also explains how Servo 4T takes good care of the engine, clutch and gear. The proposition made in this ad is – Servo 4T keeps
your bike in great shape and your reputation too.
While doing research for
this post I learnt that lubricants produced by public sector oil companies in India are
losing market share to foreign multinational brands; I hope this Pushpinder ad
helps in pushing for higher market share for Indian Oil, the company that manufactures Servo 4T.
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