We needed to help the TG understand that Wheel gave them more washes at a lesser cost while pushing up brand awareness and market shares.

The TG however belonged to ‘media dark’ markets of UP and Bihar in rural India, with limited or no exposure to traditional media channels. Research showed mobile penetration is as high as 40% and is growing at 18-20% p.a in rural India. But very few people in UP and Bihar read SMS’s and majority were ignorant about GPRS.

The frugality of the audiences which lead to the key consumer insight of “giving a missed call” was the cornerstone of the media strategy for this campaign. Since this audience recharges their pre-paid cards with minimum talk time balance, the mobile medium becomes the most effective medium to reach them.

We decided to link the act of “giving a missed call” with ‘Wheel actually gives you more washes at a lower cost’. When our consumers gave a missed call, they would get a call back from Salman Khan (sponsored by wheel), who would share a laugh with them. Leveraging their frugal behavior and coupled with Bollywood stardom helped Wheel engage with our new consumers.

The messages were created in 30 different languages. This helped us reach a larger audience. Brand ambassador Salman Khan added his charm in amplifying the campaign. The numbers were also promoted through:

a. POS: Tin plates in MC and Shaktiman channel

b. Print: Selective use to avoid urban spillover

c. KKD: Khushiyon Ki Doli, using wider footprint in UP & Bihar

d. Radio: Using AIR in UP & Bihar

e. OBD: Outbound calls

f. SMS: Text messaging our TG via a Toll Free number

India’s first ever Missed Call campaign delivered huge results. We generated 14.7 Million missed calls during this campaign reaching about 1.5 Million of the rural population! There was a 300% increase in brand sales in UP and Bihar due to this campaign.