Even today, the occasion of Father’s Day seems to find fewer takers among brands when compared to Mother’s Day or Women’s Day. The latter is usually celebrated by brands to initiate long overdue conversations.
Why is there a disparity between Father’s Day and Mother’s Day? If brands really want to create equity for moms, shouldn’t they be speaking about other power centres in every household including the dad, and make consumers aware of newer vocabulary and fresh perspectives?
Bombay Shaving Company seems to reiterate this sentiment and therefore on the occasion of Father’s Day, the brand has launched “Sorry Dad” campaign.
In a chat with Storyboard18, Gauri Malhotra, Chief Marketing Officer of Bombay Shaving Company discusses the rationale behind the campaign, the idea behind choosing inhouse employees to feature in the ad film and more.
Edited excerpts:
Take us through the genesis and ideation of “Sorry Dad”?
Our data analysis, including Google search trends, revealed that Father’s Day appears to be one of the least celebrated occasions worldwide globally; this holds true for India as well. Search activity around Father’s Day shows minimal spikes compared to occasions like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
Inspired by this insight, Bombay Shaving Company conceptualized a campaign for Father’s Day – “Sorry Dad” acknowledging the reality that fathers often go underappreciated on their special day.
Take us through the influencers you roped in for the campaign?
Our in-house employees understand the ethos of Bombay Shaving Company. They have internalized the core values and the essence of the brand. This knowledge fuels creative and impactful content. The ‘Sorry Dad’ campaign presented an opportunity to leverage the talents of our team members. One of our employees brought the character of the father to life with authenticity. Similarly, another team member performed a compelling role as the son.
Could you give us an insight about the media mix for this campaign?
The “Sorry Dad” campaign prioritizes organic reach, maximizing impact through strategic partnerships with meme pages and prominent personalities and influencers who embody our brand values. This approach allows us to leverage their established audiences and foster authentic brand advocacy.
To further amplify our campaign message, we have fostered partnerships with businesses in industries, such as restaurants and gifting companies. These collaborations provide us with access to new audiences.
Recognizing the communication preferences of our target audience, our marketing employs a multifaceted approach including utilization of meme marketing to resonate with the 16-25 year old demographic.
Moreover, we are exploring unique outreach channels by collaborating with Human Resource departments at various companies. The campaign leverages strategically designed internal communication channels to subtly nudge employees towards acknowledging the significance of Father’s Day.
You mentioned that your core audience is from 16 to 25…where does the sales come from the most?
We currently have a strong market penetration within the top metropolitan areas.
What are some interesting marketing trends that you’re observing in the industry?
During the past year and a half, I have observed the Human-AI symphony. Despite initial concerns regarding the potential obsolescence of creative tasks due to automation, we are now observing human creativity flourishing alongside the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence.
Bombay Shaving Company has embraced AI as a powerful ally in its marketing endeavors. AI has yielded positive results with a measurable improvement in our marketing funnel metrics. By leveraging AI, we have witnessed a soaring increase in content which has led us to conduct intense experimentation and A/B testing. Data-driven insights from these tests enable us to continuously refine our marketing efforts.