Bajaj managed to get content marketing right with their new Happy Brotherhood Day video that featured arch rival - Royal Enfield. Social Samosa decodes the campaign to understand what it means for both the brands.
"Something happens at 92 miles an hour. Thunder headers drown out all the sound, engine vibrations travel at a heart's rate, field of vision funnels into the immediate and suddenly you're not on the road, you're in it. A part of it," Jax Teller, Sons of Anarchy.
A quote from a character on a TV show, yet captures real feeling into words. Words that every rider would agree with. Blending this spirit of biking with the occasion of Brotherhood Day, celebrated on September 11th, Bajaj Avenger decided to blur the lines of competition and featured a video with arch rival Royal Enfield.
Going behind #BrotherhoodDay
Conceptualized by Mullen Lintas, Bajaj created a video showcasing the true spirit of brotherhood between bikers and their relationship with their mechanical brides. Featuring a Bullet, a motorbike manufactured by their competitor Royal Enfield, Bajaj kept true to the spirit of Brotherhood Day.
The brand's objective was to reaffirm the bond between a biker and his bike, and leading by example to show how brotherhood transcends beyond boundaries, the one they particularly depicted was respectful towards their competitor, (read brother).
“There is a natural tendency for bikers to connect and bond during their rides. And that connections cuts across language, culture, region, brands and bikes. The core belief of Avenger is ‘liberation’ and that one should never be trapped by any man made boundaries. This ‘Brotherhood Day’ film also encompasses the same thought subtly and manifests the joy of riding as one,” Sumeet Narang, Vice President - Marketing, Bajaj Auto Ltd.
The video depicts two riders, one riding a Bajaj Avenger and the other a Royal Enfield Bullet, both riding their bikes side by side, with a background narration of how Brotherhood Day is a day to forget our differences, and ride alongside each other, through all ups and downs, and ride as one, as brothers.
“The best part of creating work for Avenger is the fact that there is a very clear brand brief and from there we keep looking for and finding new, interesting ways to engage with our audience. Wishing Royal Enfield Brotherhood Day is one of them. The insight was at the core of how riders feel clannish to the brands they belong to. On eve of Brotherhood Day, Avenger being a most sought after bike for long rides, it called out to all bikers to ride and celebrate the bikers’ brotherhood day,” Ayyappan Raj, EVP – Mullen Lintas Mumbai.
A well charted move
An innovative idea and Bajaj's decision to pivot their campaign around Brotherhood Day, not only recognized or celebrated but gave the brand brownie points. Users and critiques have been appreciating the bold move of sporting a competitor brand in a video spot, especially when the marketing initiative must have cost the brand a fortune.
The video further places Bajaj Avenger in the league of cult bike brands such as Harley Davidson and Royal Enfield – who have ardent fans and follower groups.
The video has received 2, 133, 198 views on YouTube and 1.6 million views on Facebook so far.
On Facebook Bajaj initiated #BrotherhoodRide, where the brand asked their fans and followers to share snippets of their memorable rides with their brothers or partners.
First reactions to the video were positive as viewers appreciated the friendly (or brotherly if we may) gesture on Bajaj's part.
Further, Bajaj got the first move advantage with users waiting for Royal Enfield to revert with a reply at least half as spot on as the Brotherhood Day video.
Bajaj enjoys a considerable following on social media with more than 400k followers, but the brand wasn’t seen capitalizing on the brilliant platform it had access to.
The video reached millions of social media users and taking into account the number of views alone, the campaign was a success, popularizing Brotherhood Day among people.
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