With rap music coming off age in the country brands are seen leveraging the same with Rap brand campaigns - are they becoming a part of the clutter or banking on a trend?
While the Ranveer Singh starrer ‘Gully Boy’ is yet to hit the silver screen, the not so raved about ‘rap culture’ has stolen the limelight and has become 'the topic’ not only of the tinsel town but also the common masses.
In recent times, Big Bazaar, Ixigo, and Mahindra Rise rapped their heart out weaving a whole campaign integrating the rap wave. While Big Bazaar roped in popular underground rapper Emiway Bantai, Ixigo took it on themselves to celebrate Republic Day the rap way by creating '">Train Mein Hai Swag' and Mahindra Rise launched ‘Rise Up – Anthem for the Girl Child’ collaborating with rapper Deepa Unnikrishnan a.k.a Dee MC.
Big Bazaar and Emiway join hands
Big Bazaar teamed up with rapper Emiway Bantai who will also be seen in Gully Boy to make the Sabse Saste 5 Din announcement. When approached by Big Bazaar, Emiway expressed his interest in the collaboration and visited a Big Bazaar store to get a real feel of the environment. It was there that he came up with the idea of creating a composition about all products available at Big Bazaar and how Sabse Saste 5 Din is all about the celebration of shopping for the common man.
Ixigo raps to #TrainMeinSwag
On the occasion of India’s 70th Republic Day, ixigo paid a tribute to Indian Railways by rolling out the rap song '">Train Mein Hai Swag'. Conceptualized and produced in-house, #TrainMeinSwag helps the audiences re-live funfilled train memories and also captures India’s timeless love for train travel.
Marking the National Girl Child Day, Mahindra Rise with Project Nanhi Kali launched ‘Rise Up – Anthem for the Girl Child, drawing on from ">#LadkiHaathSeNikalJayegiin an all new avatar. This time the aim was to celebrate unconventional career choices of women which can be an inspiration for all Nanhi Kalis and help refuel conversations around #LadkiHaathSeNikalJaayegi.
The anthem is an unconventional rap mix, through a first-time collaboration between Deepa Unnikrishnan, aka Dee MC, who is regarded as one of India’s finest female rappers (writer and vocalist), and Simi Talsania, one of the upcoming female dancers in the hip-hop space in the country.
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The 'Rap-chik' buzz on Social Media
The Rise Anthem on Youtube raked in 1.3 million views, ixigo's 'Train Mein Hai Swag' has been viewed by almost 3 lakh YoutTbe users and leading the way on the video creating platform is Big Bazaar and Emiway with 4.7 million views.
The videos were also reinforced through the social media pages of the artists including Instagram and Twitter.
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While the purpose and occasions of the campaign launches differed, what stood common was the 'rap'. Experts share their verdict on which brand rapped the good way.
Expert Take
Surbhi Allagh, Creative Lead, Sociowash
It is great to see brands taking topical seriously! They managed to pull off everything from the script to the shoot and then releasing the video considering the time constraints. With Ixigo, while the brand did try riding the Gully Boy wave with the rap, the video could also integrate the train campaign they did earlier. On the other hand, Big Bazaar seamlessly picks up where the song left and is a perfect fit looking at how it’s just in time for their sale. Mahindra Rise’s #RiseUp video is a refreshing take and beautifully blends with what the brand’s past campaigns have been about.
"The gully rap genre rose to popularity around 3 years ago, and observant brands like Jack & Jones were quick to leverage it at the time (see: Don't Hold Back). Rightfully so, the campaign urged the youth of the nation to rebel through their music and to join the madness that was, #DontHoldBack.
Brands that failed to catch the initial trend are now becoming part of the clutter. Case in point Mahindra, Ixigo, and Big Bazaar’s latest digital efforts.
Mahindra Rise decided to pursue the cause of female empowerment via rap - an admirable thought wrapped in generic subject matter treatment. Through the cause advertisement plugin, the Rise Up anthem urges women to be fearless in terms of making unconventional career choices. Unfortunately, the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
Ixigo’s Train Main Hain Swag manages to hit all the right notes. Targeting millennials, the rap video captures relatable moments experienced during train journeys. Real people, candid moments - as opposed to the previous campaign, the vox populi treatment feels organic. Conceptualized and executed well, the product integration seems effortless.
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