New way of settling accounts

Just when we were talking about how colloquial writing has and will endure being the D factor in ad writing, digital payment platform FreeCharge has launched its brand campaign titled ‘Lo. Do. Khatam Karo’.

Running alongside Vivo IPL, the pan India campaign includes a series of television spots that talk about the brand’s chat-n-pay service where users can request and send money over chat.

Through its hilarious and absorbing ads, FreeCharge is making good use of its on-ground partnership with Vivo IPL and on-air partnership with Set Max.

The campaign pegs on situations where asking and sending money can be awkward. The campaign houses a series of television spots that hilariously depict various real life situations that we have all faced where asking money makes situations awkward.

For instance, one of the spots picturises three friends who go on a road trip and one of them never has money to pay. We are sure we all have that one friend who is up for all the plans and finally when we execute the plan, this guy never, ever has any money on him.

Likewise, other TVCs in the campaign depict similar situations. In one of the spots, a man attends a friend’s wedding and gives him Rs 601 as a wedding gift, settling his debts. The way it ends is even hilarious –“Ek photo le lete hai bhabhi, proof ke liye”, which translates into “Let’s click a picture bhabhi, as a proof that I have settled my account”.

With the sign off line being as strong as “Lo. Do. Khatam Karo”, FreeCharge has aimed at changing people’s perspective of ‘Hisaab Barabar’.

The major takeaway of this campaign by FreeCharge is that pegging on dialects and knowing the right nerve can come handy while writing an ad copy, something that we stressed in the previous column too.

Instead of beating round the bush and using all the Shakespearean English you know, simply using the language people speak and observing consumer behaviour is the homework for your campaign.

Also, this is a very intelligent way of attracting people towards digital wallets at a point in time when the majority of population is apprehensive about it.

Parallel to this campaign, FreeCharge is rm also plans to have a microsite on its website and further promote its services and boast its Unique Selling Propositions (USP).

All in all, FreeCharge is utilising its sponsorship in the Indian Premier League to the optimum level and aggressively advertising its services.

These are the perks of having a creative agency as good as the Lowe Lintas Group on board for advertising campaigns. Good job Lintas.

By:Tushar Kalawatia