Ramakrishnan R, Executive Director – Bajaj Electricals, also the driving force behind all the Bajaj Electricals Marketing initiatives,  tells Pavan R Chawla that it is important to integrate the creative theme into media manifestations like  the award-winning Happy Mixing Radio campaign did, as it amplifies the brand message and ensures better saliency and delivery of the core message. He also says that Radio partners' willingness to go beyond the brief and come up with good ideas makes it a joy to partner with them. Excerpts.

RnM was speaking to Pops K V Sridhar about the innovative Happy Mixing campaign that won the Spikes Award, and he believes you are a dream client. Please react.

Pops is a great professional and a fantastic person and I am genuinely flattered! I believe that a Client gets an Agency they deserve! I share Pops' passion for cutting-edge creativity, and am willing to back it heart and soul. Leo Burnett has been our creative agency for nearly a decade and have partnered in our growth and transformation as a brand since then, all the way.

It has been a pleasure working with Pops, Arvind, Rajiv and the various Servicing and Creative teams who have worked on the brand over the years. Their contribution towards building the Brand Bajaj Electricals of today has been immense. It's been a great association with them. A Silver Lion and a Bronze Lion at Cannes in the last two years has given us a lot of reason to cheer!

What made you believe so strongly in this creative in spite of the odds against possibly getting it executed, even if money does talk and it was, after all, a paid ad campaign for the Radio stations that would be approached?

We, at Bajaj Electricals and Leo Burnett, firmly believe every ad should be creatively compelling and possibly award-winning. In this case, in particular, the big difference was that probably for the first time, we would be getting two competing radio stations to play our radio spot for music aficionados with the core thought of �blending'. It fitted in with the key product attribute so perfectly!

How did you manage to convince the two networks to run the campaign? This kind of a campaign across two stations was an industry first…

Yes, it is absolutely an industry first for two Radio networks to promote each other to enable the audience to switch between the stations, even if it was through an ad campaign. In fact it was audacious as a thought, and a huge paradigm shift. We convinced the networks to partner with each other as it benefits all the stake holders, and both, BIG FM and MyFM were also very bold and supportive. Our Media Agency Insight played a crucial role in swinging the deal! We couldn't have pulled off this coup otherwise.

See, it is important to integrate the creative theme into media manifestations like these, as it amplifies the brand message and most importantly ensures better saliency and delivery of the core message. Winning a Silver at Cannes was an icing on the cake!

Which cities did the campaign run in, on BIG FM and My FM?

It ran in Ajmer. In the second phase, we are looking at Mumbai and Delhi.

What is your view of the standards of creative advertising on Radio in India? Mention some memorable creative campaign spots.

The power and impact of Radio advertising is as yet not fully exploited. While many creative agencies have started writing scripts �for the ears alone' (and not just adapt TVCs), I feel we still have a long way to go. But I do believe that we are quickly moving in that direction. The Fiat Punto radio spots were extremely humorous, encouraging people to test drive, for instance.

How do you primarily use Radio in your campaigns – as a tactical or a strategic medium?

We use it as both. For thematic communications, we use Radio as a strategic medium as it offers localization and micro segmentation. For tactical promotions it enables quick repetitive exposures, cost effectively, and adds to memorability and recall. For example, during IPL we had both tactical and thematic campaigns of Bajaj Fans running under the proposition of  â€?Sabse Tez / Incredibly fast'  and the Morphy Richards â€?The Perfect Gift'  campaign.

Do you agree that nowadays, while TV and / or Print are the first medium in term of size and ad spend on campaigns, Radio is a near default media-multiplying second medium? Can you give some examples? If you do not thinks so, why not?

Radio has always been a reminder or sustenance medium. It continues to be so. Brand message integrations or promoting local ground level activation are gaining importance, wherein Radio can be a good promotional medium for such on-ground activation too.

When you  buy Radio as a medium, what measurement yardsticks do you depend upon? RAM, IRS, a combination of both plus/or perception? While your media agency does the buying, what is it that convinces you as a basis of Radio listenership and thereby effectiveness measurement?

A combination of RAM and IRS coupled with our native wisdom, I guess! Radio enables a quick build up of repetitive exposures, cost effectively. Plus the localization, customization of messages, RJ mentions etcetera, are added advantages of Radio. Many Radio partners are more than willing to go beyond the brief and come up with good ideas, hence it is a joy to partner with them. Also, the opportunity for live consumer engagement and interaction is an unparalleled bonanza.