Tata Steel digital campaign: Heritage tales behind doors

Features series of short films that hope to convert a largely unbranded category into a branded one

Tata Steel has embarked on an ambitious digital campaign that digs deep into the history behind several architecturally impressive doors and arches across India. They include iconic edifices such as the India Gate as well as lesser known ones such as the Dwar Stambh, an eighth century stone structure that is part of the Patna Museum and stands as a symbolic doorway to the past. The #DoorsofIndia campaign aims to cover 46 cities across 15 states in a span of five months, with six travellers talking us about a unique door and its heritage.

Just over a year ago, Tata Steel had launched its new product line, Pravesh steel doors, to cater to the home solutions market. About three-and-a-half years ago, the company carried out research to understand the requirements of homemakers, which led to the idea of Pravesh doors. According to the company, people were looking for safety, longevity and, in many urban semi-urban areas, termite protection. However, no one wanted to compromise on looks and design. This led to steel doors with a wood-grain finish and Pravesh was launched. Peeyush Gupta, vice-president, steel (marketing and sales), says, “There is a lot of pride associated with the kind of door one has. A door is not like a refrigerator or television.”

Tata Steel’s home solutions vertical is expected to clock in sales of Rs 1,000 crore this year, the company says, and Rs 5,000 crore in the next three years. Besides Pravesh, Tata Steel also plans to soon launch windows and a furniture portfolio later. The campaign, which has been conceptualised by J Walter Thompson, will go on till end of October.

With a unique digital-first approach, minimising advertising in traditional media with greater emphasis on social media, the company aims to own the category. Just as one thinks of a particular brand when it comes to copiers, “when you think of doors, you will think of Pravesh”, says Gupta.

The chief task for the marketing team of Pravesh was to convert the largely unbranded category of doors into a branded one. The ad agency collaborated with its network partner Hungama Digital Services for the campaign. Tarun Rai, CEO, J Walter Thompson South Asia, says, “The Doors of India campaign is an example of taking a strong concept and amplifying it across media — from on-ground to online.”

According to Surojit Sen, associate vice-president and client services director, digital, J Walter Thompson Kolkata, the agency observed that while home owners had conversations around many aspects of home, there was none at all around doors. “However, when we looked back into all the aspects, we found that every door in the house is witness to so many incidents in our lives. So when ‘every door has a story’ came up and we found it engaging, relatable and everyone agreed that it’s the universal truth.”

Carlton D’Silva, CEO and chief creative officer, Hungama Digital Services, believes the campaign with its multiple stories would inspire people to share their own. “The campaign has already seen a reach of 4.4 million on digital platforms with engagement of over 1 million on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The campaign videos have received 1.3 million views with 87 per cent garnered from social platforms. With such numbers, this campaign is a first example in India of a perfect integration of brand and product using content and influencers,” he says.