"We were the first to stress on relationship"

Why it is my best campaign
For four years, between 2008 and 2012, my team and I at Contract worked on Domino's Pizza, hammering home the brand's belief of delivering more than just pizzas with numerous commercials that always ended with "Khushiyon ki Home Delivery". It was a hugely successful campaign for the brand. But suddenly, "khushiyan" became everyone's catch phrase.

In the four years since we launched our campaign, the market was flooded with brands (both big and small) across categories, offering "Khushiyan". Happiness was no longer novel. On the contrary, it sounded cliched every time you heard it on the television.

So, in early 2012, we were entrusted with creating the next big campaign for the brand. We came up with several ideas but one just shone through. In August 2012, we launched the new campaign, "Domino's Pizza. Yeh hai rishton ka time."

I believe with this thought, the brand rose above the rest of the "fast food" brands in the mind of the consumer. It connected with consumers across segments and walks of life because there was truth in what the brand said - meal times are occasions for bonding. I think the campaign opened up a well that was deep and full of stories. Provided the client and the agency don't get bored with it, the campaign should continue enjoying a very long shelf life.

Brief to the agency
To reaffirm, in a fresh and engaging way, the belief that Domino's is a catalyst in helping strengthen human relationships and thus help the consumer to connect with the brand emotionally.

Routes considered
We must have presented at least six different routes with four to five scripts for each route over a period of a month and a half. Honestly, I don't recall the ones that didn't make it. Perhaps they were of the forgettable variety.

However, the winning route was the one we had presented at the very beginning of the exercise. It had been rejected in the first round but we just kept pulling it out of our bag every time we met the client with new ideas. I am glad we were persistent.

Route chosen and why
While we had several ideas that satisfied the brief quite efficiently, "Yeh hai rishton ka time" just hit the sweet spot for every one involved. At the risk of sounding old fashioned, I believe the client and agency went by the rare thing they call "gut feel".

Outcome
"Rishton ka time" was the last time I contributed to the brand's well-being because I left Contract to join Cheil Worldwide almost immediately after the launch of the campaign. So I wasn't around to listen to the post-launch reports. But from what I hear from my ex-colleagues and ex-clients, the launch campaign did well and they are now focusing on taking it forward across mediums.

Will it work in the future?
The campaign is too fresh out of the oven to start talking about results but I do believe that it meets the brief. We began with the insight that it is the conversations and everything that goes on around the dining table that we remember than the food itself. I believe it's a solid one and a great stepping stone towards hundreds, if not thousands, of stories around the telling of which the consumer can emotionally connect with the brand.

And in a world that is increasingly being populated by time-starved people craving for some human connection, "Yeh hai rishton ka time" will always be relevant and will always resonate with the consumer. Well, at least that's what I think.

Nima DT Namchu
Executive creative director, Cheil India