Epson launched two new commercials on Indian television for their InkTank Inkjet printers this July.
These films follow the first InkTank commercial of 2015, which saw a smart little girl ‘talking’ using printouts. The little girl, called Keya, returns gloriously in these 30 second commercials, clearly indicating that she has now achieved mascot status for the Epson printer product in the Indian market.
InkTank printers were first introduced by Epson in 2011 in a market that was dominated by traditionally expensive ink cartridges. Since this pioneering, bold, market-changing move, the traditional cartridge based inkjet market has been shifting rapidly to high-capacity InkTank printers. Epson InkTank printers have helped consumers across the home, commercial and office segments print without worry, by keeping print costs in control. The extremely low cost per print of 7 paise for Black and 18 paise for Colour struck a chord with consumers and Epson has seen sales in India go up exponentially over the years. The cumulative global sales of Epson’s InkTank inkjet printers have reached 20 million units. In India alone, Epson has sold in excess of 1.8 Million InkTank printers since its launch. Epson has also has secured the No.1 position in the Inkjet printer market by Volume and Value, as per IDC’s latest Hard Copy Peripherals (HCP) Quarterly market report for 2017 Q1.
The new commercials target value-conscious working professionals with children who have their own printing needs (SOHO, small office, self-employed), and who are keen for their child to have the best to help them with school projects, and even showcase their creative potential. The key message for the TVC is focused on the cost advantage, while Wi-Fi and ease of printing support the product proposition. Tushad Talati, Director, Brand & Communication at Epson India, says “Epson’s InkTank printers address all the printing needs of home, commercial and office, whether low print volume or high print volume. We hope to make Inkjet InkTank Printers the de factotechnology replacing Ink Cartridge and Laser technology in India. We have seen immense success in the commercial segment. Now we are keen to penetrate deeper into the home and office markets. The home and SOHO market account for 75% of the Inkjet market. More and more families with kids having printing requirements, are realizing the benefit of InkTank printers over erstwhile cartridge based models. We have been actively targeting this segment and the penetration is surging. Our previous TV commercial using the character, Keya, resonated extremely well with a wide range of consumers across the country. The simple message – that with Epson you can get the lowest print costs – was easily communicated. The new commercials feature the same character and take a similar thought to the next level with amazing creativity and effectiveness.”
The films were conceived by Bangalore-based OpusCDM, Epson’s brand agency for several years, and were produced by Mumbai-based Equinox.
“We see this as a continuation of the 2015-16 campaign, which received a tremendous response. For a product that historically ran on price points, Keya, with her “less costly than a toffee” message, helped the product reach users of different kinds and needs, in diverse markets. This strengthened our resolve to further build the bond between the character Keya and the Epson brand. Her character allegorically represents what an Epson printer is - smart, in-control, fun and caring. This time the challenge we took up was a little different, even though ‘lowest print cost’ remained the main underlying message. We made an effort to enter the average modern Indian family, look closer and focus on their everyday needs. Printers are not used on a daily basis, or so the potential consumer believes, which is why they usually step out to take a print out. That’s where we step in and make the printer a part of the family, who you can rely on whenever you need.” says Pramod Nath, Creative Lead at OpusCDM.
The two new TVCs capture the essence of home and home printing needs by exploring the facets of a father-daughter and mother-daughter relationship. While one commercial has her printing a ticket for her mother who is about to leave home on a business trip, the other has her helping her father cook with a printed recipe. Keya, in her inimitable way, targets the over-cautious behaviour of the typical consumer, especially when it comes to colour printing. The low-cost per print advantage as an everyday benefit is brought to light by comparing it to everyday household products, making it extremely relatable for one and all. Where one film says that a colour print costs “less than a spoonful of sugar”, the other leads from the 2015 TVC - emphasizing that a colour print costs “less than a toffee”. Given that the little girl is the ‘wise one’ in the family, the films reflect that a new generation of money-saving printers is here. In the wake of changes in the Indian financial governance, Epson is going all out to ensure that the consumer benefits most.
On the two different films, Pramod Nath says “Coming up with two separate films was a deliberate attempt to be at par with the current era of advertising, which reflects the quick-gratification nature of today’s audience. Also, we figured that capturing little emotions separately would help us better represent Epson as a family printer.”
