Parker Pens associates with ‘Aarakshan’; launches new TVC

Parker Pens has associated with the film ‘Aarakshan’, which was released amid much controvery on Friday, August 12, 2011. A co-branded TV campaign has been launched across national channels, which blends the brand and the film seamlessly in a creative that links the film’s main protagonist Amitabh Bachchan’s character as a professor and his persona with Parker Pens.

Commenting on this association, Ganesh Mahalingam, President, Business Operations, Luxor Group, said, “This alliance for us is a step towards creating an innovation for the brand – by aligning with an entertainment platform, thereby reaching out to our consumers. In the coming months, there shall be more activity around the brand in both traditional and new media. This year, we are coming up with many new products, some of which shall be launched first only in India. Our focus on merchandising has always remained a strong point for the brand.”

Mahalingam further said, “Both Bachchan and Parker are great performers. Both have enduring values of great consistency, quality and high standards. Both are world class. Brand Parker has always been an epitome of being high heritage, class, with lasting values. Both Parker and the character that Amitabh plays in this film stand for knowledge, lineage and value. So the fit is perfect.”

Sharda Ratnam, Vice President, Branded Content, Blue Bang Media & Entertainment, the agency behind the alliance, added here, “The creative was developed keeping in mind ideologies of Amitabh Bachchan’s role in ‘Aarakshan’, weaving it seamlessly to blend with Parker and his own association with the brand. The key idea behind ‘Values the world respects, Words the world respects…’ lines from the TVC stems from the core philosophy of Mr Bachchan’s inspirational character in the film and what he stands for projecting the image of respect and class that people would aspire to.”

“‘Aarakshan’ and Parker Pens have a strong synergy, that’s why we decided to go ahead with this tie-up,” explained Prakash Jha, the producer & director of ‘Aarakshan’. He added, “Parker spells character and solidity, just like the character of Prabhakar Anand, played by Amitabh Bachchan, who essays the role of the principal of a college, respected for his ideals and values. Parker also has a similar brand equity. It is a brand that inspires trust and reflects an innate integrity.”