By launching an online contest for its peppy new car model – the Indica V2 Xeta, Tata Motors became the First Indian Auto Company to experiment on WEB 2.0. The contest was a first of its kind and invited entries from people to submit their own versions of the popular Indica Xeta television commercial (TVC) – “You gotta be dumb if you miss the peppy new Indica v2 Xeta”

After a very successful run of the Indica V2 Xeta TVC and being rated as The Best Auto Commercial of the year 2006 by CNBC, Tata Motors decided to generate more interest in the brand from the younger quarters. Instead of making them watch the TVC time and again, the audience was invited to submit their own renditions of the same to ensure more involvement.

The contest invited participants to submit to their creative streak and create storyboards and videos on the Xeta commercial which could be posted on the specially created site ‘www.thexetashootout.com’. Contestants could also share their entries with their friends and spread the word. There was also an online voting option and a slogan contest available to increase the interactivity on the site. This activity aimed at increasing the salience of the Xeta in the minds of young people and generate buzz around the brand.

The response exceeded expectations with Almost 2.5 million impressions, 25000 clicks, 7000 registrations and over 1200 entries.

The contest was promoted heavily on sites frequented by youth (primarily the segment which is interested in user generated content) like youtube.com, rediff ishare, zapak.com, contests2win.com, etc. Also, e-mailers were sent out via exchange4media.com, agencyfaqs.com etc. The main idea behind this unique contest was to go beyond the traditional media and connect with a younger target profile with a forward looking mindset. And the internet gives an opportunity to generate a two way interaction with this audience. The Indica Xeta commercial with the message ‘You gotta be dumb….”, was already popular and hence extending it to an online interactive contest seemed the best graduation. Says Satish Ramachandran, Vice President, Draftfcb Ulka, “Xeta Shoot out has demonstrated the power of web 2.0 of user participation and content. This is the way where most brands will have to interact with target audiences to build relationships”

Insha Kapoor, a 22 years old Arts student, was adjudged the winner and will soon be the proud owner of a brand new Indica V2 Xeta. Insha conceptualized the commercial and also starred in it along with his brother. Vivek Tetwilkar and Sagar Kapoor are the joint runners-up and will receive an i-pod each.

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DRAFT and FCB merged in the US in 2006. DRAFTFCB is a modern agency model for clients seeking creative, accountable marketing programs that build business and deliver a high Return on IdeasTM. With more than 130 years of combined expertise, the company has its roots in both consumer advertising and behavioral, data-driven direct marketing. The agency is the first global, behavior-based, fully inclusive, highly creative and accountable marketing communications organization to operate against a single P&L. The DRAFTFCB network spans 110 countries, with more than 9,000 employees worldwide, and is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies