How Kulfi Collective turned design into a strong storytelling peg for Nothing

Kulfi Collective is a modern media network, building original and branded IPs, bringing together tech, talent, and data for the creation and distribution of multi-platform and multi-format content right from pitch to play. It operates under three studios with capabilities in immersive (Post Office Studios), Original content (Keeda Media), and branded (Supari Studios), helping brands to get closer to culture. It creates branded entertainment, immersive media, and original content, operating and building brands and studios, functioning at the convergence of commerce, culture, and content.

Recently Kulfi Collective crafted a campaign for Nothing, the London-based consumer electronics manufacturer, for their CMF Phone 1. The integrated campaign, called ‘Wonderful By Design’, consists of two encapsulating films and over 500 digital and social assets. One campaign has been created for the global audience and another is targeted towards the Indian audiences, featuring actress Rashmika Mandanna, building the distinctive identity of CMF based on the heritage of Nothing, its parent brand. The campaign by Kulfi Collective portrays the design-led approach of CMF, reinforcing its European origins.

The global ad film underscores the careful creativity and craftsmanship that play a part in helping build CMF products, positioning CMF labs as hubs at the intersection of science and art, showcasing the journey from the minds of the designers to the hands of the consumers. The film for the Indian audience picks up at the point where the global film ends. The ad shows actress Rashmika Mandanna while traversing through the London subway, when she comes across a CMF vending machine, which transports her to the CMF lab, where she goes on an exploration of the three products and their futuristic features, embodying the juxtaposition of beauty and tech.

Watch the ad films:

https://youtu.be/OAHUJITY9lI?si=stjY0K4IirfHCV-i

https://youtu.be/FA4N4hoJTZ4?si=vl3IgcH8dmQA5N2r

In conversation with Adgully, Akshat Gupt, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Kulfi Collective, and Aditya Tawde, Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Post Office Studios, Kulfi Collective’s Immersive Content Division, speak about the concept and thought process behind the ‘Wonderful By Design’ campaign launched by Nothing in partnership with Kulfi Collective for the launch of Nothing CMF Phone 1, the marketing and media mix strategy, the creative conceptualization process behind the campaign, and more.

Could you share the concept and thought behind the new campaign launched by Nothing in collaboration with Kulfi Collective for the launch of Nothing CMF Phone 1?

Nothing wanted to announce the launch of their new brand, CMF, and emphasize on the incredible technology and aesthetic of this range. The concept behind the campaign by Kulfi Collective was to highlight how the new CMF Phone 1 is ‘Wonderful By Design’.  Kulfi Collective conceptualized and produced an integrated campaign, including two hero films and over 500 social and digital assets to build CMF’s unique identity on the heritage of its parent brand, Nothing.

The global film by Nothing in collaboration with Kulfi Collective showcases the meticulous craftsmanship and creativity involved in developing CMF products, which include smartphones, earbuds, neckbands, and smartwatches. It positions CMF labs as fantastic hubs where art and science converge, illustrating the journey from the designers’ minds to the consumers’ hands. The campaign highlights how CMF, as a brand, creates state-of-the-art products, where every detail in colour, material, and finish is carefully crafted to live up to Nothing’s promise of making the necessary brilliant and the essential wonderful.

For the Indian market, we created a film featuring actress Rashmika Mandanna that seamlessly picks up where the global film ends. Set in the London subway, Rashmika discovers a CMF vending machine that transports her to the CMF lab. Here, she explores the three products and their awesome features, epitomizing the fusion of tech and beauty.

What is the marketing/ media mix strategy for the campaign and the TG for it?

The ‘Wonderful By Design’ campaign is aimed to engage and excite young tech enthusiasts and design-conscious individuals across the world. With over 500 digital assets and two captivating films, we aimed to maximize reach and build brand awareness for CMF as a premium, design-led brand in the tech market.

What was the creative brief that was given to Kulfi Collective?

The brief was to create awareness and build trust for CMF by showcasing its elevated, design-led products while reinforcing its European origins and heritage.

The challenge was to break through the saturated market and differentiate CMF from other brands by emphasizing its design-centric approach and the innovative spirit of the Nothing brand.

Could you take us through the creative conceptualization process behind the campaign?

Our focus was to highlight the beauty functionality, and art, and technology of the CMF range – how it is designed with keen attention to detail in tech, color, material, and finish.

We began with an exploration of the core idea that while CMF is ‘Wonderful by Design’, it is also designed with wonder. We started at the drawing board, asking ourselves where the spirit of designing with wonder truly thrives. This led us to the concept of a laboratory, where the childlike curiosity of creating something new comes alive. We envisioned an assembly line in a lab or factory, but reimagined it in a highly conceptual and unique manner.

This idea of reimagining the production process of the CMF products became the foundation of our campaign. From there, we developed iterations of scripts, visual breakdowns, and prototypes. We delved into the design language, production design, live-action shoots, and 3D development, testing and refining at every step.

The result is a campaign that not only highlights the elite craftsmanship behind CMF products, but also captures the essence of innovation and wonder that drives their creation.

What has been the traction received out of the campaign and to what extent the marketing objectives have been fulfilled?

The campaign has performed very well across markets, garnering millions of views across social media. Additionally, the response to the product has been amazing – they had record-breaking sales of 100,000 units in just 3 hours!

What is the message that the campaign is trying to convey and how does it resonate with its TG?

The campaign message is that CMF by Nothing offers incredible tech, an uncompromised user experience, and reliable quality – it is wonderful by design!

This message resonates with our target group – young adults and tech enthusiasts – by emphasizing both the beauty and functionality, as well as the premium nature of CMF products. Through engaging storytelling and stunning visuals, we highlighted the craftsmanship, state-of-the-art tech, and innovative features of the CMF range in the CMF lab, thus appealing to the target audience’s appreciation for design, technology, and value for money.

How has working on this campaign been different in comparison to other campaigns?

It was fantastic to work with the global team at Nothing to build this campaign for both Indian and global markets. We’d worked with the India team for their inaugural campaign with Ranveer Singh earlier this year and were happy to partner with them and the global team to bring the CMF launch campaign to life.

We at Kulfi Collective conceptualized the ‘Wonderful By Design’ campaign to ensure that it appealed to audiences across the world and told the CMF story immersively. The film with Rashmika for the Indian market picks up where the global campaign ends, so it was an exciting challenge to execute this.

Overall, Kulfi Collective is thrilled to have partnered with Nothing for this campaign and are excited to see CMF inspire and delight consumers worldwide.