SABurbia.com: a new step towards consumer engagement: Anooj Kapoor

In the era where everyone is going ‘gaga’ about digital and consumer engagement, SAB TV sticking to its commitment and tagline; Asli Mazaa Sab Ke Saath Aata Hai, and with a clear motive to connect with its target audience launched SABurbia.com – the board game which revisits the timeless family pastime of playing board games and also an online game app on facebook.

With a belief that Board games, traditionally, have been known to bond families and friends together through their interesting plot-lines and game-play structures, SABurbia.com is made with the right flow making the players embark on a journey with SAB TV’s most popular characters.

Adgully caught up with Anooj Kapoor, EVP Business Head, SAB TV to know more about the initiative.

On asking about the main objective, he said, “The objective was simply to create more touch points for the consumers to experience SAB and a game of such genre where the entire family comes together and plays fits best with the brand’s belief of Asli Mazaa Sab Ke Saath Aata Hai!”

Well! It’s board game which set in the city of SABurbia, which is inhabited by all the popular SAB TV characters like Jetha, Daya, Taarak Mehta, Gadha Prasad, Baujee, Mukundi, Indumati, Bhavesh, Bakula, Gopi, Gulgule and Chandramukhi Chautala, among others. The city is in search of a Mayor, one who bonds well with all of them and gains their goodwill. Players compete to become the Mayor of SABurbia.

Apart from this; in order to expand the whole initiative, the channel also has plans to expand the feature by introducing it to mobile apps. Also there are certain mobile zones in the middle of the game which are special zones and when a player lands on them, he/she has the option of SMSing saburbia to 52525. As a response, he/she may be rewarded/penalized/given a task – in a nutshell, it is like a wheel of fortune with myriad options.

Making a smart move in entering into a board game category, no doubt that this is a one-of-its kind initiative by an Indian television channel, so when asked about reason behind tapping this market and how will this benefit the brand, he said, “It will help reach both loyal SAB TV audience and would also attract some new. While playing this game the children and their family members who have never watched Sab would might also get attracted towards the characters in the game and hence sample the channel.” So the whole idea seems to gather fresh audience.

The game is available in all the toy shops across all over India. SAB TV joined hands with Pegasus International (which is a major Indian toy and board game maker, operating with the brand name ‘Toy Kraft’) for the manufacturing and distribution of the game. The game will be available in 42 major cities in leading stores like Landmark, Crossword, Hamleys, Shoppers Stop, Planet M. The cities include key markets like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Bhopal, Indore, Baroda and Jaipur. In its initial roll-out, a total of 2000 pieces will be available in stores.

Speaking about the marketing initiatives, Kapoor said, “The game will be seen being promoted aggressively on all the mediums possible including television, print, outdoor and digital media. Also a lot of on-ground activations would be carried out in leading malls enabling more interest and buzz around the product.”

In terms of expectations regarding traction, Kapoor believes that launching such a game is a great idea and would create a huge buzz in the market. He says, “We are expecting good numbers.”

From the conversation what we learnt that there seems a huge buzz at SAB TV in coming future and with the festive season round the corner the channel is planning many more initiatives to woe their audiences. | By Aanchal Kohli [aanchal@adgully.com]