Hasta La Creative!

The third in a series on DM case studies from Sanjeev Jasani, VP, OgilvyOne New Delhi

The Challenge:
Draw in an audience used to India’s bastardised version of Chinese cuisine with its kitsch potpourri of red dragons, paper lanterns and fake ‘Ming’ vases, to savour contemporary Chinese food at My Humble House – the speciality restaurant at ITC Maurya, New Delhi, that goes beyond all clichés. From the decor, presentation and cuisine, everything is atypical. Although the restaurant was launched earlier we needed to keep the momentum going and this was more of a follow up activity with the same message that “This is not the chinese that you are used to.”

The Solution:
Implementation – In a dramatically atypical style, “erase” all remnants of Chinese tastes and perceptions by getting a new palate.
The creative idea translated this quite literally by numbing the palate with a strong mint placed inside the mailer. As the mint is tasted, it overpowers the taste buds, effectively cleansing them of all taste. Thus preparing the patron for the amazing sensory experience awaiting at My Humble House. In addition to the mailer, a poster was also made with an actual mint pack stuck on it. the poster was placed in the hotel lobby where guests could see and interact.

The Result:
Result – The mailer was sent to over 5000 people – the Who’s Who of the fine dining circuit that included ambassadors of diplomatic missions, corporate heads and top spenders of the hotel’s loyalty programme. Figures are currently not known and hence cannot be shared.