With the launch of its latest digital campaign titled "Sleepless Star" featuring Dulquer Salmaan, iQOO is aggressively pushing its branding on the Indian smartphone landscape. The campaign is meant to supercharge the sales of the company’s recently launched Neo 7 Pro smartphone.
The campaign unfolded over four days, and through four steps, before its actual launch on July 5, an initiative that iQOO CEO Nipun Marya calls unique not just for the brand, but in the industry as a whole. Beginning with Salmaan posting and then deleting after five minutes a social media post on his inability to sleep due to a new “obsession” on Sunday night, the actor posted more cryptic posts over the week before finally unveiling his obsession to be said phone with an ad video released on Wednesday.
Conceptualized by iQOO and Schbang, the campaign's narrative hopes to resonate “with modern-day smartphone users and capture the perfect blend of technology and human emotions.” The ad film will be promoted across multiple social and digital platforms.
Speaking to exchange4media, Marya said, “Being a young brand dedicated to meeting the needs of young India, we have consistently prioritized inventive marketing approaches that connect with our audience. Because Gen Z and the youth in general are our TGs, we’ve kept our advertising efforts completely online, as young people, whether from metros or small towns, are digital-first, and they spend most of their time and attention on social media and online entertainment.”
Marya adds that the digital-led strategy allows the brand to stay on its toes, react quickly to trends, and narrowly target specific TGs due the efficiencies of digital, addressable media. “We believe in doing a lot of innovative marketing to appeal to our consumers and think that there’s a lot more that can be done in digital, which has not been attempted before.”
iQOO is growing its presence across the country, says Marya, who adds that South India especially is proving a lucrative market.
The company, whose parent is Chinese smartphone giant Vivo (which itself is owned by BBK Electronics which also owns RealMe, Oppo, and other brands), entered the Indian market in 2019. In that time, iQOO has launched number of campaigns with a range of celebrities.
“As of now, we don’t have any long-term associations, as we try and match each campaign and the product it’s meant to promote with a celebrity whose values and image coincides with it. The collaboration with Dulquer, who is adored by many, has effectively showcased the finest qualities of the Neo 7 Pro. This device not only delivers exceptional performance but also encourages moments of technological therapy, offering an escape from the monotonous routines of everyday life,” says Marya, pointing to previous collaborations with Virat Kohli and Janhvi Kapoor for other launches.
