[COPYWRITING] – Writing powerful recruitment advertisements for India’s number one tyre company

BACKGROUND: In 1997, MRF Recruitment advertising  was handled by a different agency. The other agency’s creatives were traditional. The Marketing Manager of MRF wanted something different, powerful. We could win the  MRF Recruitment account if we could present something better.

 

1ST ADVERTISEMENT

 

CLIENT: MRF Tyres Ltd (Chennai)

AGENCY: Goldwire Chennai

PRODUCT / SERVICE: MRF Recruitment

BRIEF: Quarter page recruitment advertisement with powerful, motivating copy…

MEDIA: Leading dailies – The Hindu

YEAR: 1997

ACCOUNT DIRECTION: Abraham Alapatt

ART: Sumesh Peringeth

COPY: Umesh Ponnusamy

BRIEF:

Abraham Alapatt gave good briefs and this time too gave a lot of inputs about warriors, battles, wars etc.

INSPIRATION:

I decided to use a lot of metaphors about battles, wars, warriors – inspired by Abraham Alapatt’s – the account director’s brief. Using a previously published advertisement for the information, I coated it and crafted the metaphors into it.

RESULT:

Reportedly, the first advertisement went into print and was supposed to have got in 14,000 responses in the first week…it was noticed by a lot of people including my batch mates in the industry. The Marketing Manager at that time, Mr. Philip Eapen was supposed to have commended the advertisement.

The first one below:

MRF Recruitment Advertisement, 1997
MRF Recruitment Advertisement 1, 1997

 Copy:

Headline: MRF is on the lookout for warriors!

Subhead: India’s only Rs. 2,000 crore tyre giant – the undisputed market leader in all the major tyre segments is on the lookout for high-calibre SALES SUPERVISORS / REPRESENTATIVES

Bodycopy: for its dynamic army of sales personnel, to conquer new sales territories and to further expand its well-established extensive countrywide marketing and sales network. The battlefield is an opportunity filled environment with enormous possibilities for growth and conquests. A highly rewarding career awaits the MRF warrior who is an achievement-oriented professional with excellent communication and inter-personal skills and who can conquer stiff sales targets and win through aggressive selling.

Other essential warrior qualities are a willingness to be on the move with no location constraints and a knowledge of Hindi and any other local language. The warrior should be in his twenties, tough, dedicated, smart and a graduate with a determination to succeed and with 2 years experience in combat, selling highly competitive products.

The ammunition provided will be the most powerful in the market and the spoils of the battle will be among the best in the industry.

Sign Off: Write to the Director, Human Resources, MRF Limited, 124, Greams Road, Chennai 600 006.

 

2ND ADVERTISEMENT

They asked us to craft one more….this time I used a hunter-jungle metaphor for the second advertisement.

CLIENT: MRF Tyres Ltd (Chennai)

AGENCY: Goldwire Chennai

PRODUCT / SERVICE: MRF Recruitment

BRIEF: Quarter page recruitment advertisement with powerful, motivating copy, following-up on the style of the previous one.

MEDIA: Leading dailies – The Hindu

YEAR: 1997

ACCOUNT DIRECTION: Abraham Alapatt

ART: Sandesh Talpade

COPY: Umesh Ponnusamy

 

MRF Recruitment Advertisement No. 2, 1997

 

Copy:

Headline: MRF is looking for Hunters!

Subhead: Senior / Middle Managers

Bodycopy: Are you tough, gutsy and determined as Jim Corbett who hunted man-eating tigers in Kumaon? Or as David Livingstone who charted unexplored territory in Africa?

Because today, as you know, the market out there is a jungle. And survival-of-the-fittest is the law.

MRF, the Rs.2000 crore tyre giant reigns supreme in the Indian tyre market jungle and is an undisputed market leader in all the major tyre segments.

MRF stands at the threshold of an exciting new era of globalisation with the widest product range including tyres that have been the unanimous choice for first fitment on the latest world-class cars in India.

To work in this highly rewarding environment of potent dynamism and exciting challenges, you should have a hunting instinct to aggressively innovate methods to corner your prey while bettering your own achievements. Also, as a market hunter, you should have 5 – 10 years experience in leading marketing expeditions with a penchant for travel without location constraints and in selling consumer products and durables.

Your traps and arms are the most powerful brands in the market. And your ability to scent new hunting ground and conquer them will bag you prize catches that are the best in the industry.

Sign Off: Shoot your resume to:  The Director, Human Resources, MRF Limited, 124, Greams Road, Chennai 600 006.

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