J.K. Cement, for the first time in its illustrious history has roped in a celebrity brand ambassador to be the face of the Company. The Nawab of Najafgarh, the world’s most formidable batsman Virender Sehwag is now playing for Team J.K. Cement through an aggressive multi-media advertising campaign. While launching new initiatives to rejuvenate the brand and to endorse its various products, this pa



tnership is expected to take the company to a record-breaking victory trail in the marketplace.

Sehwag was unanimously chosen to be the brand ambassador due to the perfect synergy between brand Viru and J.K. Cement. Both are known to be solid performers in their respective domains, smashing the opposition with their strength and consistency. J.K. Cement has been in the industry for over three decades and Sehwag’s experience brings much soundness to the Indian cricket team, thus making both proud sons of the soil. Both J.K. Cement and Sehwag are associated with trust, uniqueness and stability built over many years, compelling the nation to believe ‘Vishwas hai, isme kuch khaas hai’.

This new TVC featuring Sehwag is the brainchild of Basic4 – a Delhi-based Advertising Agency, that boasts of experience spanning over 75 man-years. Along with J.K. Cement Ltd., the agency also handles esteemed accounts like Ministry of Tourism, Govt. of India, 28 Black (German Energy Drink), Maruti Udyog Ltd., Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd., Sikkim Tourism and Punjab National Bank, among others.

The advertisement was conceptualized keeping the brand virtues of J.K. Cement in mind and blending them seamlessly with the strengths of India’s ace cricketer, Virender Sehwag. The concept of this TVC revolves around outlandish situations wherein Viru or Phodu goes about his habit of smashing cricket balls so hard, that the surroundings are under threat of getting completely decimated; thankfully, there’s Jodu or J.K. Cement around, to keep buildings intact.

This ad very interestingly blends the strengths of Viru (being both a bowler and a batsman, he is one of the most ac




ept of this TVC revolves around outlandish situations wherein Viru or Phodu goes about his habit of smashing cricket balls so hard, that the surroundings are under threat of getting completely decimated; thankfully, there’s Jodu or J.K. Cement around, to keep buildings intact.

This ad very interestingly blends the strengths of Viru (being both a bowler and a batsman, he is one of the most acclaimed players of the Indian cricket team) with those of J.K. Cement (a leading producer and one of the most reliable names in the Indian Cement Industry). In the ad, Sehwag is projected as approachable and accessible to the common man just like the J.K. Cement products
Mayank Gaur, Creative Director, Basic4 explains, “Among all the smashers of the cricket ball (or phodu's, as they are popularly referred to across India), Sehwag is unique in that he combines brute power with staying power. His two triple centuries and 13 odd 150+ test scores conclusively settle that argument. We thought countering this phodu's onslaught with our jodu – J.K. Cement, another champion of staying power, would be an engaging way of getting across our brand promise - 'Vishwas hai, isme kuch khaas hai’.”

Chrome Pictures Pvt Ltd is producing the much-awaited TVC with Virender Sehwag.  Hemant Bhandari, Amit Sharma and Aleya Sen Sharma established the production house in 2004 and within a short period of time, it has carved a niche for itself by making ad films for some of the most reputed brands and advertising agencies in this country. Its client profile includes Airtel, Mc Donalds, Hindustan Times, Samsung AC, Surf Excel, Tata Photon, Tata Docomo, The Times of India and many more.

Speaking on his association with J.K. Cement, Virender Sehwag said, “I’m happy to be associated with J.K. Cement. It’s very interesting to see how they have related my strengths with their product attributes and conceptualized an ad that strikes a connect with the audience.”

J.K. Cement is revving up its mass media campaign with a combination of television, radio and BTL activities. For brand building, this would be a 360-degree campaign encompassing consumer promotions, online support and public relations, and would be unveiled in a phased manner over the next two years. Speaking on these developments in the company, Mr. Nitish Chopra, Brand Manager, J.K. Cement Ltd. remarks, “J.K. Cement is one of the few companies in India which has such a rich legacy and heritage. Having been in the industry for over 35 years, the company has built its credentials with a never say die attitude and a penchant for smashing challenges ruthlessly. That, when given a human persona, had to be a person who would be both experienced and aggressive and at the same time be both dependable and unique. Keeping this in mind, while deciding on our brand ambassador, Virender Sehwag was the obvious choice, to be the face of J.K. Cement.”

On being asked about when the ad will hit television screens,Mr. Chopra adds, “Though all cement brands usually lie low on the communication front during monsoons, our multifaceted National media campaign with the new brand ambassador is expected to break by the end of July, with the second test match of the India-England series. Along with the brand's regular media tools such as television, print, radio and OOH campaigns, we also plan to involve Sehwag in ground-level activation, engagement, customer outreach programs and various BTL activities like consumer and dealer meets, Point of Purchase material etc.”