ShyBuzz's Not Just Another Blog: Campaign Case Study of Bombay Vintage Restaurant (Bar & Diner), Colaba, Mumbai.

Brand: Bombay Vintage

Client: KBC

Agency: ShyBuzz

Role: Brand Activation Consultant & Offline Creative Agency.

Objective:

Bombay Vintage Logo

Bombay Vintage was positioned to be one of the most unique restaurant that one could envisage with a vintage ethnic look inspired by the Bombay of between 1940 to 1960 approximately.

It was to boast of one of the most exiting fusion of continental and Indian dishes - primarily consisting of local culinary classics of Bombay with a European panache - brought together by Indian artistry and vision. It was to be launched in the heart of South Mumbai, to compete in one of the most diverse and cluttered space in the metropolis.

Bombay Vintage was an experimentation in the fine art of distinctive flavours, innovative flourish, and vintage charisma, building a seamless amalgamation of culinary delights.

The client brief envisioned Bombay Vintage to stand out amidst the cacophony of themed restaurants, both new and the established, yet not be brash, pretentious, over the top, or even remotely similar to anything the industry had to offer.

The proposition facing ShyBuzz was rendered more challenging as the Brand needed to be a combination of the subtle yet distinctive, appealing yet relatable, a combination of creative flair yet honest to the time period. The brand needed to have a connect with the audience of today yet induce a sense of nostalgia, old charm, and romanticism with all things vintage.

Approach:

Logo – We at ShyBuzz were convinced that the logo of Bombay Vintage will be one of the most crucial elements to cement the brand approach and once it is nailed down , we would have secured a clear pathway ahead towards how the rest of the look of Bombay Vintage will play out. As we had envisaged, finalising on the logo proved to be a real learning experience with a series of challenges to overcome.

Ultimately we were ready with the logo that was the ideal merger of the usual with the creative. It imbibed the old charm with the recognisable, brought together romanticism of old Bombay with the flair of modern India. The logo had an instant connect with everyone as it was something everyone could relate to in one way of the other, and celebrated all that was unique about Bombay Vintage.

The logo was inspired by a vintage stamp, that although was nostalgic yet remains relevant and close to our sentimentality. The colour, font type, texture, and overall look was all meant to be not too loud, but be in sync with the time period, checking all the boxes to entice brand recall and top-of-mind awareness among the new to the tenured aficionado.

Tableware, Uniform, Delivery Bags, Menus, Interiors, Suggestion Cards, etc. - One of the most important consideration during the course of the brand activation exercise was how to link the brand with one of the most iconic themes of Mumbai's parlance and associate it with the brand communication strategy of Bombay Vintage subtly and succinctly.

It was decided that the Dabbawalas of Mumbai, who are part of a delivery system that collects hot food in lunch boxes from the residences of workers in the late morning, delivers the lunches to the workplace, predominantly using bicycles and the railway trains, could be the ideal element that fulfils all the prerequisites of the brand brief.

The Dabbawalas, by way of their look, efficiency, the dabbas (tiffin) themselves, are one of the most instantly recognisable part of Mumbai life.

After some initial nitpicking, it was soon evident that dabbawala inspired brand creatives will prove to be a master-stroke and so it did. It was thus assimilated by both Team ShyBuzz and Bombay Vintage in a whole host of creatives for Bombay Vintage via-a-vis Tableware, Uniform, Delivery Bags, Menus, Interiors, Suggestion Cards, etc.

Keys to Success:

The keys to the success of the brand activation campaign of Bombay Vintage was the successful integration of the iconic elements of Bombay and associating those elements with the pivotal features of the brand message and overall brand look, beginning from the logo to the valet parking tag. It was a true example of how creativity can come together with effective practical application and etch a true win win for all.

No one element of the brand exercise was considered routine and special emphasis was given on ensuring every deliverable was as unique and brand specific as it can be. Although this meant every facet of the endeavour required all the more detailed correspondence and brainstorming, the ultimate result made all the effort worthwhile and the fruit of effort is there for everyone to see.

Conclusion:

The reception to the launch of Bombay Vintage has been extremely encouraging with raving to favourable reviews coming in droves from connoisseurs of arts, media, marketing, food etc., - as well from the most important part of a successful endeavours - the patrons of Bombay Vintage.

Bombay Vintage has been a truly rewarding project for ShyBuzz in many more ways than one and is an ideal example of how motivated teamwork, constructive engagement, and shared vision can etch a pride of place for a relative novice through sheer hard work, a dash of creative doggedness, and sheer persistence to attain the truly special.

We welcome you to experience Bombay Vintage in Colaba and share your experience and feedback with us.