chanakya's chant by ashwin saghi - a contagion case study
TRANSCRIPT
The Digital Infection
Ashwin Sanghi is a thriller/fiction author who has written books with historical, theological and mythological themes. Some of his notable works include The Rozabel Line (2008), Chanakya's Chant (2010) & The Krishna Key (2012).
Chanakya'sChantAshwin Sanghi
Ashwin Sanghi was already one of Westland’s best-selling authors when he tasked us with creating a property which would extend the shelf life of the successfully launched – Chanakya’s Chant and build up to the release of his third book – The Krishna Key.
Chanakya's Chant | Ashwin Sanghi
TASK
Our first thought was to create a comic titled Chanakya’s Chant of the Week’ . Using Chanakya as the propeller for the series, the weekly strip featured witty observations on current affairs in the trademark sarcasm of the character
• We shared this comic on our social properties and on Ashwin’s blog on IBNLive
• Live Chats with the author and footage of his appearances kept the audience engaged through the year
• We gave fans even more incentive to review the book through a special review contest where the top 10 reviews were selected to be added to the next print run of the book
SOLUTION
Chanakya's Chant | Ashwin Sanghi
The popular ‘Chant of the Week’ comic strip property that built up Ashwin as a personality and a brand beyond an author
SOLUTION
Chanakya's Chant | Ashwin Sanghi
The Krishna Key:
• We kick started the campaign to promote The Krishna Key with a specially produced trailer which we promoted on all digital assets
• Custom Tabs on Ashwin’s blog homepage as well as Facebook conveyed relevant information about the book, links for purchase as well as free chapters
• A week prior to the launch, we shared a hand sketched ‘Krishna visual’ containing the 27 names of Lord Krishna, stating the upcoming release with subtlety. This went viral
• To round it all of, we live- streamed the launch event at Crosswords for the first time to all his fans merging the digital audiences with the ones at the event.
SOLUTION
Chanakya's Chant | Ashwin Sanghi
SOLUTION
Chanakya's Chant | Ashwin Sanghi
Chanakya’s ChantAshwin Sanghi
• Chanakya’s Chant turned into a brand of sorts reinforcing Ashwin as one of Westland’s leading authors alongside Amish Tripathi
• The Krishna Key stayed on the
bestseller bookshelf even 8 months after the book’s release
• At over 4 lakh followers (during the retainer period), Ashwin had one of the largest author fan bases in the country
RESULT