https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Cheeka_%28dog%29Cheeka (dog) - Revision history2026-11-15T18:38:18ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cheeka_(dog)&diff=493751&oldid=prevVeronasie: new page2026-04-10T11:50:02Z<p>new page</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Dog used in Hutchison Essar advertisements}}<br />
{{Use British English|date=February 2014}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}}<br />
[[Image:Cheeka1.jpg|thumb|right|A still in which Cheeka follows a boy to a barber shop]]<br />
<br />
'''Cheeka''' is a [[pug]] who appeared in the "You & I" [[advertising campaign]] of [[Hutchison Essar]]'s cellular service in India, along with the child actor [[Jayaram (child actor)|Jayaram]]. The dog follows the boy to unlikely locations, prompting the [[tagline]], "Wherever you go, our network follows." The duo first appeared on [[Television in India|TV]], [[billboard (advertising)|billboard]]s, newspapers and [[bus shelter]]s in 2003. The campaign was created by [[Mahesh V.]] and [[Rajeev Rao]], senior creative directors at [[Ogilvy & Mather]], Mumbai. The commercials were directed by [[Prakash Varma]]. The dog was born in the [[United Kingdom]] and is owned by Vishal and Lisa Bandekar in [[Goa]].<br />
<br />
==Conception==<br />
Several telecommunications companies were competing for a share of the rapidly growing mobile phone market in India during the early 2000s. Hutch hired Ogilvy & Mather in Mumbai to create an advertisement campaign focusing on this theme. Mahesh V. and Rajeev Rao, senior creative directors at the agency, spent a whole night developing the idea.<ref name="topdog">Mitra, Moinak. [http://www.india-today.com/btoday/20031207/books.html Top Dog!] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929104457/http://www.india-today.com/btoday/20031207/books.html |date=29 September 2007 }} ''Business Today'', 7 December 2003, retrieved 24 November 2006.</ref> "We did not want to talk about technology, and we consciously avoided showing people talking on the mobile", says Mahesh.<ref name="iipm">[http://www.iipm.edu/iipm-editorial-294.html IIPM Editorial]</ref> Their initial idea was a younger sister following an older brother. "On second thoughts, we concluded that a dog would be much less mushy", adds Mahesh.<ref>Dobhal, Shailesh. [http://www.india-today.com/btoday/20040523/cover2.html HUTCH: You & I in this beautiful world] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070616185003/http://www.india-today.com/btoday/20040523/cover2.html |date=16 June 2007 }}, ''Business Today'', 23 May 2004, retrieved 24 November 2006.</ref> This led to the slogan, "Wherever you go, our network follows", and the idea of a dog following a boy everywhere. "Man's best friend was the simplest analogy that could represent unconditional support", says [[Renuka Jaypal]], National Business Director of O&M.<ref name="topdog"/><br />
<br />
The first television ad was shot as a 1-minute sequence in Goa. The role of the boy was played by [[Jayaram (child actor)|Jayaram]], who had already starred in four other ads. Cheeka was suggested for the role by an assistant at [[Nirvana Films]], the makers of the ad. The campaign was soon followed by a print version for newspapers. Cheeka earned ₹150,000 for the campaign,<ref name="topdog"/> and appeared in Hutch ads, until the merger with Vodafone India, representing the network.<ref name="iipm"/><br />
<br />
==Reception==<br />
The campaign was well received in India. "To me the magic of this campaign is its simplicity", says [[Piyush Pandey]], National Creative Director of O&M.<ref name="top10">Thomas, Prince Matthews. [http://www.the-week.com/24jul18/lifestyle_article7.htm You and I...] ''The Week'', 18 July 2004, retrieved 24 November 2006.</ref> "It impacts your emotional retina in such a way that you enjoy it while it is happening", adds advertising legend [[Alyque Padamsee]].<ref name="topdog"/> "There was something about Cheeka that was very enduring and also there was an instant rapport with the kid", says Jaypal.<ref name="top10"/> Padamsee adds, "You rarely see pugs in ads because they are ugly. This goes against the grain and that's why it clicks."<ref name="topdog"/> The campaign was ranked the Top Print Ad of 2003 and among the Top 10 TV Campaigns of 2003 in India by [[Business Today (business magazine)|Business Today]].<ref name="top10"/><br />
<br />
The ad is similar to the approach used by [[Fido Solutions]], a major mobile service provider in Canada. It is also similar to the concept of network technicians following the customer in recent [[Verizon Wireless]] ads in the US.<br />
<br />
==Legacy==<br />
The ad campaign increased the popularity of [[pugs]] in India, and the sale of pugs doubled rapidly, with prices going from roughly ₹10,000 to ₹60,000.<ref name="topdog"/> A few other ads also appeared in the following months, inspired by the idea of a dog following a boy. In addition, Cheeka was the [[mobile wallpaper|wallpaper]] most often downloaded by Hutch customers onto their phone screens in 2005.<ref>Jaypal, Renuka. [http://www.ogilvy.com/uploads/koviewpoint/vp_58-59_jaypal_apr17.pdf Going Digital in India] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015155833/http://www.ogilvy.com/uploads/koviewpoint/vp_58-59_jaypal_apr17.pdf |date=15 October 2006 }}, ''Viewpoint'', May 2006, retrieved 24 November 2006.</ref><br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* {{section link|Verizon Wireless|Advertising}}<br />
* [[List of individual dogs]]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
<br />
{{Vodafone}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Vodafone]]<br />
[[Category:Advertising in India]]<br />
[[Category:Dog mascots]]<br />
[[Category:Indian mascots]]<br />
[[Category:Corporate mascots]]<br />
[[Category:Real-life animal mascots]]<br />
[[Category:Mascots introduced in 2003]]</div>Veronasie