MUMBAI: Ogilvy & Mather and Bajaj achieved a casting coup of sorts when they roped in Jackie Chan for the commercial of Bajaj's new bike - Discover. Discover's hoardings featuring the action superstar are already rising above the Mumbai skyline. The bike, which was launched in the first week of October is priced at Rs 39,997 and is seen as a serious competition not only to the others in the race but also to Bajaj's own Caliber and Wind.

The Bajaj Discover is being positioned as the 'Last Temptation' and the commercial no doubt reiterates the same with Chan's histrionics.

Speaking about the new bike and the response it has got, Bajaj Auto Ltd vice president marketing RL Ravichandran said that the company had already sold 12,000 bikes in 30 days and were expecting to clock sales of up to 40,000 per month by January. This, of course would depend on the production, he emphasised.

O&M head honcho Piyush Pandey rebuffed the contention that Chan would overpower the brand Discover by saying, "There is no danger that brand Jackie will overpower brand Discover. They both will in fact complement each other." Pandey also said that Chan was not a brand ambassador as they did not believe in that concept. This ad featuring Chan may just be a one-off as nothing was decided as regards future plans.

The ad, scripted by O&M senior creative director Abhijit Avasthi and directed by Corcoise Films director Prasoon Pandey, was shot entirely in China.

From its inception, the ad was approached as a Hollywood film rather than a typical 90 seconder. An international crew comprising actors from Mainland China, set managers from Hong Kong and the renowned stunt director Bruce Law were the team responsible for the pre-production planning. The post production was however, done in India by Prime Focus.

The background score is a delight to the ears and the tempo of the music changes from fast to slow as per the demands of the situation. With almost no use of words, the ad fits the 'Last Temptation' component to a 'T'. While the ad is not one of the most costly Indian ads, it however is the costliest that Bajaj has ever made.

Apart from the outdoor and television, the company is also looking at print and Internet as a medium of advertising.

Bajaj Auto initially launched the new bike in North and East India, moving slowly to Maharashtra and Gujarat last month with the aim of touching the southern states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala by November. "The introduction of the bike in different parts of the country will be in line with the production," reiterates Ravichandran.

Whether Discover does well or not in the market is a different story altogether, but the fact remains that Chan's name tag to the ad will definitely help in creating an image.