MxMIndia

Category: #AdsOnIPL

  • Vikas Mehta is back with his weekly reviews of #AdsOnIPL as the 10-team, 74-match league took off last weekend

    Unusual is the new normal in IPL 2022

     

     

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaIt’s been an unusual 2022 so far. For Indian cricket. India lost a Test series in South Africa after an unusual first Test victory. Then we also lost the ODI series with an unusual 0-3 scoreline. Sri Lanka toured India after an unusually long interval and got beaten soundly. That I must confess was as usual. The women’s cricket team was unusually dumped out of the World Cup. But the most unusual thing has been that the IPL is happening in India and that too in front of some crowds. And the one constant or the usual is that I am back with my weekly column looking at the new ads released during IPL.

     

    The first weekend has as usual resulted in Mumbai Indians losing their first match. And many new ads. As usual, most of them have been predictable, boring and ordinary. So rather than draw up a list of all such ads and pan them, which I usually do, I thought of doing something unusual. Let me look at one brand which has through the last two-three editions of IPL produced some memorable advertising and indeed been unusual in its approach.

    Cred is a unicorn which has gained much more traction than any other new brand. With a reported revenue of around Rs 95 crore, the brand has reported a loss of about Rs 425 crore. Before you start saying that’s also unusual, let me point out that it is not, as most new age tech companies have a similar financial model. But what’s unusual about Cred is that a big chunk of its expense is towards traditional advertising. Which is not unusual as Cred has a clear grasp on its TG. Cred is talking to the credit card owners, and there are around 50 million credit cards issued in India. Most of these are the high net worth or the salaried senior management millennial. And these millennials have seen India changing in front of them. For them, India changed from Mother India to Miss World, India changed from we to I and India changed from a problem of few choices to a problem of plenty. And of course, India changed from Madhuri Dixit, Kumar Sanu, Bappi Lahiri to a new influencer every day.

    So, the nostalgia of a yesteryear superstar caught on. Then came the nostalgia of some cricketing icons. The people who were fierce competitors but gentlemen in spirit. To unleash their hidden beast was almost like a what if situation. Imagine if Dravid was not unflappable or Srinath and Prasad were actually part of a boy band. And now comes the third stage of nostalgia for the same millennials. Old iconic ads being remembered with a twist. Nostalgia has been Cred’s secret success sauce and it has hit the nail on the head with the TG.

     

    So enough of my pontificating. Did you notice the unusual Kamla Pasand ads? Why unusual? Because last year AB had very solemnly declared that he did not realise that the brand was doing surrogate advertising for a gutka or pan masala which is not good for health and now that he has been informed of the same, he is withdrawing from the campaign and returning the money to the company. I guess his cheque was postdated. For after eternity. Or is it the case of an unusual publicity stunt?

     

    And did you see the Harsha Bhogle being tortured after being kidnapped ad for some Fantasy Akhada game? The ads have a “to be continued” at the end. I am not sure who is being tortured here. Harsha or us? Incidentally, the brand did try a PR stunt. It seems Harsha was being interviewed live from home on some digital channel when he disappeared with some audio of his alluding as if he has been surprised by intruders. It did go viral with lot of fans expressing concern. Harsha finally apologised for the stunt. Going viral by hook or crook, be it the KP way or the Harsha way is not unusual now. Hey, I meant Kamla Pasand not the political discourse you have been following.

     

    It also looks like that a new Aamir Khan film is on its way. His usual PR machinery is on an overdrive with quite forgettable ads for PharmEasy and Vedantu.

     

    I will of course have no comment on the unusual Jaguar bath plus light ad which featured fully clad people in living rooms sitting on a toilet or taking a shower. Please, let’s get back to some usual ads.

     

    Vikas Mehta, a senior advertising professional, is now a strategy consultant and educator based in Dehradun. He has a considered, often contrarian view that we enjoy consuming (and contesting) on most things around him: cinema, cricket, advertising, politics and life in general. His views here are personal.

     

  • Come on not everything is about TG and tonality etc. We are talking about ads and sometimes, they do need to break the mould, writes Vikas Mehta

    AdOnIPL21: Hits & Misses

     

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaSo, the pandemic caught up with IPL too. And some of us are surely going through withdrawal symptoms each evening. But the futility of the sport hits you starkly when a few near and dear one gets affected, as it happened to yours truly too.

     

    Let me bring this series to a logical end. Today I will share with you my hits and misses from the ads released during the IPL. And my Gen Z sample, undoubtedly will have a say in this too.

     

    Frankly, it is easy to talk about the misses. Some of the worst ads featured Ranveer. The toss up in my mind was between JioFiber and JD Mart. Maybe Ranveer should give up endorsing brands starting with J. And on this my Gen Z sample was in total unanimity with me.

     

    Then there were the soft drinks ads. Be it Pepsi, which surprisingly used the old Salman Khan or be it the Coke global ad which desperately tried to have some Indian feel to it. Or the Priyanka Chopra-led B Fizz ads (ok, Gen Z sample did like this one). Or the Katrina Kaif Slice ad which used the 1970s Pepsi Taste Challenge thought but without any conviction. Or the you-blink-and-miss Maaza ad. Or the, you have seen one, you have seen them all, Frooti ads. This category was the biggest disappointment for me at the IPL. What a fall for a category which, till just a few years ago would produce some of the best ads, year after year. And my Gen Z sample had a pertinent point to make. Why did most of the soft drink ads use celebrities who are past their sell-by-date? Maybe because Gen Z celebrities are flash in a pan Tik Tok or Instagram celebrities who shine for a few moments and are quickly replaced by a newer sensation, I suggested. Maybe because the creators of these ads are millennials who are still clinging to the celebrities of their own generation. But a point to ponder.

     

    That question from my Gen Z sample made me think hard and I wondered about another interesting trend. Hardly any cricketer or sportsperson is promoting any of these soft drink nowadays. Bah! That’s easy, said my Gen Z sample. Sportsperson are now more conscious about not associating with unhealthy products. Hmm! I think of Tendulkar with the chubby, wholesome look and then the image of a fit, diving, hurtling Kohli flashes in my mind and though I nod in agreement, give me a Tendulkar any day over a Kohli.

     

    But I digress, who am I to pontificate? I will just continue with my hits and misses. The biggest yawn, no, the biggest turn off for me was the Salman Khan’s Elaichi flavour ad. Till I was corrected by Gen Z sample. The brand was not Salman Khan. I stood corrected. I would prefer the Bolo Zuban Kesari ad any day. So what if it features two more vintage actors. At least it was shot in London and not on a cheap looking Bollywood set.

     

    Hey, all is not doom and gloom. The IPL did have its moments. Not many, but some did stand out. The Phone Pe series for example. For me, this was the stand out IPL campaign. Benefit lead, short plots that did not need major explanation and had ample subjects to reignite interest every time you saw them. In fact re-viewing these was always a pleasure. And these also amplified the stimulus response theory of communication very well, Eh! What’s that, asked my Gen Z sample. Finally, I could pontificate a bit. Do not say the benefit in the ad. But give a stimulus that makes the viewer say the benefit. That’s when generic benefits like easy to use, convenient, fast etc are not only remembered but appropriated by the brand. For the first time I noticed a look of appreciation from Gen Z sample. Small mercies!

     

    Of course the gully cricket ads of Dream 11 were a big hit too. And so were the Dhoni ads for the same brand which epitomised the using of brains to build your fantasy team. But then MPL did a neat little coup by questioning the use of brains in the Hindi proverb-led series. The MPL ads also demonstrated that a good idea can easily upstage the presence of celebrities like Ranveer (again), Dada or Rahane (My 11 circle) or for that matter even K. Rahul (Gamezy).

     

    Finally, it was Cred that stole the show. While the Dravid ad got lot of attention and social media chatter and even though the Jackie Shroff and Kumar Sanu follow up ads were a pale shadow, I think the boy band ad was quite brilliant. For my Gen Z sample it was not just hilarious but as it spoke their language and actually addressed them, it was endearing. Come on not everything is about TG and tonality etc. We are talking about ads and sometimes, they do need to break the mould. Cred is a winner on that front.

     

  • In the first season of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League, Vikas Mehta reviewed the various ads around the IPL coverage. Mostly on television, some on digital and once in a while if there’s something exciting in print, radio or outdoor. Here’s the first instalment on the ads around Part 2 of IPL 2021.

    AdsonIPL21: Shraadh Effect on New Ads?

    In the first season of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League, we invited Vikas Mehta, senior marketing strategist and educator and a former adperson, to review the various ads around the IPL coverage. Mostly on television, some on digital and once in a while if there’s something exciting in print, radio or outdoor. Here’s the first instalment on the ads around Part 2 of IPL 2021. Read on…

     

    Vikas Mehta

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Okay, the IPL has resumed. So, let’s have a refresher course on where we had left IPL at? Do you remember which team was topping the table? I don’t because my favourite team wasn’t. Who was the leading wicket-taker? I bet you don’t. It was Avesh Khan. Fine. Which team does he belong to? Stumped again?

     

    But then when I saw the ads I did not need any refresher course. For most of the ads were the same old ads which we saw almost six months ago. Dream 11, Phone Pe, Unacademy, Mutual Funds, Finolex Pipes, Acko Insurance… it looked like I was watching reruns of the March edition of IPL. Not helped by the fact that Mumbai Indians lost their first match again and Punjab had yet another opening century partnership between Mayank and Rahul and yet another loss to go with it. Maybe, as my very astute wife reminded me, this is shraadh time and since some/many Indians do not make new purchases in the period, our advertisers do not launch new ads in this period.

     

    But one category has definitely dominated and it has some new ads too. It seems there is definitely a charge of the edtech brigade. Not only new ads from Byju’s, Upgrad and Whitehat Jr but new advertisers like Lido Group tuitions, Great Learning. Not to forget the rerun of Unacademy ads. Even though schools and colleges are gradually opening up online education is booming.

     

    I particularly liked the UpGrad ones. An ex-batchmate becoming your boss because she has upskilled herself. Nice thought. It looks like a series because I saw a second one with the same cast and looks like the three batchmates are going to be around for some time. The Lido Group tuitions is a good marketing initiative though I cannot say the same about the advertisement. Shah Rukh Khan is back to liven up Byju’s. And from what I understood Byju’s is now providing two teachers. Really? As if the pressure of one teacher was not good enough.

     

    But frankly I have not understood using people like Shah Rukh Khan plugging education. What is Shahrukh’s educational qualifications? Do parents go by his recommendations? Does star power influence education decisions too?

     

    So, if Bollywood star power can work why not cricket star power? Mr Kohli has also made an appearance for a brand called Great Learning. It seems to be a competitor to Upgrad. Is it a coincidence that this campaign release on IPL has been timed with his giving up the T20 captaincy. Or is he already looking for a career beyond cricket and therefore preparing to acquire some new skills?

     

    Talking of cricketers, it’s been some time since one saw a cricketer in a cola ad. I wondered if the current crop of cricketers have been inspired by Kohli who did not want to endorse an unhealthy product (his words, not mine). Bumrah proved me wrong. He appears for Thums Up in the continuation of their “palat de” theme. It picks up from the Olympics and Paralympics ads, but frankly it is too predictable and does not have the hit-in-the-gut effect like the Paralympic ad. If I ain’t wrong, this was Bumrah’s first major campaign. No, please, do not mention anything about the Jio ads.

     

    And to end this piece another refresher. Who is the anchor of the Cred ads? We have seen him in the past few ads but do you remember his name? And talking about Cred, did you realise that it’s Neeraj Chopra himself in all those roles in the new Cred ad. I must admit I did not recognise him. I guess winning an Olympic gold also is no match to a cricketer’s screen power in India. And neither to a Bollywood star’s. Maybe that sums up Byju’s and Shah Rukh.

     

  • We haven’t yet hit the halfway point also and I just get a feeling that some entertaining ads are on the way, Vikas Mehta

    AdsOnIPL21: Welcome distraction from the doom & gloom

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

     

    I waded into a discussion today about staging IPL with the virus raging all round us. I may sound too simplistic but with all the doom and gloom news which we all are exposed to, much of it at a personal level too, the IPL is a much required distraction and a break. Just like the football leagues have been in Europe during the second wave. And besides the matches one also gets to watch many new old fashioned ads. So, I decided to base my re-view today on the ads which have in some way entertained us. Not just made us smile but also involved and wanting to actually re-view it. (Now you understand why I have been writing review with a hyphen!).

     

    The first such ads that come to my mind is the Phone pe series of ads. They are short, sharp and highlighting the many generic benefits of UPI payment. Sure, the benefits are generic but these ads are appropriating the benefits for Phone Pe with delightful vivid demonstrations, without the need for any audio. And the one ad which did use some dialogue was done very smartly with the play on the word scan. My personal favourite though was the one with the two Bengali women angling for that one last Sandesh. For once, my choice was backed by my Gen Z sample.

     

    Finolex pipes. Not really a consumer product but I think they have done an entertaining job with Sehwag in the series of ads. And a very bold twist to the narrative has been added with the thought of “Jo cheez chalti rahti hain woh kahan yaad rahti hai.” What an interesting twist to long-lasting. Though what my Gen Z sample loved was the product shot at the end. Pipes and fittings in the form of a throne on which Sehwag is sitting for the sign off. A real nice touch, indeed for a boring simplistic looking product.

     

    I did speak about the MPL ad in one of my reviews earlier. I think they have done a good job of taking Hindi proverbs regarding brain and then using these to explain how one can use the MPL ad without too much of brain power, read thinking. Another reason I found these entertaining was because they take a diametrically opposite stance to Dream 11, specially the Dhoni ads which urges people not to use brains for excuses, lying etc but to use it to make the Dream 11 fantasy teams.

     

    Incidentally, I do have a question for MPL. What about the comprehension of these ads in south Indian languages? Do they have similar language idioms? Dear readers, any suggestions?

     

    The Groww ads were intriguing. The whole concept of giving up something close, like your child or a product one developed for nothing is thought provoking. But the link with the product was a bit weak. But hey, this re-view is about entertaining ads. Not necessarily effective. But you know why my Gen Z sample loved it. The line. Invest kar. Kuhud grow kar. Not karo. The irreverence of the line was entertaining for her.

     

    The Gulabjamun wale uncle ads of Swiggy were also entertaining. The guy has become a brand symbol or mnemonic for Swiggy and his losing his own identity is a nice twist.

     

    Sadly, I found not many other entertaining ads. No, I do not find Cred entertaining. Except for Dravid, which was more of a surprise and shock than entertain, the rest have no entertainment or even relevance factor for me. And that Zumba ad was a joke, right?

     

    But there is hope. We haven’t yet hit the halfway point also and I just get a feeling that some entertaining ads are on the way. Keep reading this column for some more.

  • The Lloyd refrigerator ad, the Lloyd AC ad, the innumerable JD Mart ads, the insufferable Jio Fiber ads, the My Circle 11.com ads… some of the ads that caught Vikas Mehta’s eyes

    AdsOnIPL21: Ads on Ranveer Premier League

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

     

    Come on IPL, BCCI and the communication agencies. After all that brouhaha about the IPL amidst a raging pandemic, about those players earning in millions and not caring about the millions suffering, the best response you had was to rehash an old hashtag, get your commentators, most of them from a bygone era, and get them to wag a finger at the public asking them to follow protocols. That’s what the government, media, doctors, epidemiologists have been doing for weeks. What makes you think that some ex-cricketers now commentating will mouth the same things and that will be heard? Ok, I did see some current players of some franchises doing the same, but does it really appeal? In advertising, we say that a good piece of communication is knowing the difference between desired response and stimuli. And that’s what exactly is the problem with the #unite2fightcorona campaign. As they say in Urdu: nasihat nahin, jazba dikhao. My Gen Z sample asked me to translate this. Frankly, no translation can do justice to it.

     

    While this was a tough week, with some close people falling prey to the pandemic, the Ranveer Premier League had its moments. The Lloyd refrigerator ad, the Lloyd AC ad, the innumerable JD Mart ads, the insufferable Jio Fiber ads, the My Circle 11.com ads…….incidentally the tag isn’t mine but I picked it up in a FB conversation. And it left my Gen Z sample in giggles.

     

    This summer is seeing a resurgence of fan ads. And guess what. All fans have become hi-tech. They do not start with the switch of a button. And even a remote is passé. Now it is all about voice command. I too am left-mouth agape at this huge leap of technology, like the kid in the Havell’s fan ad. When most of the ACs are still into remotes, fans seem to have leapfrogged them.

     

    And talking about ACs, with all the news about how ACs are not only spreading the virus but also helping it keep alive, trust AC manufacturers to come up with virus resistant or self-cleaning technology. Did I say that I saw a fan ad too, claiming to keep the virus away and also an ad for a cooler with the same claim? Sigh! one cannot just switch off the pandemic even if one wants to.

     

    Two ads featuring Virat caught my eye. One was, you guessed it right, for an AC. The Blue Star AC has Virat showcasing his dancing talent and he did a good job about it. But what I liked was the small super at the end. Owned by Virat, loved by Virat. That’s to shut up the naysayers like my Gen Z sample, who believe that stars endorse but do not use. I am sure when I will have dinner with Virat at his palatial apartment in Worli, Mumbai next, I shall be seeing Blue Star ACs around. Got you there for a moment, didn’t I?

     

    The second Virat ad was the new Vivo phone ad. Just when I was wondering why had Vivo renewed its sponsorship with no ad or any major news, it has finally introduced a new model, which is all about a selfie in dark become magically well-lit. The ad has banked on the sentiment of Virat becoming a father very appropriately and the vivid demonstration of the need for a lamp being obliviated by the night selfie feature came through very interestingly. It worked for me and my Gen Z sample too found it not just interesting but a bit mushy mushy. Aw! so cute.

     

    With summers on, can the soft drinks category be far behind. Well, let’s leave that for next week. What say?

  • Since there are enough and more new ads around IPL 2021, Vikas Mehta comes up with a bonus add-on to his weekly column

    AdsOnIPL21: Akal Badi ki Ads?

     

    Since there are enough and more new ads around IPL 2021, Vikas Mehta comes up with a bonus add-on to his weekly column

     

    By Vikas Mehta

    Vikas MehtaTrust my Gen Z single sample to ask me a pointed question during the IPL. How do the Indian  cricketers get to shoot ads? Aren’t they in some bubble and get transferred from one bubble to another? We hear them moaning about the mental agony of the bubble, but every few months, they do manage to somehow augment their incomes with new ad campaigns. Bubbles notwithstanding.

    This re-view is dedicated to the new ads during the IPL featuring our cricketers. Past and present.  Last weekend the match between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings was touted as the match between guru and shishya. Dhoni vs Pant. I carried this imaginary rivalry into the ad world while watching the ad for Indigo Paint with Dhoni and then the one with JSW Steel bars (boring, uninvolved, irrelevant category) with neither me nor my Gen Z sample being the intended target. Frankly, the brand decision in both categories, paints and steel bars, is heavily dependent on the middle men and of course our budget, but paints has come a long way and why can’t steel bars hope to go the paint way. Specially when JSW is one of the main sponsors of DC.

    For me, this battle was won by the shishya. The two JSW ads have managed to not only exploit Pant’s personality but have also communicated the brand benefit woven into an involved storyline. The guruji’s ad unfortunately was a damp squib which was content with the typical celebrity formula. Show Dhoni in the ad and the rest will follow. And this in an ad for floor paints. Usually all paint ads are about walls. I think so much more could have been done with Dhoni and floor paint. My Gen Z sample  made another pertinent comment. So many Dhoni ads, he is an old man now (I guess I am vintage for her) shouldn’t the brand make his ads about his experience or his knowledge. Clearly the Gen Z sample is totally influenced by the Gen Z shishya.

    I did re-view Dream 11 last time but as has been the case always, I am now swamped with more fantasy team ads. So, I turned to my Gen Z sample for help. Let it be known that she is an expert on fantasy team contests having participated and won in some EPL contests. For her Dream 11 was the Indian cricket team, My Circle 11 was Dada, MPL was Virat Kohli and Howzatt.com was Yuvraj. Phew! Some clarity.

    MPL though have not used Kohli this time. They have done a literal interpretation of the Hindi proverb “Akal badi ki bhains” (is the brain better or a buffalo! No disrespect to both, please!) and it seems that currently the bhains is winning. I liked the ad because it clearly implies that making your fantasy team is so easy that you do not need to use your brains  to make the team. And it in its own way does take a dig at those short ads for Dream 11 which have Dhoni asking people to use their brains not on buttering your boss or your father but on choosing a fantasy team on Dream 11. Nicely done. My Gen Z sample though did not agree with me. Because she had never heard of the Hindi proverb. You cannot win them all, I say.

    My Circle 11 has roped in Ranveer Kapoor. Maybe Dada did not have enough time with his health issues, so Ranveer is now the co-anchor. And I do think I saw Rahane in one ad too. And me thinks that the ads have been done in a rush. Looked tacky and depended on Ranveer to announce a new promotion. But I do think that in the next few weeks we shall have more ads from My circle 11. I do hope so. Cannot re-view the current ones. What a waste of Ranveer, is the only comment from my Gen Z sample.

    The Yuvraj led Howzatt.com ads sounded familiar. Trust Gen Z sample to come to my rescue. She gently reminded me that the promotion was similar to My Circle 11 ads of beating the teams chosen by Dada, Watson, Rashid etc to win more money. Guess somebody has got me in plumb. Howzatt?

    And before I sign off I thought I saw another fantasy team ad for a new brand which was being endorsed by K Rahul. My head is now totally spinning with so many fantasy team ads, all around cricket. All using cricketers, ex and present. But my Gen Z sample had the last word, better than watching phone ads or ecommerce ads or those perpetually smiling Dhoni ads.

  • On a serious note, why are the old stars still dominating the ads? That’s not me talking, but my Gen Z sample, writes Vikas Mehta

    AdsOnIPL21: Ranveer Singh, the Dhoni equivalent of film stars in adland

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

    Since my last article was all about the cricket folks, can the film stars be far behind? Here is a re-view of the new IPL ads featuring our Bollywood folks.

    Let’s start with the ubiquitous Ranveer Singh Bhavnani. He is fast becoming the Dhoni equivalent of our filmy stars in the ad world. JD Mart, Jio Fiber, Lloyd fridges, MPL etc. I am sure I have missed some. In JD Mart, he is doing what many Indian Bollywood actors have done before. Caricaturing various stereotyped Indians. Bengali, Maharashtrian… and in Jio Fiber, he does the same except for donning a local dress and then breaking out into some grotesque dance moves while the bewildered cricket stars watch him, out of sympathy. Sheer waste of talent and hardly adding any value to the brand. Lloyd fridge is better but that maybe because he plays second fiddle to Deepika. Does the brand seriously expect to break through the refrigerator ad clutter with two Bollywood stars talking about the large storage capacity and efficient cooling? My Gen Z sample has the last say on this: I don’t think Ranveer can be bettered than in the Star Sports EPL ads. Typical Gen Z exaggeration?

    One ad which really stood out for me was the Tisca Chopra ad for Behrouz Biryani. I thought she was graceful, understated and classy adding value to the premium brand. And while I am writing this, I see the second ad in the series. Difficult to do an encore on the first one. My Gen Z sample just shrugs off the ad “Their Biryani is anyway damn good”. Such nonchalance, I say. At this rate, Gen Z will sound the death knell of the 30-second ads.

    And then I am hit with the “Pan Masala’ category ads. Or do they call it the flavoured elaichi category nowadays? Zuban Kesari has done a good job in appropriating the flavour but do I buy Zuban Kesari or… what was the brand name again? Or is it an Ajay Devgan ad and now a combo offer of Messrs Devgan and SRK? Someone must have told the brand owners that they are sick and tired of re-viewing Mr Devgan for the last two years. So, the communication was refreshed with the addition of SRK. But we the viewers have to now endure two aadaabs and decide who out does the other. My Gen Z sample who till a few years ago was an SRK fan thinks that the Devgan style has a much better cool quotient. The verdict is out.

    Messrs Devgan and SRK are taken. That leaves the two other Khans. And sure enough, one gets to see a haggard-looking old Salman dancing to tashsan ka jashan for Rajshri Elaichi. Will Aamir now rise to the Elaichi occasion?

    On a serious note, why are the old stars still dominating the ads? That’s not me talking, but my Gen Z sample. Why do the brands not use Lily Singh, Amit Bhadana or Liza Koshy or Carey Minati? I am nonplussed. Never heard of these people. Turns out these are Youtubers with fan following in millions. And they are young. Well, younger than even Mr Bhavnani who is 35.

    My counter to this was to point out the Lux Cozi ad with Mr Dhawan and then Ms Bhat and Mr Dhawan in ads for Frooti. Nah, I am told. Frooti ads are all the same Are these new? And why does the end super say Live the Frooti life when it’s always been about about fresh and juicy. So confusing. I cannot explain that. So, I meekly turn to the Lux Cozi ad, with no hope. And my Gen Z sample size looks at me incredulously as if to say ‘even a 100 Dhawans would not have saved this ad.’

    I decide not to ask the Gen Z sample about the garish-coloured Priyanka Chopra ad. Was it for Appy Fizz or B Fizz? But then I am dealing with Gen Z. “Now that’s a cool ad. Isn’t PC looking glam?” Folks, meet the Appy Fizz TG.

     

  • Starting a new weekly series of reviews by Vikas Mehta, of ads that air around the IPL 2021, on television and OTT/mobile platforms

    Review of AdsOnIPL21: Week 1

    IPL 2021's Television Broadcast Sponsors
    IPL 2021’s Television Broadcast Sponsors. Image from Star Sports Twitter handle

     

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaWhen the IPL season is on, my evenings are booked. For two events. The match and the new commercials that accompany every new season. Actually, when I was asked to re-view them, I did a double-take as I would be re-viewing them anyways right through the season.

     

    But first some disclaimers. For those who do not agree with my re-view, I am not the target audience, as hardly any ad is targeted at 50-plus Tier 2 city resident! But those who agree with it must give the credit to my Gen Z daughter (my advisor for such re-views) as many ads nowadays seem to be targeted to them.

     

    Ok, forget the second disclaimer for this re-view. The new series of Dream 11 ads. I think they are actually targeted at the nostalgic millennium generation and even 50-plus like me. To me, Dream 11 has always captured the essence of gully cricket. And so does this new series. It’s about the fun of working in a team. And what has really worked for me is how this time all the star cricketers have seamlessly blend in as gully cricketers. The cricketers are so natural and so unstarry. And such skilled performances. Usually, the cricket stars cannot spare much time for such shoots, so they come across as uncomfortable or unprepared. But here, Messrs Dhawan, Dhoni, Sharma, Pandya appear so natural and part of the script. Plus, the choice of the background songs: nostalgic and so apt. I can review these ads just for the songs.

     

    And then you watch the same people, Messrs, Sharma, Hardik etc in the ad for Jio Fiber and you hope that this one should not be re-viewed. But I suspect many more such avatars with more stars will be reviewed before the season is over. I have always felt that Jio is a great product which has thrived inspite of its advertising. And, yes, my total sample size one, of Gen Z, also washes its hands off this ad.

     

    Now this is a new one. I had never heard of this brand before Upstock, no, Upstork, no, no… Upstox… no, yes, my Gen Z sample says yes. So, is this ad targeted to them? Irrespective, it’s a cliched one. So difficult, so easy routine (must be very difficult to do such ads). But I did like the escalator one. Three decades ago, when I first one to Heathrow, I faced a similar dilemma, albeit on a horizontal walkway. I did get my Gen Z audience giggling when she heard my travail. But the ad??

     

    The last IPL had ads from a new brand, Cred and they were noticed and created waves (Upstox, are you listening?) They used film stars whom Gen Z has hardly heard about and it reminded me of a term that I always associated with porn. Self-flagellation. I mean why would Messrs Bappi Lahiri, Anil Kapoor or Madhuri Dixit enjoy being portrayed as caricatures of themselves? But the brand was noticed. As was the message. Forget all song and dance, just remember a good product. Much was written about the ads and soon the brand and its purpose were well-recalled. Also, they did a nice tie-up of actually showcasing people who received 100% cashback on credit card bill by using Cred, across the matches. Jargon-speak: it was believable testimonials (another disclaimer: I did try Cred and paid a whopping bill through them… but guess I am destined only for GPay Rs 3-Rs 5 cashback). So, I deduced that the Cred strategy (sounds important) is free publicity and going viral (tip: going viral can never be strategy).

     

    I therefore did a double-take when I saw an ad with the cool Mr Rahul Dravid becoming the Monster Man. But what is the message? Our product is as unbelievable as Mr Dravid’s anger? And when I opened the local Hindi daily on Saturday morning (reminder: I live in a Tier-2 town in the Hindi belt), it had an article on Mr Dravid losing his cool. Guess viral as a strategy does work.

     

    If you liked this re-view, do share and like the article so that the editor allows me to do another review next week.

     

    Vikas Mehta is a former marketing communications professional who has worked in India and abroad on many local and MNC brands. Currently, based in Dehradoon, he has his own consultancy and is also associated with some B-schools. His views here are personal