MxMIndia

Category: DEBRIEF

  • This is more like regular candy advertising, and if children overdose on Hajmola, is that such a good thing from the point of view of health?

    Debrief: Hajmola: Devgn hazam nahin hua!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Hajmola is just another of the many, many brands that cannot do without riding on a celeb’s shoulders. Oh well, such is ad life in India! But one good thing they have done this time is to cast an unusual celeb. That at least promises to bring some novelty to the ad. Macho star Ajay Devgn (his spelling, not mine) has been signed up to do the honours.

     

    However, the manner in which they have used him is all wrong, clearly someone wasn’t thinking out here. It’s a wedding set, with all the accompanying noise and action. Yet another take-off from ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’. Devgn is seen playing the harmonium (aren’t movie stars paid to dance at weddings?), and he suddenly spots a kid carrying a Hajmola bottle. Our hero chases him all over the place, and this nonsense goes on.

     

    I have two problems. One, Hajmola is a digestive, and this factor seems to have been totally downplayed in this communication. This is more like regular candy advertising, and if children overdose on Hajmola, is that such a good thing from the point of view of health? Needs to be checked out. Secondly, the brand hasn’t bothered to build on Devgn’s popular public persona of a tough guy with balls. Instead, he’s been made to play a bumbling bumpkin out here. So then why use him at all? They may as well have signed up Paresh Rawal or any of the other movie comedians, who would have come at a much lower cost.

     

    In short, the casting is poor and the treatment very boring. Even when I put myself in the shoes of the sort of people who would consume Hajmola.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko4OqIRZ8W4[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 1. Devgn wasted in a forgettable ad.

     

  • I like Tata Docomo's 'incomplete stories' idea. It has the potential to be a long-term campaign, with possibilities of riveting creative work

    Debrief: Tata Docomo: Incomplete stories. Complete ads

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I like Tata Docomo’s ‘incomplete stories’ idea. It has the potential to be a long-term campaign, with possibilities of riveting creative work. There are a number of commercials on air, each one offering a particular solution. If there’s one little grouse I have, it’s that the ads aren’t consistently good, they need to correct this.

     

    The latest one features a man applying lipstick in front of a mirror. This very unusual situation naturally captivates the attention. Is he gay? Has he lost his marbles? Is he pushing the envelope on metro-sexuality? As questions arise in the mind, we discover he’s a clown getting decked up for his next act. Good one. And the good thing is you won’t get bored even on repeat exposure. This idea also gives Tata Docomo ads a unique character in a highly cluttered mobile phone segment.

     

    But the ad I enjoy most is the one for Tata Docomo’s Unlimited 3G Data. This one features an obviously depraved man leching at a girl inside the elevator. The girl, of course, looks pretty unnerved, and when the lift conks out, she panics. But we later discover the lech is actually a frightened chicken, as he desperately tries to bash the elevator door open. I have watched this ad plenty of times, and it never ceases to be funny. However, please allow me to be a little bitchy here, am in that sort of a mood. Methinks the lecherous dude discovers the babe is a transvestite, haha! Okay, okay, dear feminists, please take it easy, am only kidding!

     

    Jokes apart, it’s a good campaign. Lambi race wali.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QAfnUH1g1Y[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Very campaignable idea. Needs consistency.

     

  • I have noticed many advertisers forget that entertainment should be at the heart of television advertising, especially when the strategy is weak. And 'trendify'??? It sounds like a slogan Nokia's board members would coin

    Debrief: Nokia Lumia 510: The boring kiss

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Nokia, once upon a time the market leader, has been bajaaoed big-time in the handsets market by Apple and Samsung. Given the falling market share, one would have thought that the Nokia guys will not only unleash a slew of imaginative products, they would also back them with fabulous advertising. Well, going by Nokia Lumia 510’s TVC, that doesn’t seem to be happening.

     

    The ad features couples ‘kissing’ each other with their outstretched palms. Nokia calls it ‘to trendify’ kissing. There are several problems with this commercial. Strategically, it’s neither saying anything new (social media interactions have been done to death in advertising), nor does the communication address anything specific about the Nokia Lumia 510 in terms of tech. So it’s a total flop on that front.

     

    To make matters worse, the creative device sucks. Palms ‘kissing’ does not make for a visually appealing theme, in fact, it’s off-putting. There was no need to indulge in such a silly gimmick; they may as well have used air kissing as the creative idea, at least that looks aesthetically superior. I have noticed many advertisers forget that entertainment should be at the heart of television advertising, especially when the strategy is weak. And ‘trendify’??? It sounds like a slogan Nokia’s board members would coin. One expects better from creative people.

     

    I haven’t tried the Lumia 510, so I can’t comment on the product. But must say this sort of hopeless advertising discourages me from even sussing it out, leave alone wanting to purchase it. Nokia needs to get its act together very fast.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEdT3VHxV8U[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 0. Unimaginative and uncool

     

  • The 'truth serum' approach may work for a laboured seven-course Indian meal, but it doesn't for a fast food item

    Debrief: Domino’s: Pizza hai ya truth serum?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    An interesting promise by Domino’s Cheesy Boloroni Pizza (wow, what a mouthful, the brand name). You can make new discoveries about each other when you consume this cheesy snack together. Now, I understand a pizza is a pizza so they can’t really belt out technical USPs, you do need wacko ideas. But this one is much too corny.

     

    The TVC features a young honeymooning couple in Goa. They are about to step out of the hotel room for some sightseeing when the young lady expresses a desire to consume the cheesy pizza. The taste of which makes this shy gal open up to her brand new hubby, as she freely shares secrets from her past life. No, not that she’s indulged in kinky sex before marriage, only the sweet stuff. These ‘discoveries’ make the chap forget all about Goa, and he wants to hear more from her. In short, the pizza offers ‘rishton ka time’.

     

    All very fine and dandy, but there’s a crisis of credibility out here. It’s a cool idea but for an entirely incorrect product. Pizza is a fast food item, it’s what you order when you are pressed for time or are too pooped to enter the kitchen. It’s hardly a meal over which a couple would spend quality time with each other. Therefore this approach makes you laugh out loud rather than look forward to new ‘discoveries’ in your own partner. The ‘truth serum’ approach may work for a laboured seven-course Indian meal, but it doesn’t for a fast food item. Also, a newly married couple ordering pizza on their honeymoon? That too in Goa? This tells me they are either broke or are headed for trouble.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmn16YwK1Rk[/youtube]

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 1. Good idea for the wrong product

     

  • The creative director killed that one thing which makes Pidilite advertising shine: Entertainment. And that's nothing to laugh about

    Debrief: Fevikwik: 2012 ends on a low

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Well, sad to report that the last ad I review for the year 2012 didn’t leave me amused at all. Even though all that the protagonists do in the ad is keep laughing out loudly. In fact, that is the central idea in the new Fevikwik commercial.

     

    I watched a couple of TVCs, and in each two brothers are seen guffawing away. And being bumbling fools, they keep breaking things around them. Then they apply Fevikwik, and the mad laughter carries on. The core thought I guess is this: When you have Fevikwik around, there’s no worry over things smashing and crashing. And exaggerated laughter is used to jazz up the idea.

     

    Must say I am both, terribly disappointed and irritated. Disappointed, because this maha bore ad comes from the house of Pidilite, from whom we have come to expect superlative advertising. And irritated because the creators of this ad, in their excitement to be wacko, overlooked one very significant problem: It’s no fun at all watching two adult men continuously laughing, and laughing hysterically at that. While this approach does make the communication single-minded, the non-stop laughter makes it unbearable. In short, the creative director killed that one thing which makes Pidilite advertising shine: Entertainment. And that’s nothing to laugh about.

     

    Anyway, even as we end the year on a bad note, here’s hoping to see smashing work in the New Year. Work that will make us, the viewers, laugh.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilxRbt1T8s0[/youtube]

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 0 to 5): 1. Not funny. Not funny. Not funny.

     

  • What a wasted opportunity! The makers of Snickers did two commendable things. And then they went ahead and blew it nice and proper

    Debrief: Snickers: Rekha ki vaat lagaa di!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Oh no! What a wasted opportunity! The makers of Snickers did two commendable things. One, to think of veteran movie star, the ultra reclusive Rekha. And two, to convince the lady to sign up for the first ad of her life. And then they went ahead and blew it nice and proper.

     

    This is the trash they’ve conceived: When a dude gets hungry, he starts carping like an aged heroine. (Sexist? I think so!). So, inside a moving car, when a chap is famished, he transforms into a crabby Rekha. Until he’s fed Snickers, after which he becomes ‘normal’ again. Another guy turns into a cranky Urmila Matondkar, haha!

     

    Now, the idea isn’t bad per se. That, hunger can change your mood drastically, is a promising thought. But the interpretation is quite silly, and it’s not even remotely funny. Also, they have made Rekha look bad, and that’s unforgivable. They should have watched the commercial Havells Fans made with the late Rajesh Khanna. Khanna was projected as the man he was perceived to be; larger than life, living in denial of his faded stardom and full of attitude. Which made the connect with that ad strong. This is what Snickers should have attempted with Rekha. Sadly, they haven’t even tried to capture her popular image of an enigmatic star. In this ad, anyone could have been cast.

     

    Anyway, I am hungry now, but will avoid Snickers. What if I turn into a fiery Mamata Didi? You’ve all had it then.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46BDzyoBSnY[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 0 to 5): 0. Poor rendition of idea. Rekha wasted.

     

  • Havells, which usually does funny or caring ads, has decided to jump onto the public service bandwagon for their new wires commercial. And they have failed to generate any electricity

    Debrief: Havells Wires: Creative spark missing

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Okay, so Havells, which usually does funny or caring ads, has decided to jump onto the public service bandwagon for their new wires commercial. And they have failed to generate any electricity.

     

    The TVC features a living room, with a dad and his little kid watching a Hindi news channel. A neta is seen ranting about the various burning problems facing the nation. Hatred, corruption, unemployment, etc. The same garbage that’s dished out to us during TV dinners. The maha bored kid gets a brainwave. He wraps the national flag around a ‘fire-proof’ Havells wire and proudly presents it to his impressed daddy. The nation is saved from ‘fire’!

     

    Now, I am quite aware what the Havells team is trying to do out here, and their intention is noble. Which is to ensure that a low-involvement product gets quickly noticed through smart alec advertising. However, this particular treatment lacks fire. For one, the association of the Indian flag wrapped around the wire with the efficacy of the wire is tenuous. It took me some exposures to comprehend what was going on. Then, using ‘burning’ national issues as a metaphor for fire protection is a bit childish, to say the least. I hate silly puns anyway. Puns are usually used by writers when an idea is missing. Lastly, I am quite tired of the precocious child thingy, it’s getting on my nerves.

     

    Yup, this commercial is basically burnt-out creative work.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcGcChbtXic[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 1. Stupid pun. Forced association.

     

  • The approach of attracting girls has been used by bike manufacturers a zillion times, but this one stands out for going unabashedly all-out. The jingle is quite peppy too, and this adds to the ad’s appeal

    Debrief: Hero Glamour: The chick magnet

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Hero Glamour’s latest ad has a single minded promise: Pretty women will die to ride on the backseat of your snazzy bike. And in the treatment, Hero has raised the bar really high when it comes to the juxtaposition of bikes and hot chicks.

     

    So this dood rides around town on his Hero Glamour. No lady is able to resist the temptation to jump onto the backseat. Not the memsaab seated in her luxury car, not even the high fashion models. And the bike transports these ladies magically into la la land. The expression on their faces is orgasmic. This is a young biker’s ultimate dream come true, this is why he invests in such fancy machines. So from that perspective, this ad is bang-on.

     

    Features like Digital Analog Meter, Multi Reflector Headlight, etc, get hurriedly added through supers, but who’s interested in such banal stuff? All eyes are transfixed on the ladies, so much so that even the bike rider turns into a prop. The approach of attracting girls has been used by bike manufacturers a zillion times, but this one stands out for going unabashedly all-out. The jingle is quite peppy too, and this adds to the ad’s appeal. So, yes, this TVC should serve Hero Glamour well.

     

    Having said the above, the irony of the timing did not escape me. This commercial went on air around the time of the horrific Delhi rape and murder. And women across the nation have been on high alert ever since. In this charged scenario, I don’t see too many ladies wanting to hop onto the backseat of a stranger’s bike. However sexy the bike might be. So I have to say timing mein thodisi gadbad ho gayi.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfUvKuFovcM[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 2.5. Old thought but appealing execution.

     

  • The creative team needs to put their thinking caps on, eat some Parle-G biscuits, and dish out innovative solutions. Much like the bachchas do in the ads

    Debrief: Parle-G: Genius limited to the idea

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    ‘Kal ke genius’ is a very good positioning statement for Parle-G biscuit. The core idea is that instead of scolding kids for messing around with stuff, they should be encouraged in order to arouse their curiosity. This will then result in a better future for them.

     

    There is a series of TVCs on air, and each one features the bachchas tinkering around with everyday objects and coming up with innovative solutions. A daughter rips apart the morning newspaper and uses the letters to put up a birthday message for daddy. A group of kids uses the exhaust fumes of a bike to air their balloons. And so it goes on.

     

    It’s a brilliant idea, and very relevant to India, in particular. Because education in this nation mainly follows the learning by rote system… students usually turn into parrots to pass their exams. There is no scope for creativity in our schools. Which is why this idea will strike a chord with both, parents and children. And it’s a long term, highly campaignable thought… in fact, it has potential to trigger a social revolution of sorts. Full marks on the strategy and on the idea.

     

    However, sadly, the execution fails to take off. Clearly, the genius of the idea could not inspire the creative team. Somehow the situations and the treatment doesn’t excite, there is zero adrenalin in the videos. And therefore the ads leave you cold. I think the creative team needs to put their thinking caps on, eat some Parle-G biscuits, and dish out innovative solutions. Much like the bachchas do in the ads.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sADzIi4lOC8[/youtube]

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Strong idea. Weak execution.

     

  • I like this one. Mainly because they have done something which none of the other car ads have done so far. Which is to humanise a technical feature

    Debrief: Volkswagen Polo: Humanising tech

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The Volkswagen India guys are notorious for their, well, let’s just say, offbeat advertising. Remember speaking newspapers? They have continued with this tradition in the new commercial for Polo, though this time it’s more cute than corny.

     

    A mother picks up her son from school in her, yes, Volkswagen Polo. She tells the child that tonight he’ll have to do his homework by himself, as mom and dad are going out. Else, god will punish the child. When the kid expresses cynicism about god having spare time for naughty bachchas, the dad’s voice, sounding like god, booms on the phone, through the car’s Bluetooth device. The child is naturally amazed.

     

    Cool, I like this one. Mainly because they have done something which none of the other car ads have done so far. Which is to humanise a technical feature, in this case the Bluetooth option. So much better than the cold technical spiel car ads usually dole out. Also, the treatment is warm, this TVC will get noticed. I have just one small issue with the ad: Parents joining forces to make a total fool out of their little one? Urmm… am not so sure. But then, this is Volkswagen. We have to expect something offbeat, as I said at the start.

     

    Now I am worried about the possibility of god’s voice booming through my morning newspaper. Not that, dear Volkswagen, not that. I might just get a heart attack.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Focussed ad, cute treatment.

     

  • Coke should go all-out on the crazy quotient; they need to think of wild and charming incidents. No need for multiple situations, they should tell us one cool story/incident at a time. This will make the communication stronger

    Debrief: Coke: Crazy nahin kiya re!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Coke has extended the ‘open happiness’ idea. The latest TVC features ‘crazy’ things people do to bring joy to strangers. Apparently the situations are based on real incidents filed by Coke drinkers. This not a new thought, Maggi noodles has been doing the real stories gig for some time, and Coke has made the same error Maggi made in the treatment, but we’ll come to that soon.

     

    The ad features a collage of so-called crazy actions. A young cyclist high fives a middle-aged gent who’s extending his hand to hail an auto-rickshaw. One kindly soul gifts a Coke bottle to a security guard. A kid leaves a bottle for a tired Santa. And so on. I like the jingle, it’s quite catchy. This is a good thought because it opens up opportunities for thinking offbeat situations, and it should work in India because we folks usually ignore strangers. Nobody even exchanges smiles on the streets in this stuck-up nation, so people will find the idea novel.

     

    Yes, all fine and dandy. The problem is this: Situations featured aren’t really crazy. They might just make you smile on the first exposure but from thereon they do nothing to you. I think Coke should go all-out on the crazy quotient; they need to think of wild and charming incidents. And there’s no need for multiple situations, they should tell us one cool story/incident at a time. This will make the communication stronger.

     

    And if Coke isn’t able to get hold of exciting stuff from the janata, the creative team should cook it up. Viewers don’t care about the modus operandi, they look for entertainment. Maggi ads suffered from the same problem because they weren’t able to obtain fantastic Maggi moments. I think this can be handled in both the cases very easily.

     

    So go crazy full-on, dear Coke. You are onto a good thing, don’t mess it up by relying on dull real stories.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyEWtpYtpv4[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 2.5 Idea has potential, needs to get wings.

     

  • The promise addresses the consumers' biggest worry, that of poor response on claims filed, so the strategy is sound. However, there's a problem: The six-hour factor gets lost in all this writing business

    Debrief: L&T Health Insurance: There’s an elephant in the room!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Must say ‘Likh ke doge kya?’ is an interesting idea L&T Health Insurance has come up with. It’s based on a good consumer insight; we all like to talk big and loose, but when asked to put that on paper, we flee. Based on this theme, L&T Health Insurance promises to respond to your claims within six hours, or they are happy to be penalised.

     

    There are a few commercials on air, the one I saw features three situations. Mom tells kid that if he eats spinach, he’ll come first in class. The bratty kid wants that promise in writing. A couple of uncles snigger at a young punk, saying he’ll never become an engineer. The dude demands that comment be put on paper. A lady wants her husband to take her on an exotic holiday, promising she’d never ask for anything again. Of course, the man wants that commitment in writing. Arrives the L&T Health Insurance man with the ‘six-hour response’ promise.

     

    It’s a decent effort, and the ads are fun to watch. The promise addresses the consumers’ biggest worry, that of poor response on claims filed, so the strategy is sound. However, there’s a problem: The six-hour factor gets lost in all this writing business. In fact, I would have developed the entire campaign based on the six-hour deal, and that would have made the communication focused and stronger. While ‘Likh ke doge kya?’ brings in its own uniqueness, they have ignored the elephant sitting in the room: SIX HOURS. Tch, tch, tch.

     

    Also, must say the L&T Health Insurance chaps have very, very cunningly covered their backsides. The claim is they shall RESPOND within six hours, and not settle your claim. And that response could well be: ‘Aap kataar mein hain’! 🙂

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yPwFUxPzng[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 2.5 Good consumer insight but key promise overlooked.Â