MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • The star must take the Supreme Court verdict on the chin, and prepare himself for some jail time

    Anil Thakraney: The Sanjay Dutt road show

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I know it sounds a bit harsh to say this, but I am glad the Sanjay Dutt crime saga has come to an end. It has been going on for twenty long years, and frankly, it’s gotten really boring now. The star must take the Supreme Court verdict on the chin, and prepare himself for some jail time. Crime was committed (it’s irrelevant whether Dutt was involved innocently or otherwise), and therefore there must be punishment. And who knows, he could be let off much sooner than three and a half years on account of ‘good behaviour’, and there’s always his sweet MP sister around to keep the Dutt family flag flying.

     

    As for the hectic media coverage yesterday, the same, established template came into operation: TV reporters dutifully parked themselves outside the star’s Pali Hill residence, all busy speculating, as the man wouldn’t speak to them. Some Hindi channels gladly fished out eerie footage of the 1993 blasts. Any legal mind who was willing to speak was chased for a sound byte. Entertainment journos were consulted on the likely losses to Bollywood. And of course, movie people queued up to express their intense grief. These days these bleeding hearts vent on Twitter as well, which is the only real change that’s happened in twenty years. I write this post in the evening, and am sure the 9PM TV debates will also work on the same template. The usual bunch of TV suspects will be called to shower us with pearls of wisdom. It’s the Sanjay Dutt script we are all so familiar with.

     

    And to be fair, one really can’t blame the TV channels. What else can you do but follow the set diagram? Nothing has changed in terms of the facts of the case, so you can’t possibly invent a new angle, even if you tried. Am quite certain that secretly, all the journalists must be happy this is finally done and dusted, regurgitating the same stuff over and over again can get very tedious.

     

    Before I sign off, I must state for the record that I have spent some time with Sanjay Dutt, and I can tell you he has a good heart. But that’s of no consequence when it comes to law and order. All his fans must accept this and move on.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Incidentally, here’s the column I wrote for Mumbai Mirror when Dutt was convicted by the TADA court, back in the year 2007. Six years later, I have EXACTLY the same things to say to the convicted star. Yes, I am part of the same media template, this story’s gone on for so damn long!

     

    Link: http://www.mumbaimirror.com/article/53/200708010308471561291c80b/Kudos-to-Kode.html?pageno=14

     

  • Behind every great commercial is super strategy. Every week, MxMIndia brings you the brief and the strat as given by the client and whatever else that went into creating a winning ad

    AdStrat: V-Guard’s ad with a twist

    Nandgopal Nair, Head Corporate Communications, V-Guard Industries Ltd

     

    Name of the campaign/ad – Lucky Singh

     

    The Brief – The brief was to create brand recall and consumer preference for V-Guard wires in a low-involvement category influenced heavily by contractors and electricians.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_3eQsjJ1G8[/youtube]

    Research insights –

    • Consumers were not able to recall any wire brands beyond Havells which had broken the mould earlier in the (boring) rational wires category
    • Protection from short circuits is the most credible and compelling reason to invest in a better quality brand
    • In the absence of spontaneous, top of mind recall for a brand, consumers were likely to be influenced by recommendations of dealers, contractors and electricians
    • Influencer groups like dealers, contractors and electricians are not averse to recommending a brand that enjoys high advertising recall since it is readily accepted by the consumer

     

    The thought process behind the creative – The thought process behind the creative was to tell a (brand) story so relatable and enjoyable that it stood apart in the category, became a conversation piece and created preference for V-Guard wires.

     

    Media vehicles chosen – Since the commercial was intended to enter the social conversation and sharing space, it was launched in social media and digital media, and then extended to television.

     

    Key issues kept in mind while executing the ad –

    • The advertising must be relatable, enjoyable and memorable – casting and simplicity of the story was key
    • The communication must incorporate the brand’s competitive advantage as part of the story

     

    What is the differentiating factor about the ad? The advertising is a humorous narrative which hasn’t been tried in the category. It’s a rags-to-riches story set in the in the fantasy world of films where such things happen. But with a twist at the end, that this dream world we all live or want to live can come crashing down with the wrong choice of wires.

     

    Ad-agency comment: Nishant Gangadharan , creative director, Publicis Ambience-Bangalore, says, “Wires is a low involvement category, the challenge on our part was to ensure that we can have consumers sit up, take notice, enjoy it and share it with their friends, colleagues and family and yet communicate something as serious as a devastating fire caused by a short circuit without the use of fear as a stimulus.”

     

    Client comment – Nandgopal Nair, Head-Corporate Communications, V-Guard Industries Ltd says, “Wires are almost like a commodity, with very little distinguishing one brand from the other. Studies have indicated that short circuits and low quality wires were the prime causes for electrical fires that cause damage. The offering from V-Guard to counter this is triple layered wires- an extra layer for extra protection. The challenge in the communication was to how engagingly we could drive this message forward. Bollywood and the rags-to-riches story is integral in almost every middle class Indian dream. Hence when the agency presented the concept with a twist, it was taken up by the team.”

     

  • Had the media not raised a hue and cry, these murderers were lost to us forever, there's no way the government would have negotiated furiously with their Italian counterparts to find a way to get these doods back. A pat on the back is in order, and am hoping it comes from the usually sleepy PM

    Anil Thakraney | Credit for return of marines must go to media

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Some observations on the two big stories of last week. One, as the government (and strangely the opposition party!) takes credit for the return of the killer Italian marines, no one should forget the role played by the Indian media. In fact, in my books, this is the media’s victory, another feather in the cap. Had the media not raised a hue and cry, these murderers were lost to us forever, there’s no way the government would have negotiated furiously with their Italian counterparts to find a way to get these doods back. A pat on the back is in order, and am hoping it comes from the usually sleepy PM. A side-note on this issue: The marines will live a life of luxury inside their embassy, right till the trial is over. After conviction, which will quite obviously result in a jail term for a few years, they’ll fly to Italy to serve the sentence out there. Wow, how very cool! Wonder who’s having the last laugh in this tragic tale.

     

    Two, despite the boredom I expressed with the Sanjay Dutt saga (read my Friday post), the caravan is chugging along merrily. Bollywood’s PR machinery, now that the frat has discovered the ‘pardon’ option, is in overdrive. They are determined to see that baba never goes to jail again. Of course, these filmi types wouldn’t care for the long term impact of this on the nation’s collective psyche, that’s not their problem. But Justice Katju leaping to the rescue of the criminal star is nothing less than shocking. The retired judge, in his infinite wisdom, forgot that influential people such as himself must stand up for the weak and the deprived. Not for those who are already rich and already well connected. Not sure if Katju realizes this, but his emergence as a huge fan of Sanju baba has dealt a body blow to his own credibility.

     

    One other thing: I saw Katju speak very rudely with NDTV’s Nidhi Razdan and CNN IBN’s Bhupendra Chaubey, when the TV anchors were grilling him over the Dutt pardon issue. Both the journos maintained their composure in the face of what was nothing short of live television humiliation. In fact, Katju even questioned Razdan’s anchoring abilities! To be honest, my blood was on the boil just watching all this go on, full marks to these guys for taking it all so calmly. I do hope to meet Justice Katju someday. Up close.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Must say I am disappointed with the ‘new’ Anandi in Balika Vadhu (Colors). It’s my favourite daily serial, and the producers usually get the casting bang-on. In all these years this must be the first time they’ve got it wrong. The new maiden lacks distinctive character on her face, as also the gravitas required for this particular role. She’s just another pleasant TV face, the sort we encounter in every single soap. Sad.

  • Bigger than its previous edition, Mosaic 2012 features 121 print campaigns across 105 brands from 31 top agencies

    Dainik Bhaskar to launch Mosaic 2012 ‘Best in Print’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Dainik Bhaskar Group is all set to launch the second edition of its best-in-print ads – Mosaic.

     

    The book will be unveiled on April 5 at the Dainik Bhaskar Group sponsored IAA debates in Goa. In recognition of the talent and massive creative potential that India has to offer, the group hopes that this book will be a reference point for all possibilities in the print category.

     

    Bigger than its previous edition, Mosaic 2012 features 121 print campaigns across 105 brands from 31 top agencies. The insights section features senior industry members sharing their reasons for picking the featured advertisements.

     

    This collector’s compilation is facilitated by afaqs! and supported by ABP News and Ad Club.

     

  • You have to be crazy to even imagine that the multi billionaire Ms Chopra would ride a lowly scooter. I know her job in an ad is to look pretty and get the eyeballs, but shouldn't these guys pay at least a modicum of attention to credibility?

    Debrief: Hero Pleasure: Mindless celeb advertising

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    If you are looking for an example of totally daft celebrity-based advertising, then you are at the right place. Hero Pleasure is a ladies-only scooter, and the advertiser asks the right question: Why should boys have all the fun? Indeed why. But in response, you don’t get to hear an interesting answer. What you get instead is Ms Priyanka Chopra! Yikes!

     

    So the mega star cheerfully rides around town on her Hero Pleasure (no one recognises her, of course). She ends up shaking at a happening party with her dad (more yikes!), and makes fun of a chap whose mom is pissed off because he’s out late. Not only is the ad dull, it’s mighty stupid.

     

    But the bigger problem is in the casting. You have to be crazy to even imagine that the multi billionaire Ms Chopra would ride a lowly scooter. I know her job in an ad is to look pretty and get the eyeballs, but shouldn’t these guys pay at least a modicum of attention to credibility? Even if they HAD to use a movie star, why not cast a younger, fresher face, and someone whose personality matches with the brand. To my mind, the solution lies inside Chopra’s own household, her niece Parineeti Chopra. The way the latter has carefully crafted her feisty persona, she appears like someone who might enjoy the odd scooty night out. And because she’s a newcomer, the credibility factor gets some weight.

     

    And the ‘pretty face for attention’ theory doesn’t wash with Priyanka Chopra as she’s endorsing a hundred other brands. You have to wonder if some advertisers even bother to apply their minds before signing huge cheques in the name of the usual celebs.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB63G54LuaM[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 0. Very poor casting. Boring creative.

     

  • The International Festival of Creativity, Cannes Lions, has announced the launch of a young media academy which will complete a line-up of six academies at this year's festival

    Cannes Lions Young Media Academy to launch at 2013 festival

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Festival of Creativity, Cannes Lions, has announced the launch of a young media academy which will complete a line-up of six academies at this year’s festival.

     

    Aimed at young media professionals working within media agencies and media companies, the Cannes Lions Young Media Academy is a week-long structured programme focusing on creativity in media. The objective is to inspire, focusing on demonstrating the value and execution of creativity in media channels, while providing a greater understanding of the global media and advertising community. During the programme delegates will develop a deeper understanding of the impact of creativity, how to manage relationships between the idea, the media channel and consumer behaviour and gain insight into the major issues and challenges that lie ahead.

     

    The class will follow a bespoke week of exclusive academy presentations and will include:

    – Understanding and providing effectiveness – case studies and presentations from previous Creative Effectiveness Lions winners

    – How do clients judge creativity? The breakdown of a Lion winning campaign presented by the client and agency

    – Understanding the ways clients think and act – insights from global brands

    – Deconstructing analytics and metrics in a creative advertising world

    – Understanding the challenges of social media and measuring ROI

    – The technological evolution of media, channels and consumers’ behaviour – presentations from technologists and developers

     

    Leading the Academy will be Maria Luisa Francoli, founder of global digital agency Media Contacts and former Global CEO for the global media network MPG. She said, “I am thrilled with this initiative and feel very honoured to have been invited to lead the academy. The fact that Cannes is allocating so much attention and resources to promote creativity among young media professionals is great news for the industry and a wonderful privilege for the first 35 members of the academy. I will do my best to ensure that we all take maximum advantage of the opportunity.”

     

    Commenting on the addition of the new academy, Steve Latham, Head of Talent & Training, Cannes Lions said, “Understanding how creativity can be used within media strategy is essential if the industry wants to innovate. This academy will provide inspiration and tailored training in a focused and distilled environment. We’re delighted that Maria Luisa, with her wealth of experience and knowledge, will be leading the academy.”

     

    The academy will run throughout the festival week from June 16 to 22, and is open to young media professionals aged 28 and under. The cost of the academy is €1,945 and details of how to take part can be found online at www.canneslions.com or by emailing academies@canneslions.com.

     

     

  • Ogilvy & Mather has incorporated the spirit of Holi in the fourth of its series of ads for Madhya Pradesh Tourism, with its TVC 'Colours'

    Ogilvy uses colourful language for MP Tourism TVC

    By A Correspondent

     

    Abhijit Avasthi

    Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai has incorporated the spirit of Holi in the fourth of its series of ads for Madhya Pradesh Tourism.

     

    In the TVC, colours are creatively used to depict the key tourist attractions of Madhya Pradesh – Kanha’s tigers, Khajuraho’s sculptures, Mandu’s Jahaz Mahal, the Sanchi Stupa and Ujjain’s Mahakal Aarti.

     

     

    On the campaign, National Creative Director Abhijit Avasthi said, “MP Tourism ads have enjoyed a tremendous popular appeal in the past. From its artistic execution to touching the pulse of millions of Indians, we had to come up with another stunning ad in the series of unique MP Tourism ads and that’s what we did.”

     

    Elaborating, Group Creative Director Pradyumna Chauhan said, “This ad is a labour of love. From conceptualization to the final execution, every step of the way one could tell a story or two. If I were to say it differently, this ad was easier imagined than done. But hats off to all our collaborators led by Varma, finally we did pull it off. A special mention for Pankaj Awasthi – he brought so much soul and feel to this ad with the music. Writing the song to the visuals was some task but it worked out great in the end.”

     

    “The moment we started brainstorming on this campaign, the idea to present the State of Madhya Pradesh through beautiful, vivid colours sort of leapt out at us. After the first sketches were done, we gave a shout to Varma to check how feasible our vision was. Or not? Fortunately, he was as excited to execute this riot of colours as we were. From there on, one thing led to the other. It has been months in the making but now when you sit back and have a look at this ad, all the hard work and detailing seems worth it,” added Mahesh Gharat, Group Creative Director.

     

    The campaign includes a TVC supported by Press and Outdoor.

     

    Client: MP Tourism

    Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Mumbai

    National Creative Director: Abhijit Avasthi

    Group Creative Directors: Pradyumna Chauhan, Mahesh Gharat

    Account Management: Ajay Menon, Rohit Sharma

    Production House: Nirvana Films

    Director: Prakash Varma

    Lyrics: Pradyumna Chauhan

    Music: Pankaj Awasthi

     

     

  • Safety of women is now favourite dinnertime conversation; it was a matter of time before a public service campaign went on air. The Mumbai Police has come up with one, but it's a classic case of noble intention let down by dull communication

    Debrief: Mumbai Police: Weak & Ineffective

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Well, safety of women is now favourite dinnertime conversation; it was a matter of time before a public service campaign went on air. The Mumbai Police has come up with one, and there are quite a few commercials. However, it’s a classic case of noble intention let down by dull communication.

     

    The ads feature policemen talking directly into camera. They first address women, reassuring them that their complaints will be taken seriously. Later, in the same capsule, they address us deviant men, urging us to respect women. This simplicity and honesty sounds perfect on paper, but live action needs a lot more. There are many problems with this approach.

     

    For one, because each ad has been broken into two segments, as a viewer, I mentally switch off as soon as the second section starts, assuming that the same message is running in a loop. This is because the policemen, the camera angle, the set up… it’s the same for both segments. They needed to take care of this inevitability. Two, I don’t know if these guys are real cops, they look like small-time TV actors. Their names appear as supers, but this gets missed very easily. The fact that these are real cops ought to have been highlighted powerfully, credibility of the communication solely rides on that. And lastly, the treatment is ineffective because the creative is weak. As a citizen, I know this is not how cops deal with me in the police station, that all this nicety is only for the camera. Forget policemen, even the traffic cops are petty rude (ask the angry MLAs!). Which is why they needed a stronger approach, something that would make us sit up and say, ‘Wow, I didn’t know the police is nice with women complainants!’. Perhaps they should have played out real experiences of women at police stations. As for the ‘stern’ warning to the goons, it’s so thanda, I can see them going ‘LOL’.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 1. Tch, tch. A good opportunity wasted.

     

  • JWT must consider itself fortunate if Ford decides to continue with the partnership, writes Anil Thakraney

    #Scamadgate: Anil Thakraney: Pawar had to go

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Bobby Pawar must be sorely regretting he’s not a politician. Had he been one, JWT’s creative chief could have said the Ford scam ads are a conspiracy to malign his image, haha. Well, this isn’t Indian rajneeti, and therefore he got the boot. Must say Pawar’s conduct saddens me. As the big leader of the agency, he ought to have immediately taken direct responsibility for the offending ads, and resigned. Even if this crappy work was done by some young, desperate creatives, even if he wasn’t aware of the existence of these ads. Had he done so, Pawar might have walked away into the sunset with some degree of dignity still intact.

     

    Instead, the senior agency leaders’ first reaction was to wash their hands off the mess. Such leaders have to be sacked, no two ways on that. Especially so in the ad world, because scammy, unauthorized ads such as these directly affect the client’s image. It’s only within the global ad frat that the names of WPP and JWT crop up. To the rest of the world, Ford is the offender. Naturally therefore, some blood needed to spill.

     

    Speaking on a larger note, it’s shameful that after all these years of heated discussions on the subject, agency creatives continue to indulge in scam ads to win awards. Hopefully, Pawar’s sacking will result in some change. For one, national creative directors need to start worrying about the kind of culture and values they inculcate within their organizations. If the entire focus is on easy awards, scams will continue to happen, they are inevitable. If youngsters are evaluated mainly on the quantum of awards won, they will be tempted to cheat.

     

    Secondly, it’s high time systems and processes are initiated whereby juniors cannot upload any work that hasn’t been okayed by very senior creative directors. There was a time when young creatives would beg and plead with their media department to get a scam ad released in a lowly newspaper. Now, they just have to tweet it, and it’s out there for the world to see. All the more reason urgent attention needs to be paid to the operating processes, particularly so in large and medium sized ad agencies. One measure I can suggest right away is this: Every single employee needs to sign a declaration that he/she shall not publish anything official on the net without sanction from the national creative director. If they break this rule, they shall get instantly sacked, regardless of the material uploaded.

     

    Lastly, JWT must consider itself fortunate if Ford decides to continue with the partnership. Very fortunate, to be precise.

     

  • Ford India has sacked its employee who cleared the controversial ad for entry to Goafest

    #Scamadgate: Ford sacks employee who cleared ads + MxM View

    By A Correspondent

     

    After MxMIndia first wrote that Ford India is equally responsible for #Scamadgate given that the Abby entry was approved by its marketing head (reportedly someone at the level of vice president), Ford India has issued a statement: ”We deeply regret this incident and agree with WPP that it should have never happened. The posters are contrary to our values and everything we believe in at Ford. We sincerely apologize that they ever were created. After internal reviews, both Ford and WPP have taken appropriate actions. We take this very seriously. Together with WPP, we are reviewing our processes and increasing our education efforts to help ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”

     

    The “appropriate actions” haven’t been elaborated on by Ford’s spokesperson Deeptie Sethi. While Ms Sethi doesn’t give us the name, a report in the Detroit Free Press quotes Jim Farley, Ford’s head of global marketing, as saying in an interview that the Ford India employee who approved and signed off the award for the Abby “no longer works for Ford” (link: http://www.freep.com/article/20130328/BUSINESS0102/130328066/3-employees-at-Ford-of-India-fired-over-controversial-ads).

     

    MxMIndia has the name of the person who signed off the ads for the Abby, but given that there’s no official confirmation at the time of writing, we are not revealing her/his name. What we do know is that the people helming the marketing department at Ford India are: Vinay Piparsania who is Executive Director of Marketing, Sales and Service and Sriram Padmanabhan who is Vice President, Marketing.

     

    Update/Mar 29, 12.30pm:

    When quizzed further to identify the employee who has been dispensed with, Ms Seth said: “The Ford India employee no longer is with the company. Per our policy, we will not identify the individual publicly.”

     

    MxM View: While MxMIndia is aware of the name of the person whose services have been terminated with, we will not proactively reveal it. While part of the reason is that we do not have official confirmation, we also believe it will be unfair to the employee, his/her family and to the organisation. We didn’t want to do this with Bobby Pawar and Vijay Simha, but by early morning the name was public. It appeared that JWT India folks didn’t mind the media carrying the names, as it showed the client that they have cleansed themselves. We believe it is an unfortunate development. The fact of the matter is that both organisations do not appear to have any clear policy on scam ads, and all the stuff about standards etc is BS. If there was a policy in place, we wouldn’t have had the scam ads in the first place! We urge JWT India/WPP and Ford India to do their bit to ensure their ex-employees are rehabilitated. That will be their good deed for the Holy Weekend.

     

    See also: Ball in Ford India’s court now,

    Mediaah!: After Bobby Pawar, will Ford marketing head also go?

     

  • Behind every great commercial is super strategy. Every week, MxMIndia will bring you the brief and the strat as given by the client and whatever else that went into creating a winning ad

    AdStrat: Cinthol’s awesome approach

    Sunil Kataria, EVP, Marketing and Sales, GCPL

     

    Name of the campaign/ad – Cinthol digital campaign

    The Brief

    – To drive preference for Cinthol deo spray fragrance for Cinthol

    – The objective of the campaign was to create a strong connect for the brand with the people who relishes challenge and are ready to push themselves no matter what the intensity

    – TVC should be creative, engaging and build a strong connect with the youth, hence the use of Virat Kohli as the face for the campaign

    – Campaign should create a buzz value before its launch and hence social media was utilized

     

    Research insights

    – We wanted to connect with young India and their motivation and aspirations in their life

    – They aren’t in a rat race and aren’t driven by competition; their motivation is more intrinsic and is centered on making their lives interesting

    – Taking on intense stimulating experiences makes them look forward to life and feel intensely alive

     

    The thought process behind the creative

    – Through this campaign we wanted to address the people who are intensely alive and to those that get inspired with such kind of people

    – Virat is one of India’s brightest and most promising cricketing talent and was the perfect fit for the brand as both resembles being young, energetic, passionate, intense

    – Through our products, communication and digital activations Cinthol will showcase and inspire us to be “intensely alive”

     

    Media vehicles chosen

    – We have followed an integrated approach where social media was used to create buzz about the whole campaign before the unveiling of final TVC

    – We created a twitter campaign #InViratsHead prior to the launch and has received tremendous response through it

    – The campaign has just started and has a very positive response. We will continue our media presence in all other mediums like print and radio as well

     

    Key issues kept in mind while executing the ad –

    – While the focus of the campaign was on TVC, the main idea was to create a buzz for the new campaign before the final unveiling of the TVC

    – Key challenge in hand was: To make #InViratsHead trend within a couple of hours, so that buzz could be created and sustained for three days till the launch of the commercial

     

    What is the differentiating factor about the ad?

    – It’s an attitude driven ad. It talks to people who are really passionate about their life and are ready to push their limits

    – The TVC was catchy due to the emotional spin depicted with Virat from being tensed to relish the challenge, looking into the camera menacingly, presumably calling out to the bowler

    – Building the excitement before the launch of the TVC through the social media platform

    -Facebook, Twitter, you tube was something different that was tried. Our strategy was to seed #InViratsHead by encouraging different flows of conversation. In this was we were able to involve parallel conversations about Virat, India, Cricket and youth. We have developed customized responses of Virat to few consumers to give the personalized touch to interaction. The response was phenomenal. Within 5 hours of its launch on Twitter, #InViratsHead was trending worldwide, including in India and all cities of India

    – We have broken the reveal part of our twitter campaign #MakesMeAlive, which basically asked users to contribute with their personal stories and moments

    – Together, #InViratsHead and #MakesMeAlive have now garnered more than 30,000 tweets reaching out to 2.5 million people and creating more than 10 million impressions (and counting) in a span of 6 days, giving the campaign more reach and popularity than #WhyThisKolaveri, a hashtag and viral video that had taken not just the nation but the world by storm

     

    Agency comment: “The campaign stays within the ‘Alive is awesome’ realm, but we’ve adopted a slightly different take for deos. Cinthol Deo is about intense fragrances, and Virat fit the bill very well being a passionate, intense competitor on the field. So we said we’d take a peek into his head and see what’s going on inside. And that intensity is something we did not try and put into words, but showed in action,” said Sajan Raj Kurup, Founder and Creative Chairman, Creativeland Asia.

     

    Client comment: Sunil Kataria, EVP, Marketing and Sales, GCPL, said, “Our new Alive is awesome campaign has been successful in building the desired awareness of our newly revamped product range and packaging identity of the brand. The launch of our new intense range of deo fragrances is sure to surprise and build a strong connect with the young audience.”

     

  • MxMIndia Editor-at-Large Anil Thakraney analyses the issues thrown up by the JWT-Ford scam ad controversy, and puts things in perspective

    #Scamadgate | Anil Thakraney: Let’s face the facts

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    For many creative people, it’s not been a long weekend to celebrate. I noticed there was high action on social media, as folks got busy venting over Bobby Pawar’s unfortunate sacking. While on one level I am delighted to witness this ‘standing up for a colleague’ campaign, must say that in all the furious excitement, people seem to have overlooked some key considerations. Also, I could not help but notice a similarity between the outcry and another campaign that’s underway simultaneously: And that’s ‘Pardon for Sanjay Dutt’. In one case, Bollywood has launched a massive PR drive to save their ‘hero’. And in the other one, ad land is seeking justice for their own fallen star. Both campaigns have one thing in common: Lost in emotion, we aren’t able to view the situations objectively.

     

    So allow me to deal with the main arguments put out by the creative people:

    It’s not a scam, the posters were approved by the client: This is technically correct. If a Ford executive endorsed the ads, they become official work. And the news is that Ford has sacked the concerned employee. This seems fair. However, that still doesn’t change the fact that these ads were created purely for winning awards, that they were never intended for media usage, and therefore they still fall in the ‘scams’ category. In my previous post, I have already discussed the issue of scam ads, and on what needs to be done thereof. Scam ads are rampant in the ad world, several guys and gals do it. But the JWT gang got caught with their hands in a very messy scam, and therefore there had to be retribution.

     

    Bobby Pawar is the convenient ‘fall guy’: Ermm, not really. When work produced by an ad agency brings global disrepute to a client (as has happened in this case), the buck must stop at the desk of the creative chief. The captain has to take full responsibility of his ship, that’s the right way to go about professional life. Sacking only the crazed, award-hungry youngsters is a cop-out, that would send the wrong signals. Also, now that it’s clear that Ford had indeed endorsed this work, it’s no longer a case of some stupid kids jerking off in the back office. JWT’s responsibility becomes total and absolute. And the leader of the pack becomes directly accountable.

     

    But shouldn’t Colvyn Harris have been punished too?: Supporters of this line of argument believe thus: Why must only creative people suffer when advertising is supposed to be team work. And that surely there were servicing people involved in this campaign. Also, as the big JWT India boss, Harris should have been the one to pay. Indeed there is merit in this argument, and am hoping that the client services director who approved this work has been sacked too. However, I am against the idea of penalizing the agency CEO. For the simple reason that Harris would (assumedly) leave the charge of all creative work to his NCD, that’s the professional thing to do. That’s why you hire a national creative director at a very high cost, so that he/she controls the agency’s output. Therefore, logically, that’s where the buck must stop. Let me give you a parallel: If a newspaper runs a false, misleading, illegal story, it’s the editor who will get axed, and not the publisher. Even though bringing out a newspaper is teamwork.

     

    The agency should have stood up for its creative people: I entirely agree with this point of view. If you are expecting your creatives to raise the bar, be prepared to back their edgy work. If you are reluctant to do so, stick to hiring only the safe players. So far, so good. However, in Ford Figo’s case, the creatives didn’t raise the bar, they lowered it to a new low (refer to the para below). And this resulted in a very angry large multinational client, a client that the agency had to assuage, or risk losing forever. Some senior blood had to spill, and Sir Martin Sorrell himself would have been left not very amused if it hadn’t. So before you trash Colvyn Harris (and I carry no candle for him), you must also view this issue from his angle; perhaps the CEO had no choice. I am quite certain if this work had happened for a local, small-time mosquito coils maker, Bobby Pawar would still be inside his cabin. These are harsh realities of the global world, and we have to accept them.

     

    These ads are tongue-in-cheek, we’ve lost the ability to laugh: I must tell you I am always first in queue to back work that challenges the acceptable boundaries. All along in my career, both in media and advertising, I have landed in trouble for believing and indulging in this principle. I am also always ready for a good laugh; safe and boring work pisses me off, my ad reviews will tell you that. But to create a campaign where women are projected as ‘mobile commodity’ is being totally insensitive to the gruesome rapes that keep happening every other day in India, often inside moving vehicles, AND THAT IS NOT FUNNY. If you find these ads hilarious, you need to get your head examined and your values sorted. This nation is deeply misogynistic, and women have been paying a heavy price on account of this sick mindset for a very long time. So please get this right: If you can’t be a part of the solution, for god’s sake don’t be a part of the problem.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views expressed here are personal. Follow him at @anilthakraney.