MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • Claims by FMCG, educational institutions and health centres also on CCC radar

    ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council upholds complaints against 17 out of 25 ads

    By A Correspondent

     

    During July and August 2011, the Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) of ASCI upheld complaints made against 17 advertisements from various sectors like Education, Health, FMCG and Restricted products. During the same timeframe, the CCC did not uphold complaints against 8 such advertisements.

     

    In a complaint received against the advertisement of Maruti Suzuki – Estilo Magic, the advertisement mentions the mileage of i10 (1.1) Era as “16 kmpl”, which is incorrect.  i10 (1.1) Era ARIA certified mileage is 19.8 kmpl. The CCC concluded that the data stated in the advertisement about the mileage of the competitor did not tally with the ARIA Certification and is false.

     

    There was a complaint relating to the advertisement of “Bata India – Think Weinbrenner, Think Outdoors.” As per the complaint, Bata had carried out a print campaign for Weinbrenner, wherein the copy read, “SMS Bata <space> <your e-mail id> to 58888 to win exclusive gifts”. Acting on the line, the complainant sent SMSes twice, but was never offered or sent any gifts. The CCC concluded that the statement, “SMS BATA…to win exclusive gifts”, was misleading as the advertisement did not state clearly all material conditions to enable the consumer to obtain a true and fair view of his prospects in such activities.

     

    A complaint was received against advertising communication of Hindustan Unilever – Pureit Water Purifier. As per the complaint, the commercials make a claim of “Pureit 1 Crore safety challenge”.  The CCC considered the technical proof provided by the advertiser and the complainant and concluded that whilst Pureit “meets USA’s EPA stringent germ-kill criteria”, it is not the only one to do so.  The claim, “It’s been 2 years and till date no purifier in India has been able to meet Pureit’s Safety challenge”, is misleading as this challenge was only against products launched prior to December 2009. Thus, the communication created a false impression that Pureit is the best water purifier.  This complaint was also upheld.

     

    In the education sector, there was a whole set of advertisement that received complaints. For T.I.M.E. – CAT’ 11/12, the claim “Largest student base: 1,30,000+ students trained for CAT’09 & CAT’10” was  rejected as the claim was not validated  by any third party nor the advertiser  had compared any data of other service providers in the same category. Also, the claim, “Best faculty team in Delhi – NCR”, was not supported by any comparative data. Another claim, “Best Results: 50%+ of students in the IIMs are from T.I.M.E.”, was neither validated nor supported with any independent data, and the claim was based on 2009 and 2010 data as mentioned in the advertisement. The CCC concluded that pending the validation of the data by independent auditors, the claims are misleading and hence upheld the complaint.

     

    Career  Launcher (I)  Ltd in one advertisement mentioned that,”4300+ IIM calls in CAT”10″, “CL scores: 4/8 100 % in CAT’10, FMS’10 & 11 Toppers, JMET’10 Topper”. These claims were not backed and substantiated with data/ evidence.  The CCC concluded that pending the validation of the data by independent auditors, the claims mentioned in the advertisement and cited in the complaint are misleading. The complaint was upheld

     

    The advertisement of Team Satyam claimed that “75+ Students and counting, in National Law Schools”, “95% of call getters from Lucknow are Clat Possible students”,  “5/5 NLU-Delhi call getters from Lucknow are Clat Possible students”, “3 NLSIU, 5 NALSAR, 7 NUJS, 8NLU-D  Students to National Law Schools”,  “40+ Students to National Law Schools”. The CCC concluded that pending the validation of the data by independent auditors, the claims mentioned in the advertisement and cited in the complaint, are misleading.  The advertisement contravened Chapter I.4 of the Code.  The complaint was UPHELD.

    A TVC of Greenply Industries Ltd. Greenlam Laminates showed “an old man going through the Catholic sacrament of baptism, and thereafter his funeral which shows a coffin made with Greenlam Laminates. The TVC is extremely offensive and mocks the Roman Catholic faith, by unnecessarily using sacraments to promote its product.  The CCC concluded that the TVC appeared to trivialize conversion and thus is likely to hurt religious sentiments. This complaint was upheld.

     

    Hindustan Unilever Ltd’s Dove Damage Therapy TVC claimed that Dove is the most recommended shampoo by Indian women”, is qualified by a super stating “Based on a study conducted amongst 400 women”.  It was stated that a base size of 400 is far too small to be used to support this claim and it also did not clarify the parameters for which the Dove shampoo is recommended. Also, the supers in the said advertisement are blurred and illegible. The print advertisement, TVC, and the hoardings contravened Chapter I.4 of the Code and the claims are misleading, hence the complaint was upheld.

     

    Procter & Gamble Home Products  Ltd’s -  New  Ariel  Oxyblu – Deep Clean Technology ad showed the removal of three difficult stains, namely ink, oil and tea by use of Ariel Oxyblu, whereas the claim support data mentioned in the super is for ink stains alone. The super reads “Creative visualization.  Based on technical test by independent laboratory (Prema Labs, 2011) tested on ink stain in three different layers of polyster fabric v/s ordinary powder.  It is clear from the same that the claims about removal of oil and tea stains are completely unsubstantiated. The CCC concluded that the claim read in conjunction with the visual depiction is misleading by implication.

     

    Pernod Ricard India Pvt Ltd, in its  TVC of Royal  Stag  – Mega  Cricket showed the visuals of the cricketer Harbhajan Singh on his first day in a ball bearing factory. He is shown saying, “Have I made it large?” As per the complaint, the TVC begins with the repeated use of the word “large”, which is normally referred to as a measure of liquor and by associating it with Royal Stag, which is a liquor brand, the TVC is an overt insinuation aimed at conjuring up the image of a liquor brand and therefore an indirect and surrogate advertisement for liquor. Despite having approvals from CBFC for using the slogan, the CCC concluded that the TVC uses the brand name and logo of a liquor product. The advertisement contravened Chapter III.6 (c) (d) of the ASCI Code. Also, as the TVC violated the Rule 7(2) (viii) (A) of The Cable Television Network Rules 1994, the TVC is in breach of the law and contravened Chapter III.4 of the ASCI Code.  The complaint was upheld.

     

    As per McDowell’s No.1 Platinum Soda advertisement which begins with the visuals of a Sikh boy resembling cricketer Harbhajan Singh shown sitting on a large ball and saying, “Have I made it large”.  Then they show the arrival of his father and upbraiding him for making a large ball instead of ball bearings. This is followed by cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s dialogue, which goes on to say, “Zindagi mein kuchh karna hai to large chhodo. Kuchh alag karo, yaar. McDowell’s No.1 Platinum Soda. No.1 Spirit of Leadership”.  The TVC is a clever ploy of capitalizing on the image of a liquor brand sought to be created in the TVC of “Royal Stag – Mega Cricket”, and then extrapolating it with another liquor brand “McDowell”.   The use of the word “Spirit” in its tag line further enhances the image of the liquor brand and therefore the TVC is an indirect and surrogate advertisement for liquor. The complaint was upheld.

     

    One of the Ford Figo advertisements stated that the “Ford Figo leaves its competition far behind”, and has made comparison of Figo Advantage with Hyundai i10 in terms of space and maintenance. The facts used in the advertisement were based on Ford’s internal Benchmarking study, and had no independent support. The advertisement was deemed as misleading the consumers by the CCC which concluded that the claims made in the advertisement were not substantiated on the basis of an independent survey.

     

    General Motors India Pvt. Ltd.’s TVC of Chevrolet Beat Diesel adopted the tagline of “India’s most fuel efficient car”, and have, with a view to mislead the consumers, tried to justify the same by relying upon a stray comment in an article published in ‘Autocar India’ of August 2011 issue, whereby the magazine by its own non-standard method tried to give a general sense to consumers of city driving fuel efficiency of the ‘Beat Diesel’.  The Beat Diesel advertisement uses the tagline which is same as that used by “Indica eV2” in their advertisement of being “India’s most fuel efficient car”.  This fuel efficiency claim is backed by ARAI who have certified ‘Indica eV2″. Apart from plagiarism, the advertisement is disparaging the ‘Indica eV2’. The CCC concluded that the claim was not backed by the data of ARAI. This part of the complaint was upheld.

     

    Titan’s Fast Track Watches advertisement showed a young woman taking off her innerwear (bra) from underneath her T-shirt and holding it out as if to discard it.  The advertisement is promoting a new offer of 20% off on watches. The advertisement is offensive to women, damaging young minds, and totally unrelated to the subject of the advertisement.   The CCC concluded that the depiction of the young woman is likely, in the light of generally prevailing standards of decency and propriety, to cause grave or widespread offence and hence the complaint was upheld.

     

    During these two months, the CCC also received complaints against Samsung ACs, Royal Hygiene Care Pvt Ltd’s She Comfort, Hindustan Unilever’s Pureit Marvella eWater Purifier, IMS  Learning  Resources  Pvt  Ltd, Hardcastle Restaurant’s McDonald’s, L’Oreal India’s Garneir Fructis, Hindustan Unilver’s Clinic All Clear and Tata Indicom amongst others as these advertisements did not contravene ASCI’s codes or guidelines.

     

     

  • In the Regional Round of Employer Branding Awards for West, GroupM won five of the 10 awards in the Organisational Category

    GroupM HR Team frontrunners for 6th Regional Employer Branding Awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Adding to an already exhilarating show on the awards front in 2011, GroupM also emerged as the frontrunner in the western regional round of Employer Branding Awards held at Indira Group of Institutes last week.

     

    The team talent from GroupM walked away with a total of five awards, making them the favourites for the finals to be staged in February 2012.

     

    The Employer Branding Institute is an organization that recognizes the best practices in HR employer branding and work of outstanding professionals who are contributing to talent development, management and innovations.

     

    Every year a Top Employer Brand list is released and in the run-up to the World HRD Congress, regional rounds are held in every metro city before the final National Round in Mumbai.

     

    In the Regional Round for West, GroupM won five of the 10 awards in the Organisational Category.

     

    Commenting on the wins, Gaurav Hirey, Human Resource Head, GroupM – South Asia, said: “The consistency at which we have been winning awards clearly reflects GroupM’s commitment to our people. We are now closer to our objective of being not just the best place to work, but the place where the best work.”

     

    The five awards that the agency bagged included Award for Talent Management, Award for HR strategy in line with Business, Award for Innovation Retention Strategy, Award for Excellence in Training, and Award for Innovation in Career Development.

  • Palasa has managed to win the creative mandates for KG Beverages, RESTLESS and BUZZ

    Palasa now creative partners with KG Beverages

     

    Sandeep Bomble
    Nitin Gupta

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Palasa has managed to win the creative mandates for KG Beverages, RESTLESS and BUZZ. Along with creative mandates, Palasa will also be involved in the packaging and marketing of both the products.

     

    RESTLESS is an action drink which will be competing with the likes of Red Bull and Cloud 9. KG Beverages will also be launching range of carbonated drinks like Lemon Clear drink,Orange, Green Apple Cola and Jeera Masala. BUZZ is premix alcoholic beverage which will be available in three exciting flavours.

     

    Sandeep Bomble, founder, director, Palasa, said: “We have been associated with KG beverages since 8 years and we have created this product range together. Many others wanted to be a part of it but no one else could win it, as it is our baby”.

     

    Nitin Gupta, CEO/founder, said: “I have worked with Sandeep for almost eight years for SYKZ and having seen his work, there was no question of calling other agencies to pitch. Sandeep’s work has always impressed me and we are already quite happy with whatever they are doing for the brand.”

     

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

    Ad Strat: TVS Scooty Pep + – Go Babelicious

    Anil Thomas, ECD, McCann Ericksson

     

    Name of the Campaign/Ad:  TVS Scooty Pep + – Go Babelicious

     

    The Brief: Shift the battle beyond machine superiority in the minds of young women.

     

    Research insights:

    Since it was a collection of bikes with bright, bold colours, we tried to answer what makes girls go crazy about these bright but almost child-like colours and we stumbled upon the insight that as much as girls want to grow up into young women of substance there are also moments when they instead revel in their adolescence.

    Often this leads to a behaviour that is seen as immature by others but enjoyed by girls. Take for instance the popularity of characters like Hello Kitty and Hanna Montana, Baby-G watches, the use of shocking nail paint colours such as yellow or using bright coloured handbags.

    So to make this collection a fun and fashionable one, we decided we should legitimize this immature behaviour amongst girls and let them celebrate being that way. That’s how the creative brief “Lovably immature” was born.

     

    The thought process behind the creative:

    We saw an opportunity, with this collection, of going beyond the mobility factor, a look at the bold colours on offer and we wondered if we could position this collection as a fashion accessory. Yes, the bike helps you get there, but getting there looking absolutely babelicious doesn’t hurt either! So what others might find as shocking, the babelicious girl finds perfectly innocent and natural – be it a behaviour or the choice of bold striking colours for a scooter.

    Hence, the importance of spontaneity and effervescence in the characters who think it’s okay to create a ruckus so that she could get past a barricade or the simple act of wearing lipstick in the middle of the road.

     

    Media vehicles chosen:

    To truly make the Go Babelicious attitude into a rallying cry, a movement and a sub-culture of sorts, we had to explain what Go Babelicious meant, and then amplify it in the most vivid manner, which we did on TV, Print, YouTube, college campuses and so on.

    Our TG was an influencer/trendsetter among her peer group, and not a follower.

    Therefore, like any good fashion brand, we also targeted the places and the media our influencer TG would go for; fashion magazines like Cosmopolitan, English movie channels like HBO.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKVxd6cOBN0[/youtube]
    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qvTdkx20AY[/youtube]

     

     

    Key issues kept in mind while executing the ad:

    It was a tight rope walk. The most important point kept in mind during execution was to keep the communication in the lovable zone and to ensure it doesn’t cross the lines.

     

    Does the treatment do justice to the brief?

    The idea was to get Scooty Pep+ to own the lovably immature behaviour, just like how successful fashion brands own a philosophy or an attitude, by manifesting it through an attitude statement.

    The TVCs were about girls doing crazy, fun things and getting away with it scot-free because of the manner in which it was done, be it exasperating the traffic cop into letting her go through despite the oncoming VIP convoy or just wanting to do her make-up using the window of a car beside her at the traffic signal as a mirror, without worrying about its effect on the driver.

    In this case, we manifested “lovably immature” through the attitude statement of “Go Babelicious” which was a rallying cry to all the girls to let out their adolescent, crazy side without inhibition.

     

    What according to you is the differentiating factor about the ad?

    We knew that other marketers were selling scooterettes on the basis of power and performance. In effect, they were speaking to the entire market as if it comprised of

    100% male consumers. CC, BHP and mileage were the main conversations happening in a market in which 40% of the users were young girls/women in the age group 18-24 years.

    Clearly this TG did not understand the technology aspects of a scooterette and beyond a point didn’t care about it either. The first decision we took was to ensure that we would communicate with women like they were women, and not pretend that they were men!

     

    Market and client feedback:

    The campaign arrested a steep decline in sales of -27% and went on to achieve a 25% growth in the same year. Despite a competitive functional benefit, the brand parameters improved. Single woman’s perceptions and intender’s consideration scores of brand Scooty registered an upswing.

    In short we succeeded in shifting the battle to fulfilling emotional need states. Making consumers not just buy us but fall in love with us.

     

     

  • The multiple financial scams under the UPA-2 rule have not just tarnished the nation’s image, they have made India a highly suspect destination for business

    Anil Thakraney: An open letter to the PM

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Dear MMS,

     

    You complain that India Inc’s negative comments are disappointing. You are apparently displeased about what the suits have to say about your government. That the UPA’s policies are quite depressing for business in India.

     

    Well, Sirji, the industry leaders have every reason to feel disheartened and negative about theIndiastory. If at all, I would say they are being pretty mild and cautious in their observations, because they can’t afford to upset the assorted politicians and bureaucrats in your team. Backlash from an upset government can be rather hurtful.

     

    Before you sulk over their comments, let’s examine your own track record since UPA-2 came to power: In the last one year alone, fuel prices have spiralled out of control, sending the economy for a toss and making the inflation figures go through the roof.

     

    As if that was not bad enough, the rupee is getting weaker by the day, and has now hit an all-time low. What is particularly pathetic, is that all this is happening under the leadership of a man touted as a master economist.

     

    I am not going to discuss the crashing infrastructure in the metros (many firang suits are known to take a sharp U-turn the moment they emerge from the Mumbai airport) because it’s too damn depressing. But I must point out that the multiple financial scams under your rule have not just tarnished the nation’s image, they have made India a highly suspect destination for business.

     

    In fact, the Anna Hazare campaign has made India look like a global clown on the world stage. And by the way, your complete mishandling of the Anna team hasn’t helped matters at all.

     

    And oh, just what happened with the FDI in multi-brand retail idea? You did not have the skills and means to push it through. At the very first sign of protest from the opposition leaders you ducked for cover. How encouraging is that for India Inc? It doesn’t end here. Your various ministers are often at war with each other, and as a leader you seem to have no control over their bickering.

     

    Sir, it’s a long list of gripes, and frankly I don’t want to put out the laundry list and destroy the New Year festive mood. But let me just say this: Instead of feeling bad, you should be thrilled that despite your government’s abysmal performance and dubious policies, many business leaders continue to be bullish on India.

     

    Thank them rather than complain. Happy New Year!

     

    * * *

     

    PS: Fantastic presentation at the BAFTA by acclaimed screenplay writer Charlie Kaufman. Totally from the heart, and an eye-opener. A must watch not just for those in the movie business but for all creative people.

     

    Link: http://video.bafta.org/services/player/bcpid1089742060001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAABxWZS7k~,uLPjGIDNpTm4SaHbu0n1-QlyJhJ3l3ls&bctid=1314090439001

  • Imran will promote MTS through mass media, online and below-the-line promotional activities. He will also be part of Red Energy, a youth-centric online activity for the brand according to an official involved in the deal

    Imran Khan to endorse MTS in Rs10 crore deal

    By Ratna Bhushan & Gulveen Aulakh

     

    Telecom service provider MTS India has roped in Bollywood actor Imran Khan as its brand ambassador for two years. The 10-crore deal makes the Delhi Belly star the latest one to join a long list of celebrities, including Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and MS Dhoni, endorsing telecom service companies. While it’s the first time that Sistema Shyam TeleServices’ brand has taken the celebrity plunge, Imran already endorses Coke and Levi’s jeans.

     

    MTS India spokesman and celebrity management firm, Kwan Entertainment, which doesn’t manage Khan but helped him striking this deal, declined to comment.

     

    “Imran will promote MTS through mass media, online and below-the-line promotional activities. He will also be part of Red Energy, a youth-centric online activity for the brand,” an official directly involved with the developments said.

     

    While the 2G scam has not deterred telecom firms from wooing celebrity endorsers, it has impacted their ad spends. Eight of the country’s top 10 TV advertisers during January-September this year were consumer goods makers. Idea Cellular was the only telecom firm in the ranking, according to the media research firm TAM.

     

    The telecom sector has been facing tough times with raging controversy on 2G spectrum allocation, rock-bottom tariffs, sliding average revenue per user, thinning margins and falling profits. High interest costs, banks shying away from lending and 3G roaming agreements being disputed by the government add to the sector’s problems.

     

    Approval and introduction of the new telecom policy that would have allowed liberal merger and acquisition norms and helped in consolidation of the sector, has been pushed back by nearly half a year. This may further add to telcos’ woes.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • 2011 has been a year to make us believe 'the smaller, the better'. Independent agencies fair well as the founder brings in loads of experience

    Independents rule adland in 2011

     

    By Shubhangi Mehta

     

    Looking at 2011 and how well the independent agencies have performed this year, it can be said that this has been the year of independence for the independents who have managed to attract some big ticket clients.

     

    Law & Kenneth has excelled this year in terms of business wins, Anil Nair, CEO and Managing Partner, Law & Kenneth, said: “As an independent agency, we have everything and give appropriate solutions to our brand. Our services are not restricted to just creative campaigns for a brand. We can offer all that a bigger agency can do. The advantage that we have over them is that we focus on the task in hand without any bias. Bigger agencies need larger income, hence the client has to spend big. For us honesty and integrity are high currencies, hence we have the courage to call a spade, spade.”

     

    Most of the independent agencies these days let their work talk for them. Ideas@work won the creative mandates for Big Rock, Gelusil, Rustomji and managed seven awards at Goafest.

     

    Saints & Warriors and Scarecrow have done equally well and bagged some good businesses. Ditto with Creativeland Asia which has excelled.

     

    Mahesh Chauhan, Salt Brand Solutions, said: “In my opinion 2011 can actually be known as the year of independence for smaller agencies. Larger agencies offer infrastructure, whereas we, as independents, go to a client and say we’ll work for them, which a bigger agency cannot do. We partner with our clients and this has motivated the transition. As for me, working as a founder of an independent agency means being a player of the team and not the captain.”

     

    SALT has won the creative mandates for Kaya Skin Clinic, BSE and Big RTL this year.

     

    Early this year ‘Hum mein hai hero’ came across as a clutter breaker. Similarly Pepsi ‘Change the Game’ and the Airtel’s latest ‘Har friend Zaroori hota hai’ have made one feel that there is a change in the thought process of the client as well.

     

    Happy Creative, a creative boutique, managed to cull out a name for itself in terms of awards and has done some great work for Flipkart.

     

    Rahul Kansal, CMO, Bennett & Coleman, said: “As a client, we are looking for less of strategy and more of creative input, hence we want to deal directly with the creative person who is more readily available in smaller/independent agencies. We no longer want to work with middlemen. Second, if we are comfortable working with a particular individual, then we prefer working with him, it doesn’t really matter if it his own startup.”

     

    Agnello Dias, Taproot India said: “This year has been reasonably good for independent agencies. Clients are looking for a fresher take, hence they are moving towards agencies who can give them personalised service as they have lesser work.”

     

    It can be said that when we sell something, even if it is an idea, there has to be a personal touch. And that’s exactly what these boutique agencies are offering to their client. Right from suggesting a brand name to designing and packaging, a lot of these agencies are providing services beyond the creation of a brand communication for a brand.

     

    Sandeep Bomble, founder director, Palasa said: “The business we won this year was Iball mobile phones, Housefull Furniture and Rawwar Fashion. We also won 3 Goafest awards last year for different categories like Best Packaging, Best Art Direction and Best Direct Marketing Event. One-to-one client interaction, cost effective and lesser process driven are the primary reasons for survival of independent agencies. The people working in the agencies will come and go, but in a small set up, the head that drives remains forever. Which is why, a client enjoys personalised attention without losing out on quality in the long run”.

     

    The bigger agencies have always been big, but it is a striking fad to see that creativity more than anything is getting the utmost importance in India, just like it is in other countries.

     

    What we can figure out from the views of the experts is that in the end, it isn’t about being big or small, instead it’s more about being ingenious and impeccable.

     

     

  • iBall, known for its innovative and latest digital life-style products, announces its iball slide TVC and has roped in Hrithik Roshan as brand ambassador

    iBall comes up with its new TVC

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tablet PCs provide platter of possibilities to do different things related with work, play, information and entertainment. The iBall Slide TVC highlights the same wherein, Hrithik Roshan, the brand ambassador, talks about things he can do on iBall Slide and the performance of the product.

     

    The ad is already seen across all leading television channels. In the time to come one can witness an array of initiatives which will span television, radio, outdoor, below the line and digital media.

     

    Commenting on his association with iball slide, Mr Roshan said: “I was very impressed to know the growth of iBall in a span of less than 10 years and passion of its team which has brought it to this level. It feels nice to be associated with iBall Slide. This is an exciting product category and hopes to see India Go Slide on iBall Slide.”

     

    Launched in 2001 with a single product category, iBall today has a gigantic range of over 300 products in its 24 product categories. It has also launched over 35 products with new technologies for the first time in India. iBall’s last major category launch was iBall Mobile Phones.  iBall has already sold over 21 million products. The company has a strong pan-India presence with 24 branch offices across the country, with its products available in over 400 cities and towns.

     

    iBall products are serviced at its over 125 service centres across India. iBall is a well-accepted brand in the corporate world and is fast becoming a household name throughout the country.

  • The idea rides the public anger on the streets of Mumbai, and the script does not shy away from taking up provocative issues

    Debrief: Mumbai Mirror TVC connects with Mumbaikars

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Mumbai Mirror has positioned itself as the voice of the city. And the new TVC uses a simple but powerful creative device to communicate the positioning: a hand held microphone.

     

    In the ad, angry Mumbaikars express their respective grievances on the streets using this device. An author protests about his books being burnt. A mom complains about adulterated milk. Another dude stops a neta motorcade to vent his anger against the ugly political hoardings and banners that keep sprouting up. Quite obviously, the microphone represents the newspaper.

     

    I like this approach, and in particular, the use of a microphone. The device can become a powerful visual metaphor for the brand in the long term. The idea rides the public anger on the streets of Mumbai, and the script does not shy away from taking up provocative issues. Also, the stories are real, these have been published in the newspaper, so empathy and credibility would be strong. The people featured are aam aadmis and aurats of the city, and that’s the way it should be for a mass brand.

     

    All in all, a commendable effort. Should strike a chord with frustrated Mumbaikars.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 4. Powerful and very relevant advertising.

  • The challenge is to build unique brand loyalty for Delhi Daredevils and make it a powerful fan motivator, says Alok Agrawal, COO Cheil WW SW Asia

    Cheil WW SW Asia pockets Delhi Daredevils

    By A Correspondent

     

    Following a multi-agency pitch, Cheil WW SW Asia has won the creative mandate for the GMR Sports-owned IPL team Delhi Daredevils. The pitch was for both creative and digital communication.

     

    Confirming the development, Alok Agrawal, COO Cheil WW SW Asia, said, “This is extremely exciting and passions are running high. Taking into account the rigorous pitch process and the competition, we are truly delighted. This win is also testimony to Cheil’s integrated expertise and its global sports marketing capabilities. The challenge is to build unique brand loyalty for Delhi Daredevils and make it a powerful fan motivator. Our approach centered around engaging the fan online and on ground. We truly understand that a brand like Delhi Daredevils is built with engagement and not advertising.”

     

    Speaking on the appointment of Cheil WW SW Asia as Delhi Daredevils’ creative communication partner, Amrit Mathur, Vice President – Head Operations, GMR Sports said: “Cheil’s understanding, strategy, ideas and passion for Delhi Daredevils clearly resonated the next-level thinking required for brand engagement and fan loyalty. We are looking forward to our partnership with Cheil and building our engagement with our fans in keeping with our overall strategy.”

  • Why is desi advertising talent so popular? The argumentativeness of the Indian tops Prashant Kumar’s list.

    5 reasons why Indian ad talent is doing so well in Asia

    By Prashant Kumar

     

    #1 We can talk: It’s only when you work outside India, especially in the East, that the benefits of having been born in a by and large free democracy stands out more starkly. The culture of debate, rooted in our ancient dialectical tradition and honed by our democratic upbringing, means we communicate well, and have the analytical ability to deconstruct complex problem scenarios into rational components, solve and put them back together into one cohesive, integrated whole and strike a good balance between macro and the micro.

     

    #2 We are hungry: Coming from a nation of a billion-plus people, and having fought hard every step of the way to belong to the privileged few millions, Indians have an innate drive to stand out and stay at the top of the line. This results in relentless passion, a craving for new learning, hardworking attitude and the courage to persevere, which for many a comfortable people of relatively affluent countries is less common. In the backdrop of a rising India, increasingly confident of its place in the larger world, there is a manifest destiny many subconsciously believe in.

     

    #3 We can count: Even our qualitative researchers can do a few good numbers, thanks to our indomitable dads and their fanatic fascination with mathematics. This faculty inculcates in us a more objective view of life, problem scenarios and decision making. To an average Indian talent, getting under the skin of the data to reveal the underlying story and seek the conceptual bridge with the intuitive insight into reality is the crux of good management. That doesn’t come so naturally to others.

     

    #4 We plug into the big picture: While Indians are not well known for operational efficiency and reliability, their diligence and attention to details, and a perfect alignment between the promise and the delivery, they sure get the big picture much better. Their ability to think beyond their narrow job briefs and their strong urge to figure out how the world around them works helps them develop a more holistic perspective earlier, helping them transition to leadership roles easier.

     

    #5 We can survive: The versatile challenges of growing up in India, encountering personalities and assumptions from a dozen parallel worlds in a regular day, and holding our faith into the perfect despite living with deep imperfections all around us, makes us highly adaptive, at least in our work set-up, if not in terms of food habits. At some level, our ability to go back to zero base and reframe our approach is probably better, sometimes out of need and necessity, but often out of sheer instinct.

     

    Prashant Kumar is the CEO at IPG Mediabrands in Malaysia.

  • Is pulling off misleading ads enough?

    Anil Thakraney: Rap on the knuckles that leaves no mark

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    According to a report published on this website, the ASCI has very recently upheld complaints against as many as 17 ads. Here’s the link to the full story:

    http://www.mxmindia.com/2011/12/ascis-consumer-complaints-council-upholds-complaints-against-17-out-of-25-ads/

    Considering this figure pertains to ads that ran during just a two month period (July and August 2011), one has to say it is a rather large number. This indicates that Indian ads are on overdrive when it comes to either making tall claims or offending the consumers. Now, while I can understand brands being pulled up for ‘offensive’ material and their ads being knocked out, we must question if that punishment is enough for misleading ads.

     

    Of the 17 culprits, the majority are ads that carry exaggerated/false claims, thus misleading the buyer. Car ads that boast of incredible mileage. Companies that offer ‘freebies’ to consumers. Ads that diss rival brands by putting out unscientific research studies. Tutorial classes that make dodgy claims of ‘best faculty’ and ‘most successful’ students. Detergent brands that claim to remove all sorts of stains without an authentic study to support them.

     

    Here’s the problem: Substantial damage is done by these misleading ads by the time they get yanked off the media. A number of students would have enrolled in such dubious coaching classes. Many car buyers would have bought the brand, suckered by false mileage figures. And a number of housewives would have purchased the detergent powder, only to discover that the stains never disappeared. Which is why some advertisers will continue with this wrong practice as there’s no deterrent or punishment beyond the ad being killed.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-_rf2jVxxY[/youtube]

    My own belief is this, purely on grounds of ethics: Industry leaders must come together and impose monetary penalties on adverts making false claims. So that there is some fear put into the minds of mischievous brand managers. And funds collected from these punishments can be donated to charitable causes.

     

    I know this is an industry portal, and we must speak for the industry. Still, efforts need to be made so that under no circumstances does the end consumer get taken for a ride. Because we must never forget that we all exist because of her and him.

     

    ***

    PS: What do you do when match day falls on Valentine’s Day? How can football fans pass on messages of love to their partners? Well, Puma shows the way.