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  • Sanjeev Kotnala picks his 12 best advertisements of the just-held Super Bowl 2020

    12 Super Bowl Ads You Must Watch

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    If you are in Marketing and advertising, you would have watched all the Super Bowl ads by now. Every year around this time, the heat is on between brands to make an impression and get maximum instant reach for their messages. Some try being playful, some introduce new themes, and some try to provoke.

    In all, a total of more than 50 advertisements get released in the Super Bowl at an astronomical figure (by Indian standard) of $5.6 Mn per 30 seconds. Most brands must be finding it relevant and efficient, as some brands always have spots aired with the  Super bowl. The inventory is almost sold by November of the previous year.

    Brand, creative and media specialist mourn the absence of any such opportunity in India. Neither the pre-festival advertising in October nor the hyped-up IPL. And let us not talk of the opening episodes of any of the famed reality shows like KBC, KKK or Bigg Boss – none have the oomph, aah and wah of a Super Bowl.

    Not unexpected there is beer advertising as a category dominating the super Bowl commercial. And surprise, everyone investing what we would call a long story format to get their simple message across.

    When brands invest in an immediate reach build-up with an event that guarantees a massive number of eyeball, it is good to see them invest big. The super bowl spots maybe shorter version, but these extended versions show the intent.

    Like every Super Bowl event, many brands spots are just nice or templated around their style of storytelling. They made you smile and at the same time got the brand message across. All under one roof. You can watch all these spots at Adweek.

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    So here are my 12 favourites brand spots. That’s a high percentage of likability from the commercials aired during the Super Bowl. They are rightly messaged, superbly crafted and executed.

    While watching the Super Bowl, the consumer mind aperture is open for entertainment and excitement. Hence, the ads that have a similar story presentation style that stimulates and engages are contextually better placed than others trying to present the message in a different way.  And one who use the context and the DNA of the event best, win.

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    MICROSOFT screened a lovely commercial. The protagonist Katie Sowers- first female super bowl coach, explaining that she wants not to be the best female coach but the best coach. People expect women to do certain things and do not expect to do many other things. However, the first in the filed opens the arena for others. That is like ENCOURAGED BETI ENCOURAGED FUTURE. An attitude we mostly miss in advertising. It is one of the best-crafted spots. It is my Favourite ad.

     

    https://youtu.be/_xPn4DXIj5w

     

    GOOGLE has this ad about how people lived before Alexa. It is contextually better placed in the event environment. It is humorous with some crazy situations to drive home a simple point of what Alexa can do.

     

    https://youtu.be/RF9t2rFmTVE

     

    GOOGLE has another emotionally powerful linking ad. It is very product dominant in all its visual impact and experience and hence my favourite Number II. ,

     

    https://youtu.be/6xSxXiHwMrg

     

    So, how can beer as a category be away from the super bowl?

     

    BUD LIGHT two spots, INSIDE BRAIN, are highly engaging and entertaining.

     

    https://youtu.be/wsnnU3fJTWg

     

    https://youtu.be/pj1meOmpezs

     

    Then there is BUDWEISER, identifying Typical American with their beer. And I am partial to beer advertising.

     

    https://youtu.be/yt-zXuAAD6Q

     

    MICHELOB ULTRA does it one better with its simple message, ‘it is only worth it if you enjoy it.’

     

    https://youtu.be/U7h6Vls-uO8

     

    MICHELOB ULTRA PURE GOLD makes a passionate appeal to pick 6 packs and see how it can change American farming. I literally love this very Patriotic beer ad.

     

    https://youtu.be/ANarZ_113Xc

     

    Another category that uses Super bowl best is cars. Here HUMMER ELECTRIC makes an impactful promise and delivers message quite soundlessly.

     

     

    HYUNDAI SONATA is not far behind in its impact with self-parking demonstration has an extra edge on conversation and experience. It is nothing new, but it engages because of the conversation and the way it clarifies self-parking at any place.

     

    https://youtu.be/85iRQdjCzj0

     

    But PORSCHE, Wins the category battle of commercial with THE GEIST. It is so captivating and smart. My favourite number, -3.

     

    https://youtu.be/FJNmHwBgV4M

     

    In FMCG, coke, Pepsi, Doritos, Mountain Dew, Cheetos, Sabra SodaStream and others were there. But there was not much excitement around them. They were what they were.

     

    HEINZ innovative ‘four in one’ commercial does stand out. However, it is a bit disorienting to see them simultaneously- but does that matter?

     

     

    There was this REESE’S TAKE 5 with ‘The best bar that you have never heard of’. Likeable but then you have seen Bars and chocolates in that territory so many times. For me, SNICKERS beat it hollow any day.

     

    https://youtu.be/SLAV4LYO-yU

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    And the last one for Milo Kotnala, the WEATHER TECH spot.

     

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    What say, will we see such hype with brands and IPL, I doubt, but one never knows. Why do you think, IPL will never reach this type of hype as a powerful window with such a hype?

     

  • Advertisers might want to give the IPL a better shot, writes Prabhakar Mundkur

    Is Super Bowl the American version of IPL?

     

     

    By Prabhakar Mundkur

     

    The Super Bowl represents the most prestigious marketing event of the year. Which is why it draws so many specially made commercials and each has an aura around it.  Everyone is watching the Super Bowl so marketers almost think that they will be judged by the quality of their advertising.   It is also a great place for peer comparison, so how good the advertising is a matter of company prestige as well. It is also the day when the second largest food consumption happens in the US.

     

    Ticket prices normally hit the roof.  This year the cheapest ticket was priced at $4308 with the most expensive ticket going for $385,000.  And the most expensive 30 second commercial this year cost $ 5.6 million. In comparison a 30 second commercial cost Rs. 18 lakh on IPL.  While both are league games one has to remember that the Super Bowl is a one-day show, while the IPL lasts 6-7 weeks, so it is almost like a season.

     

    One difference I have noticed between the IPL and Super Bowl is that while the IPL is likely to have a lot of cricket stars in their advertising, the Super Bowl has a wide array of celebrities from TV, Hollywood and other sports, or in other words not just football stars.

     

    For example, take a look at the Amazon ad for this year’s Super Bowl starring Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, where they wonder what the world might be before Alexa.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF9t2rFmTVE

     

    The Google Ad for this year’s Super Bowl was quite a tear jerker.  I couldn’t help shedding a few tears for Loretta.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xSxXiHwMrg

     

    Social psychologists refer to two kinds of reactions from sports fans. For those of you who might describe the Indian fans as fickle, the reactions of Indian fans are in line with the global experience.  BIRGing which stands ‘basking in reflected glory’ typically happens when the home team wins and people start feel better about themselves. They will often say “we won”, that’s how closely they identify with the home team.

     

    CORFing (or Cutting Off Reflected Failure) and BIRGing happens at the Super Bowl as well just like it happens at IPL.  This is evident when people use the third person and when Patriot fans say “They couldn’t stop Denver”.  Of course, because the Super Bowl is just a 4-hour game including the break and advertising, the effects of BIRGing and CORFing doesn’t last as long as say the IPL does which is a tournament that lasts 6-7 weeks.

     

    The Super Bowl boasted of a 48% female viewership and in 2019 had an audience of 98.2 million people. IPL has a male viewership skew 58-59% with females at 41-42% which is not so bad.How does the Super Bowl advertising compare with the IPL?  Many marketing experts I spoke to felt that the advertising on the IPL didn’t feel as special.  While many ads are created especially for the IPL, some are extensions of regular campaigns. Certainly, the ads have a lot of cricket celebrities.

     

    David Warschawski, CEO and Founder of Warschawski the integrated ad agency, said in a 2016 article in Adweek “America has a love affair with Super Bowl advertising.”  Would we say that we have a love affair with IPL advertising? I am not so sure, but maybe we are getting there. But we are in love with cricket and if the same passion was translated to its advertising, we might just push the bar a little up from where it is now.

     

    With the Star Re-imagine awards to reward creativity for ads aired in the IPL, advertisers might want to give the IPL a better shot.

     

     

  • The cricket star is followed by actors Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh

    Virat Kohli stays Most Valuable Celeb: Duff & Phelps

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Consulting major Duff & Phelps has released findings of the fifth edition of its Celebrity Brand Valuation Study 2019: ‘New is Gold’.

     

    The study provides a ranking of India’s most powerful celebrity brands based on brand values derived from their endorsement contracts.

     

    Key findings from the report include:

    • Virat Kohli retains the top position for the third consecutive year. His brand value rose by 39% to USD 237.5 million (mn) in 2019.

     

    • Akshay Kumar jumps to second position with brand value of USD 104.5 mn (a jump of 55.3%).

     

    • Power couple Ranveer and Deepika claim the third spot with a brand value of USD 93.5 mn each. Deepika retains her most valuable female celebrity status for the second consecutive year whereas Ranveer moves up a spot, to now occupy the same position as Deepika Padukone.

     

    • Total value of the top 20 celebrity brands stands at USD 1.1 billion, with the top 10 contributing about 75% of the total value.

     

     

    Said Aviral Jain, Managing Director, Duff & Phelps: “This year we saw the new generation celebrities make it to the top 20. Apart from the celebrities who were featured in last year’s study, this year, we have Ayushmann Khurrana (Rank 10), Tiger Shroff (Rank 17) and Rohit Sharma (Rank 20) with a cumulative brand value of USD 87.5 mn. The industry saw a wave of new faces and concepts with the effective usage of digital media to capitalise on millennials and Gen Z. Even though brands changed their approach of sticking to established actors by roping in new faces, overall the industry managed to stay on course with the perfect blend of traditional and new. The new pedigree of stars also ventured into investments by emerging as ‘starvestors’ (star investors), thus infusing capital in brands that resonated with their values.”

     

    Commenting on the changing nature of the endorsement market in India, Varun Gupta, Managing Director and Asia Pacific Leader for Valuation Services, Duff & Phelps added: “This is the dawn of a new era for the media and entertainment sector. The industry has seen experimentation, be it celebrities moving from traditional mainstream endorsements towards investments in brands, the rise of digital format advertising campaigns, or the onset of over-the-top (OTT) stars who are breaking new ground in endorsements. Brands and celebrities have parallelly adopted the path of conscious advertising and filmmaking by choosing uplifting topics and making the narrative less window dressed, an important facet for today’s Gen Y and Gen Z.” Further, the study focuses on the rising trend of OTT since the upgrade of the India’s digital demography. Regional industries created ripples nationally and globally with OTT proving regional content is no longer a desired state, but a prerequisite for today’s consumer. The study also highlights the new tribe of celebrity endorsers who have become digital stars; they actively involve themselves in social causes and promote brands inclined towards fitness, health and wellness.

     

     

  • Integrated marketing campaign to go live by mid-February

    JSW Steel signs Rishabh Pant as brand ambassador

    By A Correspondent

     

    JSW Steel has signed cricketer Rishabh Pant as its brand ambassador to promote its steel products which include JSW Colouron+ colour-coated sheets and JSW Neosteel TMT bars, for a three-year period.

     

    According to Parth Jindal of JSW Group: “JSW Group’s philosophy – ‘Better Everyday’ guides us to positively improve all the lives we touch. It enables us to hold a unique and differentiated place in the minds of our customers. Our continued focus on making high quality products and ensuring that they are easily accessible to consumers across India lets us to participate in building a modern India. As a brand we believe that we are young, hungry, fearless and world class, the same traits we see in Rishabh Pant. We are thrilled to have Rishabh as our brand ambassador and have no doubt that this partnership will be beneficial and increase the recall for the JSW Neosteel and JSW Coloron+ brands.”

     

    Added Harsh Bhatt, Executive Vice President: “Unlike advertising for FMCG and Durables, advertising for a category like coloured steel roofs and TMT bars is always unique given the low consumer involvement in these categories.  Our first strategic intervention was to look for a sweet-spot that impacted the consumer enough to care for these purchases and willing to pay a premium for them. JSW Colouron+ roofing sheets and JSW Neosteel TMT bars have a distinct quality advantage over other product offerings in the market. All we had to do was communicate that in an exciting way. The addition of Rishabh Pant in the mix made matters a lot easier for the creative team where facets of grip, durability and strength of the products were compared to everyday things. The quirk in the situations are intentionally exaggerated to make the right point.”

     

     

  • Brings out the emotion of wanting to help a loved one to #BounceBack from life’s disappointments

    HDFC Life talks about accepting setbacks in latest ad campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    HDFC Life has launched a new ad film that speaks about bouncing back from life’s setbacks, instead of letting them bring you down.

     

    Speaking on the thought behind the campaign, Senior Executive Vice President (Sales) & Chief Marketing Officer, Pankaj Gupta, said: “Preparing the young generation to face challenges and pressures, in order to do well and live a life of pride, is an integral part of parenting. Especially in today’s scenario wherein we often see students struggling due to academic, parental and peer pressures. Support from the family is what one counts on, to bounce back from setbacks. We have tried to portray this through the ad film.”

     

    Added Rajdeepak Das, Managing Director India & Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett South Asia: “This campaign takes forward the ‘BounceBack’ narrative. Failure is one of the most important teachers of life but we often shy away from talking about our failures. Through this campaign, HDFC Life adopts a refreshingly different and bold perspective and takes a stand to not only secure your loved ones financially but also emotionally to deal with failures. For a brand like HDFC Life, whose DNA emphasises ‘Sar utha ke jiyo !’, this campaign is the perfect springboard to talk about empowering your loved ones to bounce back from setbacks.”

     

     

  • He will support multiple new green initiatives undertaken by Tata Power

    Shardul Thakur is brand ambassador for Tata Power

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tata Power has signed on Indian cricket team’s fast bowler, Shardul Thakur as its brand ambassador. He will support multiple new green initiatives undertaken by Tata Power.

     

    Said Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD Tata Power: “We welcome Shardul Thakur to Tata Power. He epitomizes Tata Power’s values of hard-work, commitment, honesty and success. We see him as a major change-agent in our new endeavours in the areas of our work in ‘green’ power which will help society and our motherland. We are aggressively getting into solar power in domestic, as well as in e-charging for vehicles of the future. Shardul will help us communicate the goodness of our work in these areas to our consumers.”

     

     

  • The campaign aims to fuel the inner belief of individual, needed to rise and shine on the big stage called ‘Life’

    SBI Life ad highlights family support

    By A Correspondent

     

    SBI Life Insurance has launched its latest integrated brand campaign ‘Apno ki #HimmatWaliSeeti’ that reiterates the power of family support in reinstating individual’s belief in himself/herself. The brand campaign encourages individuals to pursue their passion responsibly, by first making life insurance a financial priority to secure the needs of their loved ones.

     

    Said Ravindra Sharma, Chief of Brand & Corporate Communications, SBI Life Insurance: “In our society, family continues to be the bedrock of support and our communication seeks to highlight the strength of family support. Especially in today’s challenging times family support plays a fundamental role in shaping an individual’s well-being, it acts as a de-pressuring agent in life. Our new brand campaign ‘Apno ki #HimmatWaliSeeti’ attempts to communicate a strong message that with the support and encouragement of the family one can wholeheartedly pursue their dreams and ambitions. He further added, “Through this campaign we aim to support every individual in securing their family’s well-being in a better way, without compromising on their dreams.”

     

    Added Garima Khandelwal (CCO) and Azazul Haque (CCO), Mullen Lintas India: “Life Insurance is seen as a responsibility towards one’s loved ones, and we wanted to start a new dialogue about the reason for Life insurance for today’s shifting landscape. The shift about the category with this campaign is that our loved ones are not our responsibility, but our biggest strength, our biggest cheerleaders, and we don’t need to endure a life doing what we don’t love to see them happy, to see them taken care of. Life is about going after your dreams, our loved ones still taken care of. We have a story of a girl learning to whistle so she can cheer for her father as she witnesses him most happy, most content when he’s pursuing what he loves to do.”

     

     

  • As part of the media mandate, Wavemaker will handle all offline media duties for Supr Daily

    Wavemaker to manage offline media duties for Supr Daily

    By A Correspondent

     

    Wavemaker has won the offline media duties account for grocery delivery platform, Supr Daily.

     

    Said Kishan Kumar M S, Vice President, Wavemaker India: “Working with young, creative and ambitious brands like Supr Daily is a great opportunity for us. During the pitch process, the team has been extremely precise and clear in their expectations. We are really excited about this journey; we are keen to “Be Supr Daily” and thereby use this opportunity to build a successful long-term partnership.”

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Shreyas Nagdawane, Founder, Supr Daily added: “As a market leader in an emerging new category, it was important for us to pick a partner with the right balance of buying expertise and agility to build our new brand identity. We look forward to running innovative experiments across different media avenues and formats with Wavemaker in the near future.”

     

     

  • All new anthem Swag Se Solo features Bollywood icon, Salman Khan

    Salman Khan takes the swag route for Pepsi

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pepsi is set to celebrate the week of love with a twist. It has launched ‘Swag se solo’, its new anthem featuring brand ambassador, Salman Khan.

     

    Speaking on the launch the anthem, a PepsiCo India spokesperson said: “Pepsi’s swag movement continues in 2020 with the launch of the Swag Solo anthem. Given the popularity that we witnessed with our last anthem, we felt music was the best way to engage with the nation. Through this single, we are excited to bring a unique twist to what is traditionally seen as a week of celebrating couples. We want to rejoice the youth of today with music and urge all those who are single to embrace their relationship status with self-confidence, unshakeable self-belief and irrefutable swag. With an icon such as Salman Khan grooving to the tunes, we are confident that the whole country will be dancing to the beats of the anthem.”

     

     

  • Valentine poem or message will be delivered personally for free in a colourful letter card along with Lotte Choco Pie

    Lotte Choco has a unique message around love – ‘Pause To Cherish’

    By A Correspondent

     

    Lotte Choco Pie has launched ‘Pause To Cherish’, its Valentine’s Day digital campaign launched under its Lotte Fest initiative.

     

    Said Venkatesh Parthasarathy, VP Marketing, Lotte India: “For decades, Valentine’s Day is so strongly associated with youngsters in our country while it actually represents love, affection and friendship without any age barrier. We are truly excited to celebrate the love of seasoned couples in our country which, I feel, will inspire the young. In this digital world, the old-fashioned way of expressing love in the form of letter cards can make these Valentines feel extra special and I am confident that through this campaign Lotte Choco Pie will make their enduring relationship more memorable.”

     

     

  • Organises love walkathon for young elders and differently abled customers

    Big Bazaar unveils #LoveSabKeLiye ad campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Big Bazaar celebrates love with two digital ads planned for the Valentine’s Day weekend.. Connecting with the young elders in every family, the first campaign narrates a special bond shared between an old married couple. The second campaign features a special marriage where the wife is hearing and speech impaired.

     

    Speaking about the campaign Pawan Sarda, CMO, Future Retail said: “As a brand, Big Bazaar has always believed in celebrating occasions and moments with everyone. The Love Weekend at Big Bazaar celebrates an all-inclusive valentine’s day with all our customers. From young elders to specially abled, everyone has a love story. We welcome our customers to visit our stores to experience this special kind of love from Feb 14-16, after all #LoveSabkeLiye.”

     

    Big Bazaar has organised a Love Walkathon that will be held on February 15 which invites over 10,000 young elders and persons with disability to participate. In addition to this, all Big Bazaar stores will be offering a range of gifting offers grooming products and the latest fashion collection.

     

     

  • Archetype will be responsible for providing strategic direction to build on the brands reputation quotient

    Archetype bags Vivo India’s communications mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Vivo Mobile has awarded its communications mandate for India to Archetype (formerly Text100), following a multi-agency pitch. Archetype will be responsible for providing strategic direction to build on the brands reputation quotient, as it continues its leadership trajectory in India.

     

    Said Nipun Marya, Director – Brand Strategy at Vivo India: “For us communications is vital to our growth and consumer connect strategy in India. In Archetype, we have found a partner that is enthusiastic and aligned to our goals.”

     

    Added Sunayna Malik, Managing Director, India and Senior Vice President, APAC at Archetype: “We are very excited to partner with vivo in their growth trajectory in India. They are a leading smartphone player today with significant plans for the India market and we’re really excited at the scope and scale of this integrated, creative remit.”