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Tag: AdsOnIPL21

  • A good many of them are old repeats, some from the time when the IPL was abandoned in April, and the new ones are mostly tepid, writes Vikas Mehta

    Vikas Mehta on AdsonIPL21: Soft drinks category ads disappoint during IPL

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

     

    As the IPL reaches the play off stage, the excitement has mounted about the final qualifiers and who will be the Top 2 teams as they get two shots at the final. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the ads on display during the IPL broadcast.

     

    A good many of them are old repeats, some from the time when the IPL was abandoned in April, and the new ones are mostly tepid. Safe, using celebrities, repetitive, cliched. In a world where we are inundated with breaking news, competitive attitude, new product concepts, innovative use of technology, advertising is still stuck in the mire of preachy messages which fail to communicate. Just talk down to.

     

    Take the example of the soft drinks category. Three brands which have in the past done some remarkable work, have showcased new campaigns during the IPL which are a pale shadow of themselves. Sprite specially was a disappointment. Looked like a Friday dressing ad by Allen Solly. A Friday drink? Thums Up has continued with its toofan wahi jo sab palat de thought, using Bumrah. But the execution is so predictable and tepid. For me though, the biggest disappointment was Coke. At a time when Coca-Cola globally has released an interesting “we are one coke away from each other” campaign based on gaming with a metaphor for world peace, the Coke India ad “Khud ko jaga, ek thandaa laga” was a literal interpretation of overcoming sloth. It seems to be regressive given the  classic tea brand “Jaago Re” campaign done almost a decade ago.

     

    Whitehat Jr definitely is trying to establish some credibility by using Sonam Wangchuk. But for me it’s the credibility of Wangchuk that has taken a hit. An education reformer, endorsing six-year-olds to enrol for extra coaching? Doesn’t sound right. But the surprise was the book a free music class ad with Lucky Ali. Is Whitehat Junior getting out of its coding niche? And using Lucky Ali seems to be continuing with the Cred tradition of using “forgotten stars”.

     

    From a pure marketing communication viewpoint, I did find the Oven Story ads intriguing. After a long time, someone is trying something new in the Pizza category. Less crust and more toppings claim was a good beginning but being able to order half pizzas is interesting. One may say that small pizzas are always an option but Oven Story which has been around for sometime, has definitely gained visibility with Semizza.

     

    In the past I always admired the Amazon Great Indian Sale ads for they used interesting Indian insights. My favourite being the “free dhaniya” one. But now not only are they eminently forgettable but also invisible. What a let down! In contrast, the Flipkart Big Billion day ads featuring Amitabh, Virat etc with the “poora India karega flip” thought has at least a semblance of an idea.

     

    It’s not just the quality of thinking and storytelling which is a let down during the IPL but even the quality of execution which is quite disastrous. My daughter pointed out that in one of the Homelane ads featuring Dhoni, one can see the head of someone standing behind the TV and also  hands at the bottom, one throwing objects for the protagonist to catch (purpotedly being thrown by Dhoni from the screen)!!!

     

    Let’s just hope that the last week of IPL produces not just exciting cricket but equally interesting ads. After all the shraddh period ended yesterday and consumer buying festival season is now officially on.

     

  • Dhoni is here, there and everywhere on the IPL coverage on television, writes Vikas Mehta in his weekly review on ads around IPL 2021

    Vikas Mehta | AdsonIPL21: AI, PJ, Dhoni & an underwear brand

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

     

    For a few seconds I wondered if I was watching the Dhoni You Tube channel. The break between overs had a Dhoni Dream 11 ad, followed by Dhoni Yippee noodles followed by Dhoni Homelane ad. I don’t think it was a coincidence as I remember seeing such Dhoni breaks at least twice this week. And at the last count, Dhoni in IPL was endorsing CSK, Yippee, Homelane, Dream 11, Mutual Funds sahi hai, Indigo Paints amongst others with some having multiple executions. For me, with the exception of Dream 11, rest were Dhoni ads rather than a specific brand ad. I am still trying to figure out the Homelane ads. Maybe they are being different for the sake of being different.  But Dhoni surely is raking it in. Maybe with the other cricketers caught in various bubbles, and Dhoni having retired from all cricket except IPL, most advertisers are flocking to Dhoni.

     

    And then I wonder why advertisers use Ranveer Singh. Most of his ads are Ranveer Singh ads. His persona with his dress sense and hairdo is not just stand out but makes it very difficult for any brand to come out of the shadows of Ranveer. A classic case in example is the ColgateMax fresh ad. The presence of Ranvir, doing what he does best, dressing outlandishly and doing some energetic dance moves, totally dominates the brand. And I am not talking about any other brand but Brand Colgate. To me, it was all about dentist endorsement, parents worrying about child’s dental health and dollops of cavity fighter science thrown in. That was till Ranveer stepped into this sterile world.

     

    The question to be asked also is the case of brand personality. What is Colgate’s personality? If it was a person, who would it be? Ranveer or a serious dentist who knows his science? Contrast the MaxFresh ad with the Colgate smile campaign. Are the two the same personality? Is the personal relationship between the two ads and the consumer, same? Indeed, are the target segments for MaxFresh, Cavity Fighter & Smile the same? Will the real Mr Colgate stand up?

     

    Last week, I had spoken about the shraadh effect on ads. This time, I think the Dassera effect is on. What else explains the various paints ads? At last count, there were ads for JSW Paints, Asian Paints, Indigo Paints, Berger Paints. Painting is very symbolic to the cleaning we do at homes during Dassera and Diwali. But the surfeit of paint ads were all very average. No one stood out. None was having any connect.

     

    There is no doubt that automobiles category is one of the most difficult to communicate with differentiation. MG Hector since it’s launch has been trying to appropriate technological features to build a consumer connect. And I had thought I had seen it all. But to use AI to crack a PJ to make the girlfriend (or was it the wife) smile, was something I never expected. But then we do live in unpredictable times. For me, it outdid even the Macho sports underwear ad. Now you see the link. That says it all for me this week.

     

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

    AdsonIPL21: Shraadh Effect on New Ads?

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

     

    Vikas Mehta

    By Vikas Mehta

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

    AdsOnIPL21: Ads on Ranveer Premier League

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

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

    AdsOnIPL21: Welcome distraction from the doom & gloom

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

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

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

    Vikas MehtaBy Vikas Mehta

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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