MxMIndia

Tag: anil thakraney

  • I have two reflex reactions each time Murthy comes on air (which is way too often): One, to smash the TV set. Two, to grab the remote control…

    Debrief: Voltas A/C: Sack this Mr Murthy!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    An extremely boring campaign from Voltas for their aircons. They’ve created this brand mascot called Mr Murthy. He’s been around for some time now. In each ad, the chap talks into camera making a pitch for Voltas. I’ll be very frank out here: I have no bloody idea what the man says, and I am not even interested. And no, that’s not because I am not looking to buy an air conditioner.

     

    The reason is simple: Pathetic, intolerable advertising. It’s all very well to appoint a brand ambassador (and to Voltas’s credit, at least they didn’t sign up the maha tired Shri Amitabh Bachchan). But you have to make sure that the individual is appealing, happening, charming, funny, adorable, memorable… am sure you know the criteria. He can’t be a man who has zero charisma, zero humour (and yet tries to be funny) and zero personality. This ad is bound to crash; as David Ogilvy said a long time ago, no one buys from boring people. And if this isn’t sad enough, Voltas has made this big bore belt out a brand window too! Grr.

     

    I have two reflex reactions each time Murthy comes on air (which is way too often): One, to smash the TV set. Two, to grab the remote control. Thankfully, the Sindhi in me makes me opt for the latter. 🙂

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 0. Dunno if the A/C cools, but the ad leaves me heated up.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views of the writer are his own.

     

  • If a channel can be dedicated to music, movies, food, animals, leisure, fashion, etc, why not scams? After all, cheating is an intrinsic part of the great Indian culture

    Anil Thakraney: Introducing! Ghotala TV!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I have a deadly idea, and through this blog post, am attempting to reach out to venture capitalists or angel investors or whatever the moneybags are called these days. I want to launch a brand new news channel, but with a difference (hatke, as my Bollywood pals would boast). The channel, which I wish to call Ghotala 24X7 (Gee TV, for short), will be dedicated to scam related stories from India.

     

    With a scam happening every other day in this glorious nation, I really think the time has come for such a speciality channel. Here’s my content plan:

    Scam newsbreaks and heated TV debates thereof, every single evening.

     

    Reporters from across the nation getting members of the junta involved in the discussions.

     

    Special features which will dissect the anatomy of each scam, in order to make it easy to understand for the aam viewer.

     

    Regular sting operations on chronic fraudsters. And potential thieves (that’s most netas and babus, it’s a huge market).

     

    Special discussions with business leaders on each scam and its impact on the economy. (Their active involvement in the programming is anyway useful for ad revenue generation.)

     

    Noon TV debates will deal with broader issues like why India has become such a corrupt nation. These can be philosophical in nature, as the tired housewives are likely to watch at this hour.

     

    For the morning slot, which would cater to the senior citizens, religious leaders will be called to perform yagnas and conduct aartis to make this nation scam free. These sadhus will also enlighten us on whether people born in certain sun signs are likely to be more corrupt, etc.

     

    And the marketing staff will package each scam for sponsorship rights. For example: ‘This part of the Railway scam is brought to you by Rupa underwear: Yeh andar ki baat hai.’ And so on.

     

    Well, you get the picture. Call me if you wish to finance Ghotala TV. I am very serious about this project. If a channel can be dedicated to music, movies, food, animals, leisure, fashion, etc, why not scams? After all, cheating is an intrinsic part of the great Indian culture.

     

    PS: I would be glad to have you as the principal investor even if you have scammed the funds. That would be in the fitness of things.

     

    ***

     

    PS1: An anti domestic violence ad from Saudi Arabia, a nation not really known for respecting and honouring its women. Good to see such an effort from that country, and it’s a good ad too. The caption in the ad: Some things can’t be covered.

     

     

  • Brilliant! I love it! It's nearly impossible for a thirty-second TV commercial to leave tears in your eyes, and Idea has managed to do exactly that

    Debrief: Idea: Sob, sob!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Some months ago I had reviewed the Idea telephone exchange commercial which featured a son exchanging the phones of his bickering parents. I had mentioned that Idea was onto a tremendous consumer insight, and I can say it’s working wonders for the brand with the second ad too. While I was not very happy with the casting in the husband/wife TVC, must say the new ad is perfectly done.

     

    This one features an ultra busy young executive who has no time to even call his aged parents. The smart dad exchanges the phones of his son and the mother, and sets the stage for an emotionally charged finale. As the son discovers that his mom doesn’t get a single phone call during the day, and he promises to keep in touch every day with his parents.

     

    Brilliant! I love it! It’s nearly impossible for a thirty-second TV commercial to leave tears in your eyes, and Idea has managed to do exactly that. Fabulous casting this time, and a situation which every single Indian family will identify with: Children too busy for their lonely parents. And yes, we Indians are emotional fools, this ad will hit the bulls-eye on our bleeding hearts.

     

    Hats off, Sirji!

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 4.5. Superb idea, superb treatment.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views of the writer are his own.

     

     

     

  • The way the television media went over the top, for the Johnnie who came in lately, it would appear as if a top Indian minister had been hacked to death on a visit to Pakistan. This is not to say the man's life had no value, but by Sarabjit's own claim, he was no Indian spy or a state terrorist

    Anil Thakraney: Sarabjit saga: Disproportionate coverage

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Must say I am quite bewildered over the Sarabjit Singh media frenzy. The way the television media went over the top, for the Johnnie who came in lately, it would appear as if a top Indian minister had been hacked to death on a visit to Pakistan. This is not to say the man’s life had no value, but by Sarabjit’s own claim, he was no Indian spy or a state terrorist. Here was a small time farmer who got pissed drunk one fine day, and accidentally drifted into the enemy territory. Since then, Singh had been facing trial in that nation on charges of terrorism and espionage, and we really can’t blame the Pak courts for taking decades to arrive at a final verdict, our courts don’t do any better on that count.

     

    Ergo, all that media tamasha over an aam aadmi killed by inmates inside a foreign jail? Prison violence happens regularly all over the world, and if my knowledge serves me right, jails are places where criminals reside, not nice guys. Therefore some blood bath is always expected. Which is why all the television noise beats me. Some channels have been addressing Sarabjit Singh as a martyr. Wow! Do they have secret information that the man was an Indian agent? In which case they should make that public.

     

    Anyway, all the attention from the television media resulted in the expected. Bada netas made it a point to join the funeral procession (good chance for some quick OTS), our Pappu neta even offered the man’s sister a shoulder to weep on. Full state honours for a man who drifted into enemy territory drunk. And the way Singh’s sister used the incident to build her own fiery brand, I can see her being nominated as a red hot candidate in the next general elections.

     

    Once again, this is not to belittle the man’s life. It’s to highlight the lopsided media coverage. Which often happens because of the herd mentality amongst the desi news channels. If one channel starts shouting about a story, a hundred others dutifully raise their own decibel levels. And then it becomes a total free-for-all.

     

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    PS: A Brisbane ad agency has created print ads supporting asylum seekers. This is to change the image of these new arrivals, which in Australia is pretty horrid (ask Indian students!). Good public service idea, and the ads do address the hard issues. And they have used real asylum seekers in the ads. All very well, but I have to say the guy featured in this particular ad looks a bit, er, dodgy. Perhaps they should have been more careful with the casting.

    Click to enlarge

     

  • I like his angst, his hard edged temperament. It is this hot attitude which will make him a superb leader in the coming years, even if it gets him into trouble now and then. So he must keep the fires burning

    Anil Thakraney: Kohli’s abuse = Good news for IPL

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Virat Kohli is an angry young man these days. He is furious with a section of the Wankhede crowd, because they booed him right through the IPL league match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. I will come to Kohli’s frustration presently, but let me start by saying that this incident should make the BCCI suits smile very widely.

     

    And that’s because, contrary to the views of many sceptics (myself included), it’s very clear that the IPL has managed to establish solid city-based loyalty. The Indian junta appears to have adopted the various teams as their own. Personally speaking, I still don’t feel any connect with the Mumbai Indians team (just as I feel no connect with Antilla), but I don’t matter out here. The hardcore IPL fans definitely do. It’s one thing to cheer for your team, it’s another to jeer for the rival team’s captain. The captain who happens to be a star player for India, the future of Indian cricket, but that didn’t seem to deter the crazed IPL fans. The mad passion for the Mumbai Indians team explains the insults heaped on Kohli. And this is superb news for the tournament organizers. No one doubted the popularity of the T20 format, what was always in question is the issue of team loyalty. Because many players from each team don’t belong to that particular city/region. One can safely say that has been achieved too. In short, the IPL can now officially be called a Super Duper Hit. Congratulations!

     

    As for young Kohli, I like his angst, his hard edged temperament. It is this hot attitude which will make him a superb leader in the coming years, even if it gets him into trouble now and then. So he must keep the fires burning. However, for the Wankhede incident, our man should have handled things a little more smartly. This is a trick the youngster needs to quickly learn, because there’s no glory in abusing cricket fans, however rowdy their behavior might be. Kohli should have blown air kisses in the direction of the jeering crowd. That would have immediately disarmed the louts, and would have made them run to a dark corner.

     

    Kohli ought to learn from his boss, Dr Mallya. Notice how the booze tycoon keeps beaming and shining at the stadia (when his team wins, that is) despite the Kingfisher Airline mess.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Have always loathed IDEA’s mind effing ‘Honey Bunny’ jingle. Well, this bunch of cool doods has composed a neat jingle of their own in honour of this rubbish. Now this I like, Sirji! Have fun.

     

     

     

  • A suggestion for the creative team: Guys, raise the pagalpanti level, make it crazier. Madder the treatment, better would be the brand recall. Now that you've chosen the wacko route, go all out, don't stop at silly, childish pranks

    Debrief: Mirinda: Needs more madness!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Am all for pagalpanti. In advertising as well as in real life. We need loads of it, this nation is too damn serious. Which is why I like Mirinda’s tagline: Pagalpanti zaroori hai. And Asin isn’t a bad choice for such a promise, she did a wonderful job with all her pagalpanti in the Aamir Khan flick, Ghajini. It’s another matter of course that the pretty Mallu actress’s career never took off in Bollywood, and I guess that’s only because she doesn’t come from the Bolly ‘family’, but I digress.

     

    It’s a series of nonsense ads. The premise is: ‘Mirinda andar jaati hai aur pagalpanti bahar aati hai’. Slightly erotic, but that’s my dirty mind at work. So in one ad, a girl walks through a security check gate, but a different girl emerges. All thanks to Mirinda. Don’t even try to rationalise this one, it’s pagalpanti after all.

     

    Well, madness is in order for cold drink advertising, so that’s cool. Though I wonder how many viewers would be able to recall the brand name, but that’s for the advertiser to check. And I say that because this sort of stuff can work for just about any fun product. A suggestion for the creative team: Guys, raise the pagalpanti level, make it crazier. Madder the treatment, better would be the brand recall. Now that you’ve chosen the wacko route, go all out, don’t stop at silly, childish pranks.

     

    Also, Asin looks lovely in the ads. It’s a pity her Bollywood career never took off, and here I go again with the unrelated stuff!

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 2.5. Good fun. Brand recall needs to be sussed.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views of the writer are his own.

     

     

     

  • There's nothing not to like about this one. It's a surprising solution, the treatment is high-action and the promise is single minded

    Debrief: Tata Sky: The ‘Epic’ ad

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Ah! So after ads masquerading as TV soaps (Godrej, Honda Amaze), it’s now the turn of a TVC to act like a full-length feature film. Tata Sky has released a three-minute-long commercial (first time in India, we are constantly reminded), but chances are very high that after they’ve obtained their quota of some free press (because of the long duration), the advertiser will run short edits.

     

    That said, must say it’s an innovative approach. The new tagline is: When you don’t have the time for TV. Very relevant, that. With the social media taking over our lives, fewer people have time for the idiot box, at least in young urban India. The TVC features a dramatic jail break, and the subsequent capture of the prisoners. The guys are trying to escape while an Indo-Pak cricket match is on, wrongly assuming that the jail staffers would be glued to the TV. Of course, our smart officers have decided to record the match on Tata Sky HD. To watch it later in peace.

     

    There’s nothing not to like about this one. It’s a surprising solution, the treatment is high-action and the promise is single minded. All that you’d want from a good ad. Where the commercial loses a few points, is that it doesn’t have a strong repeat exposure value. You will be mesmerised the first time, perhaps even the second time. Once the cat is out of the bag, the ad ceases to entertain. How many times can you watch a bunch of prisoners on the run, with nothing else happening in the commercial? The agency must account for the repeat value factor when they work on the next movie… oops… ad.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Good tagline, single minded communication.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views of the writer are his own.

     

     

     

  • Jet must regain the full service segment, invest in food and service, and with no competition on the horizon, they will own it for a long time to come

    Anil Thakraney: Opportunity for Jet to raise the bar

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    If you are a shareholder with Jet Airways, you just made a neat profit. The airline’s share price has shot up by over 20 percent, following the equity participation with Etihad Airways. But this post isn’t about stock prices (which I don’t understand at all), it’s about domestic air travel, and that concerns every single one of us.

     

    Am sure Naresh Goyal has exciting international expansion plans in mind with the huge sums he’s pocketed  following the tieup (a jaw-dropping 2000 crore rupees). All that’s very fine. But Jet must use a part of the huge funding to make domestic air travel a better experience for Indian flyers (at a reasonable fare), and thereby dominate the one segment that’s been stagnating in recent times: Full service flights.

     

    With the demise of Kingfisher, low-cost carriers have been ruling the Indian skies. Even Jet, which was at one point a full service carrier, had to cut down on frills and promote JetLite and JetKonnect, both low cost options from the group. If you visit their portal and key in any flight schedule, you’ll notice that most options thrown up would be Jet’s budget flights. In short, majority of the market is now dominated by cheap flights, flights where you are forced to pay for a cold, yucky sandwich. And that welcoming cold towel is now a thing of the past.

     

    Jet must regain the full service segment, invest in food and service, and with no competition on the horizon, they will own it for a long time to come. They can once again bring back the fun into flying (rather than the ordeal it’s now become), and pamper their guests with some cool frills. This will generate tremendous brand loyalty in the business travelling segment. They must also examine the possibility of providing additional leg room in the ‘cattle class’, that will be a huge draw for cramped flyers. Even Mr Shashi Tharoor would be delighted.

     

    In short, here’s hoping that in his quest to make Jet more global, Naresh Goyal doesn’t overlook the opportunity that’s staring at him back home. He’s finally got the moolah to make things happen.

     

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    PS: Yet another insensitive ad, this time Hyundai and its German ad agency are the culprits. The ad wants to communicate that the car doesn’t produce carbon monoxide fumes, it only jets out water emissions. And to demonstrate that, they have shown a man trying to commit suicide. Following outrage, the ad has been withdrawn and disowned by Hyundai. The only people who should kill themselves are creators of such utterly irresponsible trash.

     

  • What I find appalling is that the Super Jury dudes have used a technicality to escape the plagiarism mess. The bigger message, of course, is this: Keep the photocopy machine buzzing

    Anil Thakraney: Kya Super Cool Jury hain hum!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Hahaha. If I was Ms Shobha De, I would scream ‘I told you so!!!’. But unfortunately because I am not, I shall try to keep the gloating level down. Yes, I have to say it was always pretty obvious that the so-called ‘Super Jury’ members would never declare themselves guilty as charged, even if the crime committed is a daylight robbery, witnessed by thousands. Simply because people charged with misdeeds can’t be appointed as policemen, that’s nothing short of a joke. Here’s the link to my last week’s post, in case you missed it.

     

    http://www.mxmindia.com/2013/04/anil-thakraney-superjury-keep-the-cds-out/

    What I find appalling is that the Super Jury dudes have used a technicality to escape the plagiarism mess. Nope, they aren’t saying there was no chori involved with the ads whose awards were taken away, they are using timelines as the explanation for retaining the trophies. According to a report, this is the ‘ final verdict’: ‘During the meeting, the Super Jury believed that sufficient time was given during short listing of entries and the final judging for complaints and objections, and all of them were accepted and followed up prior to the announcement of the final awards list. It was also felt that the awards’ sanctity had to be maintained and deadlines strictly adhered to. Therefore any speculation after the Goafest/Abby Awards cannot be entertained. In light of the above decision by the Super Jury, it has hence been decided that all awards given will stand. In addition, awards that had been rescinded due to similar complaints for DHL (agency BBDO Proximity) and Electrolux (agency DDB Mudra Group) will be reinstated’.

     

    Well, darlings, the robbery usually gets noticed once the entry is in the limelight. How could many of us be in the loop on every single entry being sent by every single agency for awards? And so what if the theft is discovered after the so-called ‘deadline’? That doesn’t make the cheating any lesser. Notice the stunning parallel, this is exactly what politicians would say: You should have discovered that the winning candidate is a rapist BEFORE the elections; you had ample time do so. Now that you’ve elected him, we shall take no action, go to hell.

     

    The bigger message, of course, is this: Keep the photocopy machine buzzing.

     

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    PS: Who says advertising for soaps has to be boring, straightforward and led by a thakela movie star? Dove shows the way to doing excellent work in this category. Using a combination of realism and powerful lateral thinking, they have created a heart-warming ad. An ad that would make every woman feel happy. And beautiful. Respect. That’s the only word I have for people who create such wonderful communications.

  • What strikes me as different is that Honda has decided to break the rules of typical sedan advertising. Refreshing to see a sedan ad minus all the usual lifestyle advertising shoo-sha. And it makes strategic sense

    Debrief: Honda Amaze: Takes a detour

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Wow, this seems to be a season of soaps! On Tuesday we examined the new Godrej campaign, which follows the TV serial format. Here’s another one, and thank god it doesn’t feature Amitabh Bachchan in drag. Honda Amaze, the first diesel offering from Honda is here, and their ads too feature a continuing story.

     

    This campaign features the full family. The man’s in-laws are visiting, and this ‘catastrophic’ event triggers many ads, and within each ‘episode’, one particular feature of the car gets highlighted. More leg room, more boot space, super mileage, etc. The entertainment is provided by funny interactions amongst the family members.

     

    Hmm, must say it’s an interesting approach, even if it isn’t brilliant by any stretch of imagination. It’s actually a regular Indian family ad. What strikes me as different is that Honda has decided to break the rules of typical sedan advertising. Instead of selling premium imagery, hip lifestyle, design, aspiration, hot chicks, etc, they’ve gone into the life of a typical middle class family. They are the sort of people you’d find in a realism-based television serial like Balika Vadhu. There’s not even an attempt to make the brand look cool and happening, it’s totally about functionality and performance.

     

    Now, this I appreciate. Refreshing to see a sedan ad minus all the usual lifestyle advertising shoo-sha. And it makes strategic sense. Honda is considered an expensive option in India, their cars are always priced higher than the rival brands. The Amaze is Honda’s first reasonably priced car, but rather than selling price, they’ve gone for the ‘aam aadmi’ advertising approach. So that the entry level sedan buyers don’t shy away from the brand, imagining it to be expensive.

     

    Good thinking. This approach will result in many footfalls in the Honda showroom.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Sensible, no-frills advertising.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views of the writer are his own.

     

     

     

  • Does the government value the life of a businessman more than that of the aam aurat? Had Ambani been given protection before December 16, 2012, there may have been less outrage

    Anil Thakraney: Ambani needs solid PR

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Mukeshbhai is the first Indian private citizen to be gifted with Z+ security cover. Naturally, this has got the entire media (including the social media) up in arms. Very quickly, in order to dilute the backlash, it was announced that the multi-billionaire will pick up the tab. Smart move that, it has temporarily silenced the cribbers. And the bill, which is likely to be about Rs 15 lakhs a month, is less than loose change for our tagda industrialist. This is the amount Nitaben might tip the Antilla staffers each month. So that’s the end of that, one would imagine.

     

    The unanswered question is this: Is it incorrect for an industrialist to demand security cover if his life has been threatened by hard-core terrorists? In Ambani’s case, a threat letter was delivered at his office, this has been confirmed by the police. Incidentally, I must say it appears odd that the Indian Mujahidin guys would send out an advance warning, that’s not been their modus operandi so far. Be that as it may, the deadly letter did arrive, and therefore the security cover. But why is everyone so upset? Is Ambani’s life less important than all those undeserving politicians who enjoy Z+ cover, and make us, the tax payers, pay for it? Obviously that’s not the case. The man’s a global business leader, his life is as important as any other powerful person. So then what gives?

     

    The problem, according to me, is two-fold. First, the bad, bad timing. The security cover has been granted just when women are on the streets in Delhi, crying out for protection from rapists and molesters. Now this sounds bloody unfair. Does the government value the life of a businessman more than that of the aam aurat? Had Ambani been given protection before December 16, 2012, there may have been less outrage.

     

    The other, bigger problem is Ambani’s shoddy public image. He’s not perceived to be a socially conscious industrialist… in fact, his popular image is that of a selfish, self serving, hard-edged dhandhewala. Although his wife hangs out with deprived kids at the IPL matches, that hasn’t changed the image. And that monstrosity called Antilla isn’t helping matters at all. A billion people from a third world nation can’t understand why a family of four needs 27 floors to live in. So it’s actually an image issue, and it’s strange that with all his astounding wealth Mukeshbhai hasn’t been able to hire kickass PR agents (not Ms Niira Radia, she’s an image breaker!), who can swing a little public goodwill into his assets column. I think more than Z+ commandos, our man needs A+ spin doctors.

     

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    PS: Another superb ad by Stella Artois, fantastic lateral thinking. Goes swimmingly with the punch line: Reassuringly Expensive.

     

    Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDkJVIsDRaE

     

  • Aamir in drag will get the junta interested. I also like the characterisation; the couple used is an up-market one (the kind you'll meet at Cuffe Parade), and this gives the brand a premium image, even when they discuss mundane stuff

    Debrief: Godrej: Good TV soap

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The Godrej group has released a product range campaign on television, and just for that novelty, they should be patted on the back. Usually, range ads stick to the print medium, and they are almost always very boring. But Godrej’s TVCs are anything but boring because they feature Aamir Khan in drag, which means full-on masti.

     

    There is a series of ads conceptualised as a continuing soap opera. Khan is researching for a movie role, and he arrives at his pal’s house dressed as a woman. The pal is a little edgy because his missus assumes Khan to be a woman, and he’s worried about the two ‘bonding’. Anyway, fun interactions happen between the trio (just as in a TV serial), and each ‘episode’ deals with a particular Godrej product. Air conditioners, hot plates, mosquito repellents, etc.

     

    I must say this is a very refreshing advertising approach from a conservative group. Aamir in drag will get the junta interested. I also like the characterisation; the couple used is an up-market one (the kind you’ll meet at Cuffe Parade), and this gives the brand a premium image, even when they discuss mundane stuff like eradicating machchars. The dialogues are crafted well, they are a bit funny, and I won’t be surprised if some have been written (re-written) by Aamir bhai. 🙂

     

    So all very fine and dandy. And yet, I shall raise a red flag, the advertiser and the agency should keep a look-out for this as the series continues to play out. The product’s entry into the conversation is just a wee bit forced. I know this is a tricky one, which is why a lot of polishing needs to be done while writing these scripts, so that the brand merges seamlessly with the human interactions. Right now, the product arrives like a minor irritant. In addition, Aamir in drag would naturally vampire the proceedings, all eyes would be on him. All the more reason the product story must shine, or it risks getting lost.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Brave effort, should give the brand a premium ticket.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views of the writer are his own.