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Tag: Cred

  • The Cred-isation of Advertising. But not everyone gets it

    The Cred-isation of Advertising. But not everyone gets it

    Sanjeev KotnalaCred has evolved from its previous style of communication, which was often misunderstood but has been effective. Though forced, there has always been an attempt at being humorous and there is a storyline that delivers the message. Here is the recent ad, sharing the longer version of the Rajamouli ad. The other ads featured Illa Arun and Leander Paes.  The Cred way of advertising indeed has a history of consistency.

     

     

    Learning from Cred

    TheCcred way of advertising has a history of consistency. Remember Govinda  and other star auditions, the Goof for Great, Cred bounty and even something I just discovered and had not watched earlier- typical Cred- the claw  (is that really Cred?!).

     

    Meanwhile, many brands have learned from the Cred Institute of Advertising and are attempting to make advertising simple.

    Have a message.

    Maybe have a celebrity.

    Create communication that repeats what you want to say.

    Say it simply enough.

    In the name of creativity and humour – try a condescending tone.

    And most likely, there will be enough consumers who will try you out.

    If you have the budget, you can attempt multiple edits or celebrities. However, that is not an essential requirement.

     

    Make My Trip

    Have you seen the Real Hero campaign of Make My Trip, where celebrities are hinted at but don’t show their face? It is where Cred was ages back. I am surprised at the campaign- which keeps spraying bullet point statements from a PowerPoint presentation – and even has to point out that Make My Trip is the real hero. So they have their Moves Don’t Lie, Breathless, Steamy and  Bhidu Shakespeare- Jackie Shroff. Why, when you have such a great pair of Alia and Ranveer Singh doing a great job? Not that I liked their latest ad for first international travel. But every brand is allowed some goof-ups.

     

    HDFC PayZap

    HDFC is one of these advertisers that uses the Cred strategy of plain, iterative, repetitive, simplified, and no-storyline advertising. I must agree that Cred always had a storyline holding its creativity, and hence, the HDFC PayZap act with Virat for its payment platform is an innovation. However, one can cite the various restrictions one faces while using IPL association for advertising, and really making a good ad is sometimes difficult.

     

    MRF ZLX

    Talking of Virat, MRF, another brand endorsed by the celebrity, has recently made some friendly additions to the message, but it is still MRF ZLX or whatever that is supposed to meet.

     

    Many brands have believed that the punch line- an end dialogue that can be repeated sticks and makes the brand memorable. Well, the SBI ads are trying to do the same – ‘I will upgrade to Cred’ with ‘Janata hai uska Bank kaun hai’ almost like ‘Mera baap kaun hai’.

     

    Net-net 

    Now, before you get me wrong, the ads may be working, or the metrices must be showing them to be working. Maybe Cred-isation is the need of the hour in the shortened attention span and fragmented media reach. I am not sure, but I would love to know your point of view. However, I must say that the excitement, the humour, the smile and the aha moments are missing from these communications- maybe that is not what advertising is expected to do anymore.

  • High frequency seems to be a substitute for creative content in IPL 2023 advertising, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    IPL16 ads: They don’t make ’em like it anymore

     

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Sanjeev KotnalaI am a loyal IPL follower, and I watch the match telecast every evening. The quality of telecast and the options for the viewer have increased exponentially. However, that cannot be said for the ads telecast on IPL. Watching them makes me overtly nostalgic. In earlier IPL seasons, the brand and agency people invested much more effort into crafting and developing the advertisements. It is much more about media muscle and frequency than the craft today. Somewhere high frequency seems to be a substitute for creative content.

    IPL 2008, the first edition, had everyone excited. It was expected to become the Super Bowl equivalent for advertising in India. Today, IPL is one of the richest sports leagues, with two months-plus of excitement and engagement, delivering eyeballs and loyal enthusiasts on digital and TV. IPL advertising almost defines the advertising spending trend for the nation. It should be common sense that the brands wanting to exploit the IPL matches across the season need multiple creatives to avoid overexposure and audience apathy. Unfortunately, the advertisements hardly reflect the thinking. The advertisement content and creative lack high engagement. It makes me think- They don’t make them like it anymore.

     

    IPL- everything is not lost.

    A few brands stand out in the scores of brands trying to effectively use the IPL platform across TV, OTT and Digital.

     

    RuPAY

    RuPay, with its UPI plus credit card communication, is an excellent example of focused communication. All three advertisements are interesting and engaging. The ‘Silver Helping Hand’, ‘Catch Expert- Chaos in Museum’, and the ‘Slippery Spy- mole’ are fun to watch and communicate the message.

    Unlike the Tata Tiago example of reasons to go for an E-SUV, which may not be the best and most effective way for the brand. Do people still need reasons to buy an electric vehicle!

     

    DREAM11

    DREAM11 has been consistent through the IPL seasons and has always worked on ‘All will play’. This season is no different. The brand continues the good work. The Bollywood and cricketers’ interactions as opponents in the game are engaging and funny. ‘Lal Singh’, ‘You don’t go for awards’, ‘Dialogue Delivery’, ‘Viral’, ‘All is well’, ‘Duplicate‘, ‘Lagaan’, ‘Riaaz’ and ‘Retake‘ are a few of the ads. Hope to see more situations in the rest of the matches.

     

     

    MYCIRCLE11

    MyCircle11 has also done well with its ‘Second prize 1 crore- toh pehla prize kya hoga‘ communication, continuing the Giant theme and format. However, the situations and the excitement are missing as the idea becomes a prisoner of the format. And for some reason, the 2023 videos are unavailable, and even the site showed Jeeto 1 crore everyday campaign in 2021.

     

    AMAZON

    The ‘Aaj Amazon se kya Khareeda’ series is another set of communication that makes the point while engaging the audience. It slowly builds on categories- the order size and common everyday items.

     

    IPL ADS- ALL-TIME FAVOURITES

    All of us will have different advertisements telecast with IPL seasons as favourites. Here are the ads that stand out. If I have missed some really good ones- do let me know.

     

    VODAFONE ZOOZOO

    The Vodafone ZOOZOO would rank as an all-time favourite of all IPL ads. The way the ads were conceived, executed, released, and the build-up was well planned and executed. In fact, they were produced and timed with the IPL season.

     

    AMAZON CHONKPUR KE CHEETAHS

    My other favourite of mine has been Chonkpur ke Cheetah by Amazon. Even today, in the Amazon ads, telecast on IPL16, the brand is extending the same- similar concepts like A-to-Z, Aapni Dukan, and a platform for everything, including your everyday items. Chonkpur was another instance and example of IPL-specific communication. The slow unveiling of the journey of Chonkpur ke Cheetah was well planned and executed, keeping the excitement high.

     

    CRED – NOT EVERYONE GETS IT.

    When the ‘Cred – Not everyone gets it’ series started, it had a mixed reaction. But, the way the series progressed and the brand kept unleashing fresh creative starring another popular celebrity, it grew on you as an audience. A well-thought-through and executed campaign.

     

    SWIGGY, NO ORDER IS SMALL.

    Swiggy and Zomato both exploited the audience’s interest in watching the telecast. They have offered various schemes to make people order during the matches. However, what stands out are Swiggy ads of ‘No order is small’ and ‘What is the score’. It also introduced the actor who became known as Swiggy Uncle and was featured in many more TV films.

     

    ADD-ON

    Not IPL Ad- but the Kid-adult format by FLIPKART was an engaging experiment killed by overexposure and format constraints.  Another series that was engaging and interesting was Voltas Murthy.

    Similarly, Make My Trip’s consistent use of celebrity Alia, and Ranveer Singh continues to be superbly executed with its own fun quotient while delivering the message. However, that cannot be said for Ranbir Kapoor – Asian Paint ads which lack engagement- proving that consistent use of celebrity is not the solution and the content remains the king.

     

    NET-NET

    Want to associate with IPL and exploit the platform? Then the brand must understand that the ads are the real breaks and the interruption in the audience’s interest. And the season is long, and the media cost is too high to associate. The brand message should be simplified and relayed to the audience through multiple creatives to keep the engagement levels up and excitement with the brand. Do invest in creative development and execution even at the cost of losing out on frequency of exposure. An excellent /Good creative exposed less number of times is a far better proposition than a mediocre/average creative exposed many, many times.

    Just for the suggestion watch this ever favourite ad of mine. Ericsson One Black coffee ad.

     

  • After watching 75 matches over 65 days, Vikas Mehta presents his end-of-season review… in the form of 'awards'

    #AdsOnIPL: And the award goes to…

     

     

     

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaSince this was the last week of IPL, my editor suggested that maybe I should decide on the Top 4 ads of the season. Like the Top 4 play-off teams. But with IPL being unusual in so many respects, I decided to do something unusual too. What if we had an IPL ads awards? Not just the best four, but look at many more. So, here is a list of the categories and the winners.

     

    Oh, before I forget, these awards are sponsored by MF, as yeh bilkul sahi nahin hai.

     

    The Paisa Vasool Entertainment Award is a toss-up between the Ravi Shastri Cred ad and the Swiggy Instamart Dolly Aa Rahi Hai ad.

     

    While at Swiggy Instamart we cannot forget Dunzo. It gets the award in the Prophet of Doom category for announcing the demise of refrigerators in the midst of summer.

     

    Spotify gets the award in the Saannu Ki category for using music to blank out all the worldly debates.

     

    The Hum Nahin Sudherenge Award goes to Jio for its song and dance routine by cricket stars season after season.

     

    Jio also wins the Can’t Act for Nuts, Can’t Dance for Nuts Award for forcing cricketers to dance and act year after year.

     

    The undisputed winner of the Cooked Up Nostalgia Award goes to Dream 11 Ashwin ad.

     

    Pepsi Salman Khan double role ad is the winner of the Faulty Time Machine category.

     

    Pepsi is the winner again, in the Tag Line with an Asterisk category. It was the sole entry but the 7 point, 50 word explanation of the asterisk in the last three seconds of the ad made it a clear winner.

     

    The Good from Far but Far from Good Award is again a toss-up. This time between the Kareena Kapoor MedNet and Aamir Khan PharmEasy ads.

     

    The MedNet ad also won the Jab We Net category award, courtesy the Railways.

     

    The Indigo paint ad featuring Dhoni was the clear winner in the No Animal was Harmed while Shooting an Ad category, as the only people who suffered were human beings like us.

     

    Bas Naam hi Kaafi Hai Award goes to all ads featuring Dhoni.

     

    PhonePe Aamir and Aalia ads get Police Story Indian version award.

     

    Meesho ads are the recipient of the Wah, Kya Scene Hai award.

     

    Tata Neu is the winner of the It Happens Only in India award for raising hopes of spending on a honeymoon by buying a sui (needle).

     

    The Study, Study, More Study Award goes to Byju’s + Aakash classes and the Money, Money, More Money Award goes to all fintech companies except PayTM.

     

    PayTM gets the Neend Se Jaago Award for explaining the concept of UPI five years after its launch.

     

    Vimal, Kamla Pasand and Budweiser get the Cock a Snook Award for neatly bypassing rules and regulatory bodies.

     

    Jiomart gets the impossible is nothing award for letting Ranveer Singh be a normal person.

     

    A special award to Aamir Khan in the category, Any Publicity is Good Publicity, for asking Rashid Khan about the Eid spread that Rashid made for his teammates. Not an ad? You are wrong. Am sure his next release is round the corner. And as I write this, I see a trailer for his new film releasing in August. The interview was a quid pro quo for screening the trailer. Self-promotion.

     

    And finally, if you do see this last award below being mentioned, then it means my editor does not read my columns.

     

    The biggest award of the season, the KLPD Award goes to Tata Neu for having a great set of teasers but then the revelation being like a hole in the sui.

     

    Do you have any more categories to suggest?

     

    Disclaimer: Tsk Tsk Tsk. All of you with dirty minds….KLPD stands for Kaise Log Proposition Dubate hain

     

    Vikas Mehta is a senior strategic advisor and educator based in Dehradun. This is the second season that he’s been reviewing ads around the IPL coverage. His views here are personal.

     

  • Coming in towards the last leg of IPL, the timing is right, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Stumped by Cred Financials. Bowled over with Ravi Shastri Ad

     

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Sanjeev KotnalaCred, the Bengaluru-based fintech company (Dreamplug Technologies) for Credit card payment promises its nine million-plus members points that can be redeemed against rewards. In a way, the customer not only earn rewards while buying things on a Credit card, but also when making Credit Card payment through Cred.

     

    I have commented on Cred’s strategically quirky ads and clutter breaker creative devices. Personally, I was never a huge fan of Cred advertising and found it crazy. It did not really make sense, with hardly a real call for action and flogging the same message for too long.

     

    With time, the advertising started making some sense. Cred advertising is impressive enough on focussed consistency. The message format has changed yet it has retained its basic flow and quirkiness. I can now appreciate the structure and the advertising a bit better,  but am simply stumped with the scale and need.

     

    Cred advertising is still about the rewards on Credit card payments. Other features like Expose Hidden Charges. Track Spends. Clear Bills, Free Credit reports and scores, referral programmes, Get Rewarded, Peer-to-peer lending or pay Rent are not promoted.

     

    Cred – BOWLS OVER WITH RAVI SHASTRI

     

    With the  Ravi Shastri Cred ad, Cred seemed to have bridged a gap. The ad is all about the performer’s perception and image. Coming in towards the last leg of IPL, the timing is right. Being a country that focusses a lot on cricket,  viewers relate to the act as Ravi Shastri and his passion for drinks is a joke shared too often.

     

    https://youtube.com/watch?v=vLHpfulLcUE

     

    The ad is humorous. It exploits the media image of Ravi Shastri. It has dialogues that one may find crazy and cheesy, but they are on the dot. And then Cred promising more fun than what Shastri is having. That is the week link.

     

    ‘Sattar minute for happy hours’, ‘I used to be a batsman, but for you, I can be a keeper’, ‘Waste mat karo yaar’ are spot-on.  The timing perfect. Add to them my favourite:  the poker-faced answer at the press conference, ‘Hate Talking to sports journalists’.

     

    The Cred Ravi Shastri ad, like any other Cred quirky ad, is gaining views on YouTube. The small write-up under the ad on the Cred YouTube channel is equally interesting. Here it is.

     

    As Ravi Shastri, I want to make it very clear that all my parties are invite-only. But I admire our youth and their potential, so if you’re able to do all of the following, you’re automatically on the guest list: (1) Open beer bottles with a bat. If you ask how, you’re already out. (2) Analyse footage from the party to see where drinks were wasted (3) Bartend 24×7(4) Carry an extra case of cough syrup at all times (5) Parallel park the bar-counter

    If you make the cut, congratulations. You’re never going to remember another night in your life again. But if you don’t, cheer up: you can find an equally rewarding experience on Cred. All for paying your credit card bills. Believe me, I know what’s fun. To join me as a member, download the app. 

     

    What Next With Cred Ads

     

    If Cred remains true to its advertising SOP, we can expect a series of ads in the format where the Celebrity may project their unwarranted images. Maybe Shashi Tharoor, Kangana, Chetan Bhagat, and Salman Khan could be good extensions to the series. Maybe the next series can pick trends with social media influencers. Hope it remains away from the region, religion, sex and politics – the four pointers that tilt the Smear Index  for any communication.

     

    Cred Clutter Breaking Communication Recipe.

     

    Something must be right. Cred claims ( as of Oct 2021) a 700% increase in app downloads after the 2020 audition campaign featuring Madhuri Dixit, Govinda, Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan, Bappi Lahiri, and Anil Kapoor. And I was questioning – what the hell Cred was doing?

     

     

    The next lot of communication has celebrities portraying images that you don’t associate with.  The series featured Rahul Dravid, Jackie Shroff, Kumar Sanu, Venkatesh Prasad, Neeraj Chopra, and Kapil Dev. These were fun, and everyone had their favourite, with the Dravid ad being the most loved.

     

     

    Then came the old era imagery with Karishma Kapoor in Nirma ad, Zee Antakshari with Renuka Shahane and Annu Kapoor, Sharma Ji-Gupta Ji, Shaan-Sonu Nigam song. I thought Cred was becoming too constrained with its own format and boundaries. And then it surprised us with Ravi Shastri ad that pushed me to rethink. The Ravi Shastri ad is fresh and one of the most enjoyable- but if it does anything to the business is a question mark. I will any day have the fun Ravi is having then go for the Fun of earning rewards by making Credit card payment on Cred.

     

     

    Too Much Of Advertising!

     

    That’s too many films in the last two-three years with not much to show in revenue other than valuation. So many celebrities and four format mutations. I may be bowled over with Cred Ravi Shastri for its timing and content. Still, I am stumped at the need and purpose of this considerable advertising.

    Thanks to the advertising and some positive word of mouth, the brand enjoys a high recall and decent usage among Credit card users. However, the ad never made me want to check out or download the app. Maybe and hopefully, I am a minority. And perhaps the advertising is more cantered for VC, Investments and valuation.

     

    Cred Not-so-Cred-ible Performance!

     

    It is different when it comes to financials. Cred marketing spends outscore its revenue by huge multiples. It became a Unicorn within two years of launch, and the current expected valuation is around $6 Billion! And it behaved like one burning at a high rate.

     

    Reports tell that Cred had a 95 cr total income and 88.6 revenue from operations in FY 21 (against 18.1 cr and 0.5 cr in FY 20), with total expenses at 619.4 cr and a loss of 523 cr in FY 21 (( against the expense of 3979 Cr and a loss of 361 cr in FY20)! Additionally, the marketing expenses themselves are pegged at 418 cr in FY21.

    The brand seems to have launched or substantially grown products, including Cred Max, Cred Cash and Cred Travel which were not pushed aggressively with advertising.

     

    One would here like to believe the founder Kunal Shah, statement: “At Cred, we are constantly working to enhance members’ experience to make it more engaging, frictionless and rewarding. With new design philosophy, gamified rewards constructs, best offers and high value jackpots, we are consolidating our message of rewarding the right financial decisions and the privileges that come by being a member of the Cred community.”

     

    Will Cred Credibility get stronger in the future? We will have to wait and watch? Being Bowled by advertising is bad enough but getting stumped with financials is worse. 

     

  • Either ASCI gets a mandate to take tough measures, or remove the loopholes or let an outside body with enough powers step in, writes Vikas Mehta

    The curious case of self-regulation

     

     

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaThe Budweiser ad aired on the IPL last week is symptomatic of the hypocrisy that is so evident in the industry. On the face of it, there is a blanket ban on alcohol and gutkha products. Yet, both the categories find enough loopholes to beat the ban. Both get away with surrogate advertising. ‘We are not about guthka but about silver coated elaichi.’ ‘ We are not about alcohol but about playing cards or water.’ And to add insult to the injury, stars like Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan, who at the drop of a hat shout about nationalism and patriotism, find nothing morally wrong in promoting such products. When they are criticised and trolled, they profess ignorance about such surrogate advertising, apologise, make some grand gestures about cancelling contract or donating the earnings to a social cause and life continues as before. The ads continue unashamedly.

     

    But the Budweiser ad tops it all. It does not even pretend to be a surrogate. It shows what definitely looks like a beer bottle. It talks about being brewed over nights. And then to make sure there is no confusion that the product is a beer, it talks about brewed over 21 nights for a smoother taste. How brazen can one get? It’s almost like teasing the regulatory bodies. And what will they do?

     

    ASCI will wait for someone to complain. Then issue a showcause notice. If the advertiser does not respond within a few weeks, it will write to the advertiser that the ad violates its code of conduct and they should desist from airing the ad. In the meanwhile, IPL would have not only finished but the advertiser would have anyways stopped airing the ads. Come to think of it, Budweiser has already stopped the ads. It was a neat ambush. All are happy. The advertiser has got exposure in IPL. ASCI will have done everything by the book and can claim that they stopped the ad.

     

    But soon enough this will become inspiration for another advertiser and the whole story will be repeated. This self-regulation is a joke. We need fines, bans. Some tough measures. But what can one expect from a body whose rules do not allow it to rule on government or political ads. Mind you, these are the largest source of revenue for press media. But ASCI constitution does not allow it to question political ads or government ads. So, how can we expect anything tough from ASCI? The self-regulation is a hypocrisy so that no law-enforcing body need interfere. The industry continues to make merry. This charade, hypocrisy has to be stopped. Either ASCI gets a mandate to take tough measures, or remove the loopholes or let an outside body with enough powers step in.

     

    The silver lining this week was the first decent Jio ad I have seen. And it was for Jiomart. A very homely and not over-the-top, Ranveer showcases the simple features of Jiomart along with Deepika. Everyday sasta, no minimum order. The two ads make two simple points. One, is the power of storytelling. Single-minded benefit in each ad makes it episodic and entertaining. Two, how star power can be harnessed in an effective way. Ranveer, has a screen persona which is outlandish and over the top. But as a husband one can expect him to be a normal, doting husband. And that’s exactly how he comes across.

    For me, the ad of the week was Cred. There have been lot of stories and tales about Ravi Shastri and his extracurricular habits. Cred used these brilliantly to build a narrative about Shastri. What I particularly like was that they could convince Shastri to portray his oft-debated, but never openly discussed persona in the ad. It was hugely entertaining and did the job for the brand also very well.

    https://youtu.be/vLHpfulLcUE

    So, as we have the four surprise play-off teams in competition, we have had some surprising ads this week. Which were your Top 4 ads of IPL 2022? Compare your notes with me. Next week.

     

     

    Vikas Mehta is a senior marketing and business strategist and educator. This is the second IPL season where he has been reviewing for MxMIndia. His views here are personal.

  • The film was produced by EarlyMan Films and Karan Malhotra composed the music for the film

    New Cred ad stars Ravi Shastri

    By Our Staff

     

    Cred, the fintech company, has unveiled another offbeat brand ad film. This time it features Ravi Shastri. Shastri has been a cricketer, coach and commentator and with this new ad film the former Indian all-rounder shows us that he is not only the life of the party, but the party follows him wherever he goes!

     

    The film was produced by EarlyMan Films and Karan Malhotra composed the music for the film.

     

    Said Kunal Shah, Founder Cred: “At Cred, we are constantly working to enhance members’ experience to make it more engaging, frictionless and rewarding. With new design philosophy, gamified rewards constructs, best offers and high value jackpots, we are consolidating our message of rewarding the right financial decisions and the privileges that come by being a member of the Cred community.”

     

  • Vikas Mehta turns his weekly spotlight on Dream 11, Cred, Swiggy Instamart, Fogg, the AC ads and the ad we though Mr B had shunned

    A Dream Turning Predictable

     

     

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaThe IPL is becoming predictable now. Mumbai Indians have lost another match, their sixth loss in a row. Sunrisers Hyderabad have won another match, their fourth win in a row. SKY Yadav and Dinesh Karthik continue to score consistently, at a good clip, though one is doing consistently for a losing cause and the other for a winning cause. Y Chahal and T Natarajan continue to take wickets, while J Unadkat and T Mills continue to be carted around.

     

    And the same is true for the IPL ads. Most of them are predictable and their repetitiveness is also irritating. Cred has some interesting takes on Nirma’s Deepikaji, Antakshari’s Anu Kapoor as well as Vick’s Action 500 haan bhai haan. I also think the ads are taking off on the concept of hammering in the brand name, in this case Cred bounty, as was the case in the 70s. But for someone watching the IPL almost on a daily basis, the repetitiveness of the ad is grating.

     

    Sadly, the same is seeming to be true for the Dream 11 ads. The concept of one doesn’t dream alone has become too trite. Starting with Rohit Sharma, Pant; now with Ashwin, Hardik and Dhawan joining the bandwagon, the only thing new is to guess who could be that benefactor. It also seems a bit unbelievable that all these stars met these unknown good men. The question that comes to my mind is where are these people now? Did the stars look for them? Did they help them out? Or is it just a figment of imagination? Will we see some follow up ads? Or will this be forgotten after a few days?

     

    Last evening, CSK predictably lost once again. And breaking the predictable trend are series of ads for two brands. One, is Swiggy Instamart. I am not getting into the debate of the righteousness of 10-20 minutes delivery and the risk it involves for the delivery staff, for I think the better debate would be if we need such quick deliveries. But the brand has illustrated the promise of fast delivery without getting into the exactitude of time, brilliantly. Be it the husband who is planning to watch matches with his friends while the wife is away or the husband who has an excuse to eat junk food but the quick arrival of healthy vegetables and fruits thwart the plan. Or indeed the ad where a friend refuses to share a packet of chips with his friend as another packet arrives almost instantaneously.

     

    The second is the series of Fogg ads. Initially, I almost missed them. Interestingly, the brand is targeting men without actually featuring any men in the ad. It’s from the viewpoint of the opposite sex who find certain men very irresistible but balk when they are told that these men do not use any deo. With market penetration of deos in India as low as 15-20%, it’s no wonder that the market leader has taken up the task of increasing penetration as it will benefit the leader. And what better way to do that than by showing that women are not too sure about men who do not use deos. It may well fall into the Dream 11 trap of predictability but currently I am enjoying the women viewpoint.

     

    With summer at its peak, AC advertising is also at its peak. But, I am not finding any distinct piece of communication. Panasonic, Voltas, Blue Star, Godrej, BPL, Kelvinator are repeating the same old benefits of pure air, efficient cooling in high temperature, less electricity consumption. So predictable that my head cannot distinguish one brand from the other.

     

    Did I mention BPL and Kelvinator? Well, these old brands seemed to have resurfaced. I thought they belonged to history. But looks like they still have some signs of life. The question is, who are these brands talking to. The elderly millennial who had seen the brands in their childhood and can indulge in nostalgia? Or the younger millennial, for whom the brand is as good as a new unknown brand? Selling durables is not child’s play as it means investment not only in new technology but also in distribution and after sales service. It will be interesting to watch how this plays out. Kelvinator also has an ad for refrigerators and no, it’s not about the coolest one. Didn’t get it? I guess you are not an older millennial!

     

    Interestingly, while Mr Bachchan claimed to have been unaware of the surrogate nature of the Kamla Pasand ad that he did along with Ranveer Singh and had reportedly returned the advertisers cheque, he continues to appear in its ads in various avtaars. I hope, for his sake that the returned cheque was returned back to him. Or it was a PR gimmick hand in glove with the advertiser? Definitely unpredictable. Unlike the Vimal ad, where predictably a third star, Akshay Kumar, has joined the other two, Ajay Devgn and Shah Rukh Khan in London. Will a fourth one join soon? Can you predict who will it be?

     

  • Every brand wants clutter-breaking ads but at times they are just a waste of time and resources, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Ads that Break the Clutter

     

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Sanjeev KotnalaThe audience is never waiting for the advertisement to appear. If the content is engaging and involving, the advertisement break is not welcomed. Hence, the brand communication must be designed for the audience to take notice. It must have the clutter-breaking capability and a robust communication-brand association. Sometimes, execution-style becomes the differentiator, a brand association device and the clutter-breaker.

    The recent QR code Super Bowl ad is one such example. In the Indian context, the Flipkart ads with adult-kids and https://youtu.be/efRNKkmWdc0ZooZoo of Vodaphone and even the Pug were such clutter-breakers. Sometimes brands use references to old classics and nostalgia as clutter breakers. Remember the Aaj Tak black and white TVCs. However, clutter-breaking execution styles and devices in communication may not always give you a positive ROI and impact.

     

    UpGrad Hybrid – Real Clutter-Breaker

    Having experienced online education as a student and instructor/facilitator/teacher, I must confess I am not a fan of online education. Something is lacking. However, I love the UpGrad Online campaigns addressing the working executives and promising career enhancement with online education.

    The new UpGrad ad with Amitabh Bachchan presents a hybrid model trying to break the belief that studies abroad are limited by financial status.

     

    This UpGrad TVC by Womb is different. It uses the angry young man image of Amitabh Bachchan as a clutter-breaker. He is on a rampage, questioning why such UpGrad programmes were not there when he wanted to study abroad, and the brand tells him he can still do so. The film scores as curiosity builder and engager.

     

    Cred Breaks Clutter And Builds On Past.

    Enough has been said about CRED’s earlier campaign featuring celebrities. It was strategically a clutter breaker idea before delivering the promise of reward points.

    https://youtu.be/lRDNFMAkMN4

     

    Cred is back with another clutter-breaker idea. And I am a sucker for strategic continuity in style. However, this one takes the cake. I have no way to measure the success of the earlier campaign, so I must trust the brand team; they must be onto something good. Otherwise, who would burn money behind these clutter-breakers? This time Cred used famous advertisements from the golden era of Indian advertising as a precursor to its message. The first ad talks of ‘Sadharan Inamo ko bolo tata’– say bye-bye to ordinary prizes, a take on the Nirma ad.

     

    I hope there are more ads in the series. We will at least have some laughs while still wondering the point of such ads? These devices work the audience exposed to the old referred advertisement. They may even engage the new generation with a curious WTF expression. Maybe there is more to it. Maybe.

     

    Slice Cards Changes Gear

    Slice cards’ recent advertisement uses its differentiated execution as a clutter-breaker. These are short and fast-paced TVCs delivering the message- Slice For the fast one. Too fast for me- I needed to slow it down to get the message. Maybe I am not the TG. Earlier, the brand has used slow-motion as a device to deliver the message. But this clutter-breaking device does not seem to work.

    https://youtu.be/casGBFWVh6E

     

    Jaquar Double Take To Clutter Break

    Jaquar, the brand known for nath fittings, once again attempts to communicate its presence in the lighting segment. It uses its strength of bath fittings to help create a clutter-breaking visual representation before delivering the message. The new  JaquarTVC uses imagination as a clutter breaker. For a more detailed journey of Jaquar lighting, read the Karthik blog. See the brand’s earlier attempts in the lighting category since 2016 and how the clutter-breaking device in the latest ad plays on its strength.

     

    Dinshaw’s Tactical Break- Leveraging Known Communication.

    Some time back, Dinshaw’s, the leading brand of milk, milk products and ice cream in central India, ran an outdoor campaign based on other well-known communication lines. It was a short, tactical campaign. The headlines played with famous ad lines enhancing better audience engagement and creating a buzz in the market.

     

     

     

    NET-NET

    Clutter-breaking communication is not new. Every brand wants clutter-breaking ads. They have their own strategic devices and creative ways to do so. When it is strategically aligned, as in the case of Vodafone, Flipkart, Jaquar, AajTak and UpGrad, it works and delivers. However, at times they are just a waste of time and resources.

     

    Disclaimer. The author is associated with Dinshaw’s as a brand and marketing consultant.

     

  • Introduces the fintech company's bounty and the mega rewards

    Karisma Kapoor promotes Cred

    By Our Staff

     

    Cred, the fintech company, is back with its latest campaigns for IPL 2022- Cred: Play it different. The ad features actor Karisma Kapoor who introduces Cred bounty and the mega rewards Cred members can win during IPL 2022.

     

    The ad was conceptualised and written by Tanmay Bhat, Devaiah Bopanna, Puneet Chadha and Deep Joshi. The film was produced by EarlyMan Films and directed by Ayappa. To set the tone of the campaign right, Karan Malhotra lent his expertise to compose the music for the film.

     

    Said Kunal Shah, Founder, Cred: “This year, we want to encourage Cred members to invite their friends & family to win big with Cred. We have launched Cred bounty which lets members invite their contacts to play and win exciting jackpots.”

     

  • Vikas Mehta is back with his weekly reviews of #AdsOnIPL as the 10-team, 74-match league took off last weekend

    Unusual is the new normal in IPL 2022

     

     

    By Vikas Mehta

     

    Vikas MehtaIt’s been an unusual 2022 so far. For Indian cricket. India lost a Test series in South Africa after an unusual first Test victory. Then we also lost the ODI series with an unusual 0-3 scoreline. Sri Lanka toured India after an unusually long interval and got beaten soundly. That I must confess was as usual. The women’s cricket team was unusually dumped out of the World Cup. But the most unusual thing has been that the IPL is happening in India and that too in front of some crowds. And the one constant or the usual is that I am back with my weekly column looking at the new ads released during IPL.

     

    The first weekend has as usual resulted in Mumbai Indians losing their first match. And many new ads. As usual, most of them have been predictable, boring and ordinary. So rather than draw up a list of all such ads and pan them, which I usually do, I thought of doing something unusual. Let me look at one brand which has through the last two-three editions of IPL produced some memorable advertising and indeed been unusual in its approach.

    Cred is a unicorn which has gained much more traction than any other new brand. With a reported revenue of around Rs 95 crore, the brand has reported a loss of about Rs 425 crore. Before you start saying that’s also unusual, let me point out that it is not, as most new age tech companies have a similar financial model. But what’s unusual about Cred is that a big chunk of its expense is towards traditional advertising. Which is not unusual as Cred has a clear grasp on its TG. Cred is talking to the credit card owners, and there are around 50 million credit cards issued in India. Most of these are the high net worth or the salaried senior management millennial. And these millennials have seen India changing in front of them. For them, India changed from Mother India to Miss World, India changed from we to I and India changed from a problem of few choices to a problem of plenty. And of course, India changed from Madhuri Dixit, Kumar Sanu, Bappi Lahiri to a new influencer every day.

    So, the nostalgia of a yesteryear superstar caught on. Then came the nostalgia of some cricketing icons. The people who were fierce competitors but gentlemen in spirit. To unleash their hidden beast was almost like a what if situation. Imagine if Dravid was not unflappable or Srinath and Prasad were actually part of a boy band. And now comes the third stage of nostalgia for the same millennials. Old iconic ads being remembered with a twist. Nostalgia has been Cred’s secret success sauce and it has hit the nail on the head with the TG.

     

    So enough of my pontificating. Did you notice the unusual Kamla Pasand ads? Why unusual? Because last year AB had very solemnly declared that he did not realise that the brand was doing surrogate advertising for a gutka or pan masala which is not good for health and now that he has been informed of the same, he is withdrawing from the campaign and returning the money to the company. I guess his cheque was postdated. For after eternity. Or is it the case of an unusual publicity stunt?

     

    And did you see the Harsha Bhogle being tortured after being kidnapped ad for some Fantasy Akhada game? The ads have a “to be continued” at the end. I am not sure who is being tortured here. Harsha or us? Incidentally, the brand did try a PR stunt. It seems Harsha was being interviewed live from home on some digital channel when he disappeared with some audio of his alluding as if he has been surprised by intruders. It did go viral with lot of fans expressing concern. Harsha finally apologised for the stunt. Going viral by hook or crook, be it the KP way or the Harsha way is not unusual now. Hey, I meant Kamla Pasand not the political discourse you have been following.

     

    It also looks like that a new Aamir Khan film is on its way. His usual PR machinery is on an overdrive with quite forgettable ads for PharmEasy and Vedantu.

     

    I will of course have no comment on the unusual Jaguar bath plus light ad which featured fully clad people in living rooms sitting on a toilet or taking a shower. Please, let’s get back to some usual ads.

     

    Vikas Mehta, a senior advertising professional, is now a strategy consultant and educator based in Dehradun. He has a considered, often contrarian view that we enjoy consuming (and contesting) on most things around him: cinema, cricket, advertising, politics and life in general. His views here are personal.

     

  • Brings together favourite comic book characters Chacha Chaudhary and Suppandi

    Bakarmax creates latest Cred brand film

    By Our Staff

     

    Bengaluru-based fintech company, Cred, has launched a brand film bringing together favourite 90s comic book characters Chacha Chaudhary and Suppandi to promote financial responsibility and independence. This film is created by Bakarmax, an Indian webcomic studio.

     

    Said Trupthi Shetty at Cred: “We at Cred always aim at bringing something unique to our members. Cred is reinventing nostalgia by bringing something new to old with familiar personalities to encourage financial independence and literacy. We are delighted to work with team Bakarmax who came up with this concept, where we could bring in beloved characters from the 90’s to send across the messaging to our members and consumers.”

     

    Added Sumit Kumar from Bakarmax: “It is a pleasure for the team to collaborate with CRED. The process of building a concept that would bring back nostalgia with our favorite characters with a twist, has been a great experience. Highlighting the advancements in the financial industry through a different lens was refreshing. I hope Cred members and consumers enjoy the latest animated film.”

     

     

  • Sanjeev Kotnala of action cues of audio-visual ‘hammering’ in a recent communication

    Brand Signature Moves… Sahi Hai?

     

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Sanjeev KotnalaAfter a long time, I am enjoying some of the advertising I see. And the buzz is not because the brands have purposefully commented on some rituals. The ideas are well-presented and powerfully pushed to the audience. Intentional communication delivers a directional message to the unconscious mind. And, if this was unintentional, maybe it is a good post-rationalisation for the idea.

     

    I may not have thought so, but then my friend and consultant Vermajee drew my attention to it. He elaborates over Lawson Williamson, his newly acquired taste in mid-level whiskey. I think he has been minutely observing judges empathising on signature moves of Dance India contestants. I guess it made Vermajee focus on brand signature lines, action cues of audio-visual hammering in a recent communication.

     

    YEH SAHI HAI

    Mutual fund communication at every possible opportunity reiterates ‘Sahi Hai’  for investing in Mutual Funds. The regulatory warning that is part of the communication does not matter. As the statement ‘Sahi Hai’ gets repeated, it starts making sense. In fact, more sense than it should. The uninitiated investors who must rethink their options start seeing Mutual funds with coloured glasses. Their confidence gets further enhanced with every new story, exposure of Sahi Hai loaded with strong visual cues. The pause and the applause are perfectly timed. The use of cricketers – caution statement- logical explanation- push for meeting experts. Saab Sahi Hai. Only if they can get the verbal nail a visual hammer to amplify it further.

     

     

    CARBONATED THOUGHTS

    ‘Toofan Wahi Jo Sab Palat De’ says Thums up. The character dramatically tilts the bottle upside down. It is a powerful visual cue. Drink and flip. The whole story is engaging and delivered powerfully. It again leaves you with a strong visual hammer and an audio nail. The tonality is all masculine and charged up, just like the extra string drink.

     

     

    FANTASY LEAGUE DRUMMING THE DREAM.

    The Dream stories in Dream-11 shout loudly. The brand tells you stories of realised dreams.  It wants you too to dream big. The seed is implanted subconsciously. Think Big. Dream Big. Bet Big. In most fantasy leagues, there is an additional challenge to beat the selection of superstars of cricket. They hurt the ego of an armchair critic who thinks he knows better. The challenge must then be accepted. The game is now beating the cricket superstar acumen as a team selector.

     

    I have been a fan of Dream-11 communications through the years and the way it is evolving. A robust strategic intent and planning is apparent. They know where they are going. From celebrating teams and gully cricket, anything for the game, Dimag se Khel- eek hi Dhoni– Game hai Mahan to realising big dreams. It is different that I see a need for strong regulations for fantasy leagues because of their addictive- habit-forming nature. Any day would love to meet and interact with the Marketing teams behind it.

     

     

    CRED GAINS CREDIBILITY WITH FREQUENCY

    Cred is the joker in the House. One may question the need for high decibel advertising that the brand indulges in. But there is an established format now for the brand. It has two parts. The static, fixed part A and the tactically changing part B with celebrities like Rahul Dravid– Kapil Dev– Neeraj Chopra and more. Cred is leveraging a reverse flip. If the second statement is engaging, humorous and authentic, the earlier information must also be similar. Making that strongly uninteresting functional statement enjoyable enough. Frankly, I hate it- because even though people remember the celebrity stunts- the brand association is strong enough. Strategically, quirky Cred  is building its own unique communication signature.

     

     

    STRONG BYJU

    Byju intrigues. It uses jealousy and competitiveness along with a rational explanation. It seems to be working. I loved how Byju exploited vulnerable parents during the Parent Day #Honourtheirsacrifice with short clips of students. Vermajee rightly points out that Byju was not reminding students of the sacrifices their parents made. It was pushing parents down memory lane. There is always a better chance of them relating to the problems better them than the students.

     

     

    ALL IS NOT WELL

    There are few brand communication that confuses me. I fail to understand the primary intent and why the brand is doing what it is doing.

     

    MISSING UNACADEMY

    Now the last one. #TeachThemYoung by Unacademy is a cryptic one. What the hell is the brand connection? What were they selling or proposing? Even Vermajee is zapped. He tried to decipher the brand intent and gave up. Maybe the stakeholders know better.

     

     

    GOBHI AALU DISCOUNT – NETMED

    ‘Netmeds’ discount advertising featuring Kareena and Karishma Kapoor is silly and confusing. Why should one fall ill to earn discounts on medicine? And that too for vegetables. How sick should I be to get a decent discount at Netmeds to buy even a one-time vegetable? Do I buy medicines t get a discount, or do I purchase medication at a discount? Creative license?

     

    The Netmeds ad on trust and ‘discount on medicine is possible’ works because it reflects customer apprehensions. I would have loved it if they had stuck to quality medicine delivered on time and at a reasonably discounted price. But, please, stop the Gobhi-Aloo discount on medicines.

     

     

    NET-NET 

    We are living in an era of information parity, easy access and social connectivity. Everyone is sharing suggestions- recommendation or their skewed point of view. The brands need to be extra cautious in developing their signature tag, a signature move supported and held by a verbal nail repeatedly hammered visually. Some brands discover it. Sometimes it is a mistake that gets post rationalised. But always better to spend that more time in developing and investing in creating communication with brands signature touch- Just like Men will be men, a powerful idea holding it together. The thought is the brand signature, but the brand association could be stronger. Maybe, (I say maybe as I can’t think how) a consistent signature visual hammering to further strengthen it.

     

     

    You may finally have a signature move or not, a verbal nail or not and a visual hammer or not- but be alive to the reality and life of your audience- be sensitive to their beliefs, region and religion