By 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.