Hisense, the Chinese multinational major appliance and electronics manufacturer, has appointed cricketer Ravindra Jadeja as its brand ambassador for the television, AC and refrigerator categories.
Commenting on the collaboration, Pranab Mohanty, CEO of Hisense India, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Ravindra Jadeja into the Hisense family as our brand ambassador for the Television, AC, and Refrigerator categories. This announcement is strategically timed with the cricket world cup starting in India soon and his exceptional skills, both on and off the cricket field, make him the perfect embodiment of our brand’s values. We believe that his association with Hisense will resonate with our young and aspirational consumers. Our deep understanding of the market underscores our commitment to reaching the very heart of Indian consumers, where their passion points lie, and we are determined to create a profound impact in their minds.”
Saatvik Solar, renewable energy company that manufactures solar modules and develops projects onboards Ravindra Jadeja as the company’s brand ambassador. This partnership aims to increase brand awareness among a diverse target audience while powering the country’s transformative green economy.
Prashant Mathur – CEO of Saatvik Solar said: “We take immense pride in associating with a national icon – Mr. Ravindra Jadeja. Both Saatvik Solar and Jadeja are homegrown brands with strong values and cultural roots. We strongly feel that Ravindra Jadeja and Saatvik are natural partners as both all-rounders are known for their resilience, quality & performance on the field. With this landmark partnership, we are in prime position to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy & sustainable products across the globe.”
Kinara Capital, a fintech driving MSME financial inclusion, has announced a campaign featuring brand ambassador Ravindra Jadeja. Tagged #JadejaBatsForKinara, the campaign is to empower small business entrepreneurs with the myKinara App. The campaign has been created and produced by Lintas C:EX Entertainment of MullenLowe Lintas Group.
Said Khyati Shah, EVP, Corporate Marketing, Kinara Capital: “The #JadejaBatsForKinara ad campaign is addressing the challenges of the MSMEs by offering myKinara App as a solution and empowering small business entrepreneurs to confidently take the first step towards achieving business growth. Our Brand Ambassador Ravindra Jadeja is a self-made champion whose tenacity to give his all in every cricket match resonates with the determined spirit of the everyday entrepreneur.”
Added Satish Ramanathan, Executive Director, Lintas C:EX: “The task for us was to create short, digital-friendly, impactful content that showcases the importance of the myKinara App in a memorable manner. We wanted to take a definitive positioning for Kinara Capital that is owned for the long term. The ad succinctly captures the struggle of the entrepreneur and the swift solution offered by myKinara. Jadeja also synced well with the message that we were trying to highlight with his sense of humour and apt delivery.”
Doritos has launched am Instagram filter, ‘Doritos BoldChoice’, that lets the audience watch the latest Doritos TVC, record their reaction, and choose their ‘bold’ ending. Rolled-out for the first time ever in India, the innovative filter was launched by brand ambassador Kartik Aaryan, who challenged cricket icons Ravindra Jadeja and Chris Gayle to make their ‘bold’ choice along with his fans and followers.
Sharing his thoughts on the innovative filter, Ankit Agarwal, Associate Director, Brand Marketing – PepsiCo India said, “We believe that bold people like to make their own choice. We applied that insight to our latest campaign, where, with the BoldChoice filter, we harnessed the power of augmented reality and social media to enable consumers to choose how our latest TVC unfolds. We believe that the confluence of interactivity and content discovery through this unique and first of its kind filter will keep consumers engaged and bring alive Doritos’ proposition of Bold Self Expression ”
Sanjay Manjrekar did not enjoy a very impressive career as a batsman, especially if you compare it with that of his colleague Sachin Tendulkar, who played alongside him. He promised a lot, in fact, in the early nineties. Manjrekar used to be called a ‘technically correct batsman’ by commentators at the time, but delivered a lot less. Before walking into the sunset, Manjrekar managed to play just 37 Test matches and 74 one-day games, registering a mediocre average score and strike rate. Basically he disappeared from international cricket without much noise.
However, in his new avatar as a cricket commentator, Manjrekar’s journey has been quite noisy. He has been getting a lot of attention, most of it negative. The trolling on social media has been rabid, he has often been called a ‘panvati’ commentator, his coarse voice and poor command over English has been dissed, some of the abuse he regularly receives on Twitter is not even printable. Things got worse during the ongoing World Cup when he called all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja a ‘bits and pieces’ player, the cricketer hit back and termed it as Manjrekar’s ‘verbal diarrohea’, and of course all hell broke loose for Manjrekar.
The question to be asked is this: Would the same abuse have come Tendulkar or Ganguly’s way if they had called someone a bits and pieces player? I suspect not, having been a low achiever in his own career, Manjrekar does not command much respect from cricket fans or current players. However, does this mean he cannot speak his mind while commentating, should he be expected to always say goody-goody things about current cricketers? Is he paid to be honest about his perceptions or to be politically correct at all times?
Now, I am not a fan of Manjrekar’s commentary either, I also believe he is a bit of a hypocrite. Case in point, when ex English cricketer and current commentator Michael Vaughan made fun of Manjrekar’s ‘bits and pieces’ remark, Manjrekar promptly blocked him on Twitter. This proves while the man is ready to dish out criticism to others, he isn’t cool about some of it coming his own way.
And yet I am a firm believer that he must be allowed to freely speak his mind on air and on social media, that’s his job. If a current cricketer doesn’t like what Manjrekar has to say about him, that cricketer should learn to take it on the chin or hit back hard, as indeed Jadeja did. If sports television networks and tournament organisers gag cricket commentators, it will take us back to the days of the boring, life-less radio commentary, when commentators only reported what was happening on the cricket field and not much else, that would be a really regressive step.
Incidentally, during the current cricket World Cup, Michael Holding, the ex-West Indies bowler and now commentator, was furious with the International Cricket Council for asking him to cut down on the criticism of umpires. He reportedly said in his reply that, ‘Commentators are being more and more compromised by controlling organisations to the point of censorship’. This is indeed a sad development, it will not just render cricket commentary impotent, it demolishes the idea of freedom of expression.
There is a general feeling this may have been Manjrekar’s final stint as a cricket commentator. If so, that would be terribly unfair. Sack him by all means if you believe he is a poor commentator, but don’t sack him for speaking his mind, that will set a disastrous precedent and strike terror into the hearts of other commentators, it will trigger the death of honest cricket commentary.
Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. Our readers would remember that he was a regular columnist in the early days of MxMIndia. Thakraney will now write a little more frequently for MxM. Khabardaar!
Bajaj Consumer Care has launched a new hair oil in the cooling oils segment, Bajaj Cool Almond Drops Hair Oil.
The new TVC, conceptualized by Mullen Lintas, features cricketer Ravindra Jadeja focusing on the new product as a unique offering that does not leave one’s hair feeling sticky.
Commenting on the new launch, Sandeep Verma, President Sales & Marketing of Bajaj Consumer Care said: “Bajaj Cool Almond Drops Hair Oil is the ideal hair oil for the approaching hot summers. There are other cooling oils in the market too, but we found that there is a genuine consumer need gap for a cooling oil which is non-sticky and light. Being the pioneers in the light hair oil segment, we decided to take up this challenge and provide the consumer with a product that provides the benefits of a cooling oil without the hassles and problems of stickiness. We are glad to collaborate with Ravindra Jadeja for this campaign. He is the ideal brand ambassador since he has always kept his cool under high pressure situations.”
Sharing their insight on the TVC, Priya Balan, Senior Vice President and Branch Head from Mullen Lintas added: “The campaign is based on a simple product truth that most cooling oils give you cooling but may make your hair look sticky and “chipku”. Unlike Bajaj Cool Almond drops hair oil that is a light cooling oil, and not only helps you keep cool, but also look cool. It was wonderful collaborating with Ravindra Jadeja as our brand ambassador, who we believe is a perfect fit for the brand philosophy”.
Bajaj Consumer Care has appointed Ravindra Jadeja its brand ambassador for its new Bajaj Cool Almond Drops Hair Oil. A new TVC, conceptualised by Mullen Lintas, has Ravindra Jadeja focusing on the new product as a cool oil that does not leave your hair feeling sticky.
Commenting on the new launch, Sandeep Verma, President Sales and Marketing of Bajaj Consumer Care: “Bajaj Cool Almond Drops Hair Oil is the ideal hair oil for the approaching hot summers. There are other cooling oils in the market too, but we found that there is a genuine consumer need gap for a cooling oil which is non-sticky and light. Being the pioneers in the light hair oil segment, we decided to take up this challenge and provide the consumer with a product that provides the benefits of a cooling oil without the hassles and problems of stickiness . We are glad to collaborate with Ravindra Jadeja for this campaign. He is the ideal brand ambassador since he has always kept his cool under high pressure situations.”
Sharing an insight on the TVC, Priya Balan, Senior Vice President and Branch Head from Mullen Lintas added: “The campaign is based on a simple product truth that most cooling oils give you cooling but may make your hair look sticky and “chipku”. Unlike Bajaj Cool Almond drops hair oil that is a light cooling oil, and not only helps you keep cool, but also look cool. It was wonderful collaborating with Ravindra Jadeja as our brand ambassador, who we believe is a perfect fit for the brand philosophy”.
Kansai Nerolac Paints has launched a new paint product for exteriors – ‘Excel Mica Marble’ as part of Nerolac Excel brand franchise, a leading range of exterior paint products. The product is a one of its kind offering that is an durable UV-resistant water based exterior emulsion.
To highlight these extreme performance attributes of toughness and shine, a TVC featuring cricketers Suresh Raina, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja from the IPL team Gujarat Lions has been launched.
The ad film opens with the foursome enjoying a game of cricket. An old couple is then seen sipping tea on their balcony when a sudden loud thud of a cricket ball hitting the wall of the house interrupts their reverie. This happens to every house in the neighbourhood and the ball damages the exterior paint of the houses causing the paint to peel off. This sends out a wave of panic as homeowners scurry for cover. The houses then, much to the surprise of the viewer spring wheels and transform into trailers that line up behind one lone house. This house and its owner refuse to panic even as it stands guard against the cricketers.
The cricketers take on this house next, but when the ball hits the wall, no damage occurs to the paint and the occupant is unperturbed enjoying the show of skill and even applauding the players.
Speaking about the product, Anuj Jain, Director Decorative Paints at Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited said, “Nerolac has been pioneering innovative and break through products in India and Excel Mica Marble is one such unique product. A part of Nerolac’s Excel range of exterior products, it provides a unique blend of long lasting toughness and smooth finish for home exteriors, a first in India…. The TVC brief was to create an entertaining commercial that underlines the superior performance of the product. We decided to leverage our association with cricket to highlight the product benefits as nothing there is nothing better than sports to showcase the performance of a tough product. The Mica Marble TVC is different from the typical home exterior ads, much like the product!â€
Said Bobby Pawar, Managing Director, Publicis Communications, South Asia:  “The communication challenge before us was very interesting. How could we launch a new innovation in paints while leveraging Nerolac’s sponsorship of the Gujarat Lions? How could we do justice to both, the benefit of the product (that is, the strength of Mica and the gloss of marble) and the celebrity value of the cricketers?  The answer came in the form of a simple idea. Pit the strength of the cricketers against the strength of the Nerolac Excel Mica Marble in an interesting way.â€
Doritos has launched am Instagram filter, ‘Doritos BoldChoice’, that lets the audience watch the latest Doritos TVC, record their reaction, and choose their ‘bold’ ending. Rolled-out for the first time ever in India, the innovative filter was launched by brand ambassador Kartik Aaryan, who challenged cricket icons Ravindra Jadeja and Chris Gayle to make their ‘bold’ choice along with his fans and followers.