MxMIndia

Tag: Virat Kohli

  • JWT India has launched a new campaign with cricketer Virat Kohli as brand ambassador for Nestle Munch 4X4

    JWT makes Virat don boring avatar to sell Nestle Munch

    By A Correspondent

     

    JWT India has launched a new campaign with cricketer Virat Kohli as brand ambassador for Nestle Munch 4X4.

     

    “The foundation of the campaign is the idea that the crunch of Nestle Munch 4×4 is so exciting that it makes everything else exciting as well. After some vigorous head-banging we hit upon the idea of having Virat Kohli playing a very unexciting look-alike of his, named Balakrishnan Vaali. In the commercial, Vaali eventually turns out to become the unlikely hero in the end, all thanks to the crunch of the Nestle Munch 4X4,” said Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer JWT on the new campaign.

     

    The launch of the new Munch campaign in leading dailies coincided with the day Virat Kohli scored a century in the first cricket test match of the India- Australia series. The roll-out was very well supported by innovative activity on digital media.

     

    Nitin Pradhan, Executive Creative Director, JWT commented, “Our main challenge was to use the celebrity in a way that was never done before yet had mass appeal. We were clear that it’ll be fun to bring out Nestle Munch 4×4’s proposition of the crunchiest excitement ever in a way that’s unique and innovative. The idea of a celebrity playing his own look-alike was fresh for anyone to discover. And Virat did full justice to the part. Without speaking a word in the story, he did everything to make Balakrishnan Vaali look convincingly real, innocent and an enjoyable character.”

     

     

  • While many theories are being belted out on this subject, I am entirely convinced it is the media and marketing in India which is behind the poor show of the Indian team

    Anil Thakraney: mxmindia to blame for cricket debacle!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Haha. I am sure the editor-in-chief of this portal had a minor heart attack when he read this headline. Sorry Pradyuman, couldn’t resist it! The point is: While many theories are being belted out on this subject, I am entirely convinced it is the media and marketing in India which is behind the poor show of the Indian team.

     

    Let me explain: Regular readers of this blog might remember my post in March this year, on Virat Kohli, after the young man’s excellent test cricket performance in Australia. In a nutshell, this is what I had warned about: Imagine the excitement inside corporate boardrooms as brand managers salivate at the prospect of signing multimillion dollar contracts with the lucky dude. And also inside the buzzing rooms of editors and programming heads, as they plan huge spreads for the new-found hero. Too much adulation and quick riches can easily go to Kohli’s head, he’s still very young, a 23 year old lad. We have finally found a real match winner in the cricket team, a player who doesn’t get intimidated by huge targets, and it’s in the nation’s interest that we carefully nurture this rare talent.

     

    Well, no one listened to me (as usual!), and Virat already looks like a pale shadow of himself. And indeed this is the malaise with the entire Indian team. It’s foolish blaming the IPL for all the problems because international cricketers also play that format, but it hasn’t affected their test cricket skills. It’s a clear case of loss of appetite for success. When you are already being worshipped in the media, if you are already signing lucrative endorsements deals, why would you crave to do better on the cricket ground, why would you push yourself hard?

     

    I think Indian cricket is paying a huge price for the obsession this nation has with celebrity. We don’t give people time to evolve, we don’t give them time to showcase their real talents, even minor performers quickly become stars. As an example, consider the case of starlets like Sonakshi Sinha and Parineeti Chopra. A couple of films down the line, and they are already in the glossies and in the ads. This is a recipe for disaster.

     

    It’s easy to see many careers have been damaged due to premature attention. The same thing will happen to Cheteshwar Pujara, and frankly, I see no way out of this morass. Our cricket team is destined to be inconsistent; we have to live with that. And it’s we who are to blame for this.

     

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    PS: For fashionable women, landing up at a Page 3 party in the same dress as another guest can be a disaster. This emotion is captured very well in this Harvey Nichols ad. Sure, some women can even get murderous in this situation. Enjoy!

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWxK4ZqW4tw[/youtube]

     

     

  • Waku Doki adds no value whatsoever to the communication, and to think it’s the central idea! Worse, they are using it for multiple brands

    Debrief:Toyota: Yeh Waku Doki kya hai, bhaiyya?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    It took me a lot of time to figure what in hell Waku Doki means. It sounded like Japanese to me, so I called a Jap pal for help. And he said it roughly means: ‘Excitedly waiting for something cool to happen’. Toyota has unleashed this Japanese colloquial phrase as the umbrella positioning for two of its brands: Fortuner and Etios. And the other common factor is cricketer Virat Kohli.

     

    In the ad for Fortuner, Kohli says Waku Doki to a kid who’s bored of playing video games. In the ad for Etios, the young cricket sensation plays the same trick on a heart-broken gal. And no prizes for guessing that in these ads Waku Doki means hitting the road in a Toyota. And once the car comes into the picture, it’s back to the usual shots of interiors and exteriors. And speed and dirt tracks, etc, etc.

     

    This is dicey stuff. Indians aren’t going to run around looking for a Jap-English dictionary to figure what Waku Doki means. And without that knowledge, the phrase means nothing, it’s pure nonsense. Which means Waku Doki adds no value whatsoever to the communication, and to think it’s the central idea! Worse, they are using it for multiple brands, so each individual brand story gets lost as we are left scratching our heads over Waku Doki.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”225″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWSrRYJHwl0[/youtube]

    I suspect Toyota opted for a Jap phrase to highlight the Japanese association of the mother brand. Where was the need for that? Bachcha bachcha in India already knows Toyota is a Jap car maker. They would have been better served by coining a desi expression, something like ‘Jhingalala’. So that at the very least the communication doesn’t go over the head. Though frankly, these gimmicky phrases are suitable for low-involvement products like wafers and candies. And not for vehicles which will set you back by lakhs of rupees.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 1. Incomprehensible and irrelevant.

     

  • We have finally found a real match-winner in the cricket team, a player who doesn't get intimidated by huge targets, and it's in the nation's interest that we carefully nurture this rare talent. Hold the mega praises and the fat endorsement contracts for a bit, people. Let's not kill the golden goose.

    Anil Thakraney: Don’t kill Kohli

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Young Virat Kohli must be pleased as punch. Not only did he manage to do the unthinkable – eclipse Sachin’s 100th 100 – the hot, new sensation is sitting on a goldmine. Imagine the excitement inside corporate boardrooms, as brand managers salivate at the prospect of signing multi million dollar contracts with the lucky dude. And also inside the buzzing rooms of editors and programming heads, as they plan huge spreads for the new found hero. What works even more for Kohli is that he looks reasonably good, unlike most desi cricketers. This makes him a huge media and ad property.

     

    I must quickly add here that I personally have very little respect for brand managers who piggyback on celebrities. This is their way of acknowledging that they are idea-less and want someone else to save their skin. But that’s a debate for another day. I have a larger worry at this point of time.

     

    Not every cricketer is mentally as strong and sorted as Tendulkar. Too much adulation and quick riches could easily go to Kohli’s head; he’s still very young, a 23-year-old lad. We have finally found a real match-winner in the cricket team, a player who doesn’t get intimidated by huge targets, and it’s in the nation’s interest that we carefully nurture this rare talent. We need to give the guy some space and time to mature (he’s got a long way to go), and both, the media and the marketers, must go easy on the young man. Hold the mega praises and the fat endorsement contracts for a bit, people. Let’s not kill the golden goose. We must think India first.

     

    Having said all of the above, I am equally aware that I am wasting my time out here. Our celeb-obsessed media and our idea-starved brand managers will pay no attention to this. They will go for the kill. What to do, we are like this only. All I can say is, one hopes Virat Kohli stays grounded. And keeps his head screwed on. Else, he’s finished. Like one Vinod Kambli.

     

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    PS: Must read. An interesting profile of Imran Khan. From his playboy days to his new avatar as a devout Muslim. From captaining a difficult cricket team to the burning ambition to lead a ravaged nation. And of course, his recent bonhomie with dodgy mullahs and terror groups.

     

    Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/04/imran-khan-pakistan-cricketer-politician