The AdTube
Know Thy Breaks
Experience An Afterlife In The Same Birth
Jun 2nd
Tag line: Retirement Matlab World’s Best Job
Client: ICICI Prudential life
Brand: ICICI Prulife Retirement Solutions
Creative Agency: Lowe Lintas
Exec Creative Director: Ameer Jaleel
Director: Shivendra Dungarpur
Production House: Dungarpur Films
Duration: 50 secs
Year: 2009
Story: ICICI Prudential has been at retirement solutions since 2002, the first in the category. Similar to its previous campaigns, this one also aims at building a positive outlook towards retirement. But this is the first change in tag line since the maiden ad, when the tag line was ‘Retire from work, not life’, though the brand idea was the same.
Message: The life insurance advert works on to change perceptions of retirement & help consumers to see that there is an upside to retirement. The aim is to go beyond stirring the consumer, & get him to start seriously investing in his future. It aims to make retirement aspirational for the hesitant Indian consumer. Hence, the route of pulling out one’s secret desires that have taken a backseat somewhere in the course of life. (***)
Insight: The insight is that of looking at the dreams that people stash away at the back of their minds, due to the daily grind of a job and other responsibilities. Also, the fact that it isn’t part of the Indian culture to invest for their own future. They’d rather plan for a house, children’s education & even marriage, but only a few will plan for life after retirement. (***)
Freshness: It’s an off beat idea to relate to the younger working man, who could then wisely save for his future, instead of portraying his harsh future, if he doesn’t invest. A fresh perspective to retirement & that too so very positive, in this aspirational era, where everyone wants everything & more. The greenery & sunny ambience in the film add to the positivity. Altogether it really gels with urban young audience. (***)
Verdict: There’s a concept in the tag line that can grow into much more. But The proposition with this category is the same, which doesn’t make the ad stand out very prominently. The execution of the ad is such that it sticks in the mind. If ever evolved into a campaign, it might possess the ability to dent this Indian truth (or perception)that the retirement is a compromised state in life.
Red & Ready To Relish
Jun 1st
Tag line: Jashn Ka Asli Mazza
Client: Hamdard Wakf Laboratories
Brand: Rooh Afza
Creative Agency: Triton Communications Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi
Creative Director: Raju Deolikar
Creative Supervision & Concept: Baljeet Kaur
Director: Sanjeev Choudhuri
Production House: Dress Circle Movies
Duration: 40 secs
Year: 2010
Story: The TVCs for Hamdard’s age old drink Rooh Afza hit TV screens as mercury continues to sap spirit & energy this summer. The flagship brand from Hamdard can now be seen as an excellent additive to drinks, mock-tails & desserts, in addition to its role as a revitalizing nutritive drink it already is. The campaign has been devised through a montage film to capture the moments of celebrations, which are well entrenched in our society.
Message: Seeking to keep up with the times & associating itself with moments of celebration, Rooh Afza interacts & involves a younger set of prospective consumers – a TG that is actively sought after to engage with the brands. Having the first mover advantage (as there is no competition from any brand which is used both as a drink & as an additive), it aims to project Rooh Afza also as a great additive for drinks and desserts. This communication should help the brand cut through the perception of being a summer product & prolong the usage of the product round the year. (***)
Insight: Everyday in our lives, there are moments of celebration. And we seek to celebrate these moments with food & drink. With Rooh Afza already entrenched as an all natural refresher, the celebration positioning can offer the brand an opportunity to strengthen & extend the brand franchisee to a larger platform, which is not only at home during summers, but with the larger family (friends, neighbours, colleagues, relatives, etc.), & on occasions which are memorable for all. Rooh Afza aims to occupy the slot of the perfect refresher in all moments of celebration. (***)
Freshness: It is yet another rehash of the ‘loved by Indians of all ages & all regions’ formula that we have seen many times before; product enjoyment shots set to what they hope will be a memorable jingle. Of course, there’s no consumer insight. There doesn’t seem to be any attempt to break new ground in the concept or the execution. The jingle isn’t hum-able. One can’t remember the line even after seeing it three-four times. And there’s nothing in the casting or acting that makes you want to see it again. (*)
Verdict: The ad is run of the mill & there is nothing extraordinary in it. It does put across the idea of celebrating with Rooh Afza, but it’s not a groundbreaking concept. As the objective is to establish the novelty of a drink made with Rooh Afza, it may take time to establish the freshly discovered taste. But at least, this is not a linear conventional film with a regular product window & is focused on showcasing Rooh Afza as an additive product, rather than a mere beverage.
Unlike Damini, Nestle Can’t Wait For ‘Taarikh’
May 31st
Tag line: Khao Bina Taarikh Dekhe
Client: Nestle India
Brand: Munch
Creative Agency: JWT
Creative Director: Anuja Chauhan
Duration: 20 secs
Year: 2009
Story: After the popular ambush marketing by PepsiCo & Coca-Cola India, chocolate majors Cadbury India & Nestle India can be seen at loggerheads in the ad mad world. In most cases it is the small brother taking on the big brother. Likewise, in this spoof, Nestle Munch has challenged CDM’s (Cadbury Dairy Milk) campaign ‘Aaj pehli tarikh hai’ with its tagline ‘Sirf pehli tarikh ko nahin, kabhi bhi kha sakte hai’.
Message: With the tag line ‘Khao Bina Tarikh Dekhe’, Nestle’s ‘combative advertising’ campaign directly mocks Cadbury’s brand proposition. With this ad, Nestle India wants to dilute the brand proposition of Cadbury, tickling its viewers & stealing the sweetness from Dairy Milk. Munch is a vibrant brand with a personality that is clearly associated with fun. Its advertising has always highlighted the ‘fun in consumption’. This ad is to take that message further down. (***)
Insight: Consumers are still fairly basic & in today’s world of complicated lives we all like to witness some free action sequences. Going by its popularity, it’s clear that consumers enjoy collisions, thrive on simple skirmishes & thus absolutely love the war between brands or celebrities. (****)
Goof In The Spoof: The easiest thing to do is to criticize intelligent ideas (seriously). But Munch’s attempt has fallen flat & there isn’t really much to counter the Cadbury campaign, which has proved to be clutter breaking. So before taking head on Punga with CDM’s high-voltage campaign, Munch should have considered that spoofs are about puncturing any pretence, but then the brand character has to be such. That’s certainly not the case with Nestlé Munch. Unlike Sprite, it’s not in the brand’s natural scheme. In other words, this ad war is unlikely to go on forever.
Freshness: The Pehli Tarikh campaign is an easy prey, having focused too sharply on the pay day insight makes it vulnerable. But Munch has wasted a big opportunity to counter it by producing a sloppy spoof. The Munch ad, in this case, looks like a poor mimic of something that stands strong already. Actually the ad language is very edgy-buzzy that excites the youth but the script is poor & the cast even poorer. How could this ad dent the buzz that the Cadbury campaign created amongst consumers? (**)
Verdict: Spoofing, if not executed well, runs the risk of reminding the consumer of the original brand. In this case, it seems to have done just that. But spoofs do make brands come alive which haven’t been able to make much of an impact; they make the whole category much more alive & bring more consumers to it. This advert has certainly livened up the chocolate category.
Say Cheese- Miss Universe Is Taking Your Order
May 30th
Tag line: NA
Client: Pizza Hut
Brand: Cheesy Bites
Creative Agency: JWT
Senior VP: Rohit Ohri
Director: Kunal Kapoor
Production House: AdFilmvalas
Duration: 30 secs
Year: 2009
Story: The ad film opens in a Pizza Hut restaurant with a teenage boy having a dinner with his friends and placing an order for the new Cheesy Bites pizza. To his surprise, his server turns out to be the sizzling Lara Dutta, dressed in a sassy red outfit paired with red boots. Here Dutta with her actions reiterates the ‘twist it, pull it, pop it’ positioning of this new launch.
Message: With 22 twist-able, pull- able, pop- able, cheese-filled bites that form the pull-apart crust, Cheesy Bites is a pizza to have loads of fun with. As Cheesy Bites is a fun pizza, therefore a fun campaign to promote it in India. The ad internationally has been a big hit so it gives it a ‘desi twist’ with Lara, who brought a lot of energy, freshness and a fun element to the campaign. (****)
Freshness: The film’s original version featuring Jessica Simpson launched in 2006 was a huge hit, that’s why, perhaps, JWT simply just Indianized that American campaign for Cheesy Bites. Revealed that, it’s not so ‘cheesy’ or stale at least for most of the audience who don’t know this. Also because it has Lara Dutta in a red hot avatar who’s not done much endorsements before. In a few last shots she’s been tactically shown using the mischievous lure of her two of the best assets… hey! I’m referring to the eyes & lips. So the teens were bound to go slurp… of course for the hot Pizza I mean! This cheesy and witty TVC brings alive the ‘Twist, Pull, Pop’ fun element in the pizza. (***)
Verdict: The ad romances well each of the three playful features of the brand making a spicier, naughtier brand. This tongue-in-cheek script is executed fairly to give it a humourous edge maintaining the balance between the product & its brand ambassador. Thus it guarantees a good recall with viewers with its spunky, enjoyable & fun approach. The essence of the campaign and the range is captured by the line ‘Twist, Pull, Pop’.
Have A Sweet Tooth On The First Of Every Month
May 29th
Tag line: Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye
Punchline: Meetha Hai Khana Aaj Pehli Taarikh Hai
Client: Cadbury India
Brand: Cadbury Dairy Milk
Creative Agency: O & M
Exec Creative Director: Piyush Pandey & Abhijit Avasthi
Creative Director: Shekhar Jha & Mahesh Gharat
Music: Ehsan Noorani & Loy Mendonsa
Vocals: Kshitij
Director: Prasoon Pandey
Production House: Corcoise Films
Duration: 50 secs
Year: 2009
Message: Though Cadbury had done a lot around the ‘Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye’ premise that involved large-scale celebrations, small groups and small towns had been kept out. Knowing that the middle class celebrate their happiness on salary day in a very private manner, Cadbury Dairy Milk (CDM) underlines its positioning that it is always around to celebrate one’s joyous occasions even of the adults who had been hitherto shying away from its consumption. It introduces another ‘meetha moment’ in one’s life, to highlight the celebratory occasion of pay day, which is an important event in the life of every middle-class Indian. (****)
Positioning & TG: Pay day emotes feelings like “Yippee! Yo! I am rich again” that are naturally celebratory in nature for many of us. For such people, this indulgent occasion comes 12 times a year & this is the moment that CDM captures in this campaign. The concept of payday itself is rooted in an existing middle class insight. This lends a support of insights and culture to the Cadbury ad. We never mind the slowdown & the salary cuts; the pay day is always a reason for us to celebrate. So Cadbury ‘pays’ a tribute to the salaried employees by giving them another reason to celebrate the payday. (****)
Cast & Craft: Set in a retro background, the TVC stars the popular TV artist Varun Badola. The old Hindi filmy ambience is uniquely middle class and the set could belong to any town in India. Its attempt at mass appeal is unmistakable. I think the concept was very appealing and implemented exactly the way it had been visualized. Proving that salary day is a big day even in these times of plastic money, the commercial gives a very warm and homely feeling which most people can relate to. Incidentally, the song is from a Kishore Kumar 50’s movie by the same name i.e., ‘Pehli Tarikh’. (***)
Freshness: Although many people did not like the add… but still the ad keeps one glued to his/her chair during the commercial… it’s something like ‘Love me or hate me but you can’t ignore me’. Although there have been quite a few commercials with this kind of approach, it still stands out… the song takes one down the memory lane & due to its lyrics turns out to be a perfect fit for the communication. The insight of payday has a very universal appeal and the ad is a good example of occasion-based marketing. It seems to be such an obvious choice for celebration but still had been unexploited. (****)
Verdict: Very retro- Bollywoodsy, very quirky, very singable, very fun! It better moved over the rhetorical concepts of a brother stealing his sister’s chocolate, or for that matter, boy gifts a chocolate to a girl. This campaign pretty much drove home well & did position CDM as something that can be a part of this day of happiness, promises and salaries. Beware mithaiwalas, Cadbury’s trying to capture the market of all those local, traditional sweets 
