Know Thy Breaks
Lame Ads
Making Loopholes Out Of Curves
May 22nd
Tag line: Curves are Back
Client: Volkswagen India
Brand: Beetle
Creative Agency: DDB Mudra
Creative Director: Rajeev Raja
Art Director: Timsy Gupta & Ameya Soman
Copywriter: Anshumani Khanna, Nivedita Agashe & Gururaj Rao
Director: Christoffer Von Reis
Production House: Stink Productions (London)
Duration: 30secs
Year: 2010
Story: Volkswagen has been one of the most radical corporate bodies when it came to marketing and promotion. Now, it has found the ripe time to intrigue the audience further with the most fascinating aspect of the New Beetle – its curvaceous shape. For guys unaware of the ‘Beetle legacy’, the creative idea rightly focuses on the strongest differentiator: the looks. The rendition of the promise ‘Curves are back’ is classic Volkswagen– unpretentious & laid back.
Message: The Beetle is a very curvy car, being an iconic brand, which has the essence of counter culture. It has never been a car that follows a set pattern. When everyone was looking to go big, the Beetle stayed small. It has always been more than just a car. When the popular culture is that of getting flatter and people vying for size-zero figures, Beetle – the voluptuous car — is all about curves. Curves are definitely better than straight lines. (***)
Brand Positioning: The Beetle positioning is about anti-positioning. The beetle has always been a voice against the excesses of the generation. It represented small car when big cars were in vogue. It represented humility in the age of flash. But the reality is– India is merely tasting the fruits of its new-found wealth. Given its DNA, the Beetle will have to position itself as a counterpoint to something. And that “something” should be what Indians find excessive, & not Westerners. That’s a challenge. (***)
Idea & Execution: The idea of people abandoning a certain beauty stereotype in favour of the new curved shape is interesting, the execution could have been much better and more befitting the Beetle personality. The visual appeal of the ad is in stark contrast to the genteel, graceful product. The woman guzzling the food far removes it from the ‘curves’ territory. There is nothing sensual or appealing about the act that is intended to get women to be curvier, sensual and attractive. (*)
Freshness: The second disaster of an ad for an iconic brand! If you eat truck loads of food, you don’t put weight on a specific body part, you can’t tell the food, “listen to me carefully, I want curves, so you better go accumulate your fat in my breasts”. And Curves were NEVER out of fashion, India is a country of curve lovers – we all love curves, you don’t have to reinstate the obvious. Two art directors, Two copywriters, an international director and this is what we get?? If they want to make a woman look delectable while gorging on food, here’s a reference- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8nJKa13sBo (**)
The Speed-breakers: The ad also takes a few ‘risks’ along the way– there are no ‘gleaming car on highway’ shots. The car only appears only in the last few frames. But the biggest risk is the choice of analogy. An anorexic woman’s rebellion against the tyranny of the ultra-thin brigade doesn’t quite resonate with an increasingly prosperous India trying to battle with bulging waistlines & rising weight. In India ‘thin’ is in, at least for now, among men & women. The “Westernized” settings & characters also add to the lack of empathy.
Verdict: The communication could have been better, had the car’s features been spoken of. I do not need to be told how attractive and sexy the car is. I would like to know more about its features, or may be about modifications that have been done to it. Unfortunately, the ad fails to serve my purpose. The film does not give consumers, who might not know much about the cult status of the car, any additional reason to choose it; in fact, the ad might even appear to them as a teaser.
Alas! Perk Ka Hua Beda Gark
May 19th
Tag line: Take It Lightly
Client: Cadbury India Ltd
Brand: Cadbury Perk & Ultra Perk
Creative Agency: O&M
Exec Creative Director: Anup Chitnis
Director: Soojith Sircar
Production House: Rising Sun Films
Duration: 50 secs
Year: 2009
Story: Genelia and her friends are in a deep forest (Lost it seems) and they find a scary odd looking midget pitching Tie inside the forest. Later the group finds a jungle-party going on in the middle of the forest. But they are not allowed inside since they aren’t wearing ties (the dress code). Dejected, the group goes back and takes rest, where Genelia sees the Perk jisse uski dimag ki batti jalti hai. Then scene shifts to Genelia & company entering the party, wearing a tie that they made out of the Perk wrappers.
Message: The commercial ‘tries’ to centre on the need to relax and chill out when things don’t fall in place. Today’s youth do not let themselves get bogged down by small setbacks for too long. Perk with its unique chocolate & wafer combination works as a perfect catalyst to uplift their mood in down moments. It unloads all the common hassles of everyday youth from break-ups, to acne, to boredom, to career confusion 
and tells you to ‘Thand Rakh!’ 
(**)
Freshness: Huh, Genelia seems to be the favourite for brands in the bubbly, youthful brand wagon as she embodies youthfulness and brand connect in a unique and powerful manner. But this is just another TVC in the ‘think on your feet’ & ‘outsmart somebody’ theme. In a hurry to tap the maximum out of a celebrity’s persona, the brand is shoved into the periphery. What ultimately comes out will be something like this ad for Perk. In the whole 50 secs ad, there is a single shot of Perk. Rest is all bullshit as it is all lousy with behen Genelia who is too sweet even for the sweets. At the end of the ad, there is the brand’s tag line; ‘Take it lightly’ which does not hold any connection with the whole plot. (*)
Verdict: Whenever the brand has a celebrity, the agency is in a state of utter confusion as to where the celebrity and the brand will fit in… whether the celebrity or the brand should get the maximum focus. Remember this is a brand which shot into limelight using Priety Zinta very effectively. The brand itself is showing how to use a celebrity effectively and also how to mess up the brand running after a celebrity. While trying to use Genelia’s charm and youthful look, the brand was totally forgotten. The plot is totally out of sync with the brand’s positioning.
Better Safe Than Sorry
May 18th
Tag line: Leaders who look after their people deserve to be looked after well
Client: Volvo Cars
Brand: Volvo S80
Creative Agency: Pickle Advertising
Creative Director: Rahul Jauhari
Director: Pankaj Sudan & Kailash Arya
Production House: Icon Productions
Duration: 30 secs
Year: 2009
Message: The first ever advert for the luxury sedan S80 of Volvo captures its exteriors- interiors & the salient Scandinavian design along with bringing forth the ethos of CSR (corporate social responsibility). With the ‘leader’ thought, the brand has found a tight and precise way of defining what it wants to say. As Volvo is a people-centric car, the ad talks to a leader who looks at the larger picture. It conveys the fact that luxury through a Volvo S80 is not rash luxury, but comes with a sense of responsibility. (**)
Brand’s Positioning: The ad chooses to speak about a certain level of unparalleled luxury. Why veer away from safety, the robust premise of Volvo for years? India is not so much a safety conscious market when it comes to cars, as opposed to the high emphasis on safety globally. Besides, there is so much a Volvo could talk about! Volvo had an opportunity to educate the country about Safety and its importance and gain leadership by differentiation. I guess they are failing to leverage the international positioning of Volvo by not using ‘safety’. Volvo and safety are almost synonymous world-wide. Luxury with safety could have been a better premise since safety is a sine qua non. (**)
Target Audience Connect: Two things – first, safety and luxury are definitely not interchangeable. Second, the Scandinavian design makes no promise of any kind to grab interest. In a category of German beauties which includes BMW, Audi, and Merc, one does understand that even though not catering to a mass audience, the premium car category is certainly an evolved one. ‘But 30 lakh bucks is a big amount so, tell me something more’ – that’s today’s Indian consumer for you. Luxury is about discovery – a discovery of the product. Comfort, meanwhile, is a bit generic – and this strategy seems all garbled, somewhere in between. (**)
Freshness: However, this ad being an international campaign, the agency has not executed it. This is not an adaptation at all, but a gross reflection of its international ad (esp the Russian version). IMAO, is there really a need to hire an agency if Volvo doesn’t heed to cultural variations & their implications? Look at the ad’s total feel & the VO- they are firangi… Volvo shouldn’t copy if it doesn’t know how to paste. Also the ad is completely focused on luxury, fair enough… but how can a Honda Civic, Toyota Camry ad differs from Volvo ad. (*)
Verdict: If I am paying so much money and if I am a leader, I better be concerned about safety. I am not the Aam Aadami who is not aware and not open to safety as a concept. Undoubtedly, this could have been a better ad, had it been discussed the views taken from other people. Responsible leader as a proposition for an attitude is generic… can fit for a car, watch, suit, etc. It is not a high ground benefit to own, where safety is a high ground benefit owned by Volvo worldwide… why dilute the sturdy benefit in India? It is absolute rubbish to arrive that safety is not a requirement in India. On the contrary safety could have been highlighted because with the inadequate surface transport infrastructure, accidents are common in low speeds in India.
Little Nice, Little Naughty
May 3rd
Tag line: Thodi Shararat, Thodi Sharafat
Client: Frito Lay
Brand: Aliva Crackers
Creative Agency: JWT
Creative Director: Soumitra Karnik
Creative Team: Sachin Das Burma, Amish Sabharwal, Kunal Gaur
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Production House: Blue Sky Mind Communications
Duration: 40 secs
Year: 2009
Story: The Aliva ad is a fun commercial highlighting the light and playful interaction between a young couple & tries linking it to the product which has the sharafat of wheat and daal and the shararat of chatpate flavous. It showcases a progressive young Indian woman who is confident, fun and an individual in her own right while nurturing and taking care of the needs of her young family.
Message: The story gets given away when the wife opens the cupboard and the pack is shown. The suspense could have been maintained till the end. The brand should never have been revealed till after the guy burst in and asked, ‘Kaun Hai?’ It’s like giving away the punch line of a joke in the middle and still expecting the joke to work as hard.
The tag line is also nothing to talk about compared to Lay’s earlier campaign ‘No one can eat just one’ or Bingo’s ‘No Confusion, Great Combination’. The launch ad also does not highlight the core positioning of a healthy snack. There was too much focus on the plot rather than the brand. (**)
Freshness: We have seen this theme earlier if not for a snack brand then for some other category. If the brand talks about being chatpata, it fails to show that in the TVC. The launch ad is nothing great to talk about. The theme is not new and there is no big idea. The brand could have come out with some clutter breaking stuff but chose to go for a lousy also-ran commercial. (*)
Sex Appeal: No chemistry exists between the guy and Chitrangada. The dubbing’s all flat especially on the guy’s side. The ‘cute factor’ quite vital to this category is just missed. Also, an aside, it is tough to assume that any man with a beautiful wife like Chitrangada Singh would be whiling time away at the office. And it’s like watching a badly executed play with amateur actors. (*)
Verdict: As its positioning, Aliva has chosen the ‘taste with health’ combination that many food brands are adopting now. When we have commercials like those for Bingo chips happening in and around the category, there’s really no excuse for marketers and advertisers to do stuff like this. It is boring, hopelessly outdated and just not funny. However, it may make better sense to find a new, more compelling argument for the brand. Why harp about the ‘chatpata‘ taste (fast becoming synonymous with mischief), with all the ideas that lie unexplored.
A Paint for Those Proverbial ‘Castles in the Air’
Apr 20th
Tag line: Apex Ultima with Colour Stay
Client: Asian Paints Ltd
Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Creative Director: NA
Production House: NA
Duration: 60 secs
Year: 2010
Asian Paints has been a great example of how a brand operating in a low involvement category like paints can carve a niche in the hearts of consumers. The new Apex Ultima film has been targeted at the high end consumer. The communication focuses on the ‘color stay’ property of the brand through an engaging film. But like the concept, will the ad ‘stay’? That’s the question.
The new ad for Apex Ultima paints from Asian Paints tries to establish the long-lasting property of the product. It shows a magician trying to make a castle disappear. He performs the trick, but the castle still seems to be standing. That’s when he touches a wall, only to realize that while the paint remains, the walls have actually disappeared.
It was only a competitive streak of ‘I will get it before you can get it’ in me that forced me to ‘crack’ the idea embedded in the spot — that when the building disappeared, only the paint stays. Wow. There is so much chaos around the magic that the girl who gives the key clue to us, ‘Hey, it’s just the paint!’, is lost(watch the film carefully). Moreover when magician is shown worried that his magic trick has failed and later he wipes the sweat over his forehead, it gives a negative vibe. The shot where the magician pokes into the ‘paint’ is too desperate. It just looks like a big-budget film altogether.
It’s an ad with demonstration in it, but when you have to show that ‘Hey look this is the idea, please get it’, it’s not fun any more. No idea is great if it has to be explained and is not self explanatory. If a gentleman needs to announce that the person is a famous magician, if a lady has to tell that he is gonna make castle disappear and if another lady needs to explain in the end that its just the paint then the idea is not executed. If the actions in itself would have explained what is happening in that huge set up then that would have really been a great idea with even better execution.
I believe it communicates the idea that it lasts really long and even though it doesn’t match up to the ‘Sunil Babu‘ commercial, it still gets the message across. The ad is though conceptually very strong but is not convincing enough.
