Know Thy Breaks
Uncategorized
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.
Pocketing ‘Pace With Portability’
May 28th
Tag line: Speed You Can Carry
Client: Tata Teleservices
Brand: Tata Photon +
Creative Agency: Contract Advertising
Exec Creative Director: Raj Nair
Copywriter: Raj Nair
Art Director: Manish Asgaonkar
Director: Ravi Udyawar
Production House: Ravi Udyawar Films
Duration: 45 secs
Year: 2009
Story: Based around the creative proposition of ‘carrying speed in one’s pocket’, the commercial opens on the VO asking people what they are carrying with them on that particular day. The spot then goes on to feature a series of montage shots with people from different age groups & backgrounds talking about what they carry along with themselves, on a typical day. The VO then talks about Tata Photon + & how it offers consumers the chance to carry speed handy.
Message: The thought has the insight that as individuals, we all carry around something or the other with us– things of use to us, things of not so much use to us. Things that are tangible, as well as intangible like feelings, emotions. Other players offering broadband talk about speed more than portability, wherein Tata’s focus is on combining the two, namely, the benefit of portable speed. It doesn’t harp on only about speed, because that becomes a game of constant catch up, and would have been too narrow based as an approach. (****)
TG Connect: Going by the technologically advanced category itself & catering to an impatient generation that doesn’t like to wait, it doesn’t surprises much that all the players have been focussing on the youth and treating them as their core TG. But what does is that none them have shown any sign of exploiting the small town or the rural markets with such service. Such areas, where wired infrastructure may be a bit difficult to work out, can more easily be fed with the wireless advantage. That way, they should not be happy with just reaching the urban youth & the office goer, and look beyond instead. (**)
Execution: A simple concept is executed with hypnotic visuals, reminding people of the kind of things they carry and informing them of the fact that now they can carry speed, wherever, whenever. The montage film has been made interesting so that it would connect with the youth, but it has been without making an over-kill by doing fast cuts and extensive CG, which is the run-of-the-mill way to go about a film, which is about fast broadband service. (***)
Freshness: With the youth on target & the on-the-go culture a key element of their communication, it’s off-beat though distinguishable to show speed without going fast. Cos it kinda shows the slowness of the prevalent networks through the POV of people from different walks of life. In a new product category such as this, it was easy to dwell on the benefits, but those were obvious facts to talk about. So it’s better to make speed and portability cool and desirable, marrying speed with mobility. (***)
Verdict: What is keeping these brands away from brand building exercises cos factually none of the brands have engaged in any kind of brand building exercise, but instead jumped headlong into showcasing the benefits of the brand. So let’s wait & watch how long it will take for this category’s advertising to move from functional benefits to deeper, emotional bonds?
Bathe Yourself In Nirvana
May 9th
Tag line: Get Charged
Client: HSIL (Hindustan Sanitaryware & Industries)
Brand: Hindware Bathroom
Creative Agency: Hakuhodo Percept
Exec Creative Director: Manish Masih
Director: Kiran Deohans
Production House: Candid Creations
Duration: 30 secs
Year: 2009
Rationale: With the tag line ‘Get Charged’, Hindware, the unprecedented market leader in sanitary ware has rolled out its new commercial aiming to build an emotional cord between the brand and the customers. People spend millions of rupees on interiors, exteriors or paints but when it comes to designing a bathroom people seem to compromise, despite the fact that a bathroom is the most essential part of your home. Bathrooms have also come to occupy much mind-space and share of wallet over the years and the company seeks to capitalize on these to grow its business.
Message: Today, a bathroom is not a just small cubical part of any home; it’s an attitude of the people who live in that place as well as a relaxation place cause people are looking for rejuvenation. At the other end of the scale such a brand have got people using the bathroom as a ‘wellness centre’ (wellness in terms of renewal) as they want to work upon the body. So you’ve got hydrotherapy happening in the baths using jets, you have massage showers– you have quite full-on bodywork happening in the bathroom. (***)
Target Audience Connect: Hindware has almost made it in changing the perception of a bathroom in the customer’s mind and making it exciting for a person to spend time in the bath, absorbing the ambience, unwind & relax, keeping in mind the hectic schedule they have in today’s working scenario. The ad targets the middle and upper class as well as the high-end customers. HSIL seems restructuring its portfolio to appeal to the middle and upper middle classes. (****)
Freshness: HSIL tries to create a product differentiation for itself in a market that also has several international sanitary ware brands. It felt & understood the human psyche correctly. So, it has highlighted that given today’s hectic lifestyles, people’s personal space has shrunk. And the bathroom has been projected as the only place free from interference where one can spend some moments alone & be at peace doing various activities 
for which otherwise he doesn’t have the time; e.g. listen to some music, do yoga, read books, etc. (****)
Verdict: Sanitary ware and faucets have become a style statement in present times. Thus, Hindware tracing its competition on electronic media, moved on from its print campaign making an effective foray into the telly to make a statement. The new brand communication simply redefines the spaces by making them the most exclusive place for distressing and rejuvenating life. Hopefully this powerful theme will garner consumer focus and establish brand resonance in customer minds as this new theme is universal in its brand appeal and transcends different target audiences.
Night Shift For A ‘Cool’ Cause
May 6th
Tag line: Breathe Easy
Client: Blue Star
Brand: Blue Star AC
Creative Agency: Interface Communications
National Creative Director: Robby Mathew
COO: Joe Thaliath
Copy Supervisor: Pratim Putatanda
Director: Sunhil Sippy
Production House: Highlight Films
Duration: 40 secs
Year: 2010
Story: The Blue Star company has recently launched a new TVC promoting its cooling solutions for homes. It features a man who walks in his sleep and subconsciously strolls around and finally reaches his office which is cooled by Blue Star. The ad ends with the man sleeping in his home and the camera shows a Blue-Star AC in his room.
Insight & Message: The Blue Star split AC commercial is based on the insight that most people associate the cooling they experience in their offices to be superior and more reliable. In the mindset of the consumer, Blue Star is very closely linked to commercial and corporate air-conditioning. Though the insight was clear, to make it interesting and arresting for the target audience, an intriguing creative leap would be needed. This was struck upon in the shape of the Sleepwalker, whose subconscious mind takes him on a seemingly aimless nocturnal stroll, but in reality he is heading to his office which is cooled by Blue Star. (***)
Freshness: It is the creative idea of this particular ad that makes it stand out among other ads in the category. The idea of representing better and superior cooling as office cooling is very appropriate. Especially in Indian context, we have a mindset that the cooling system in our office is very superior. That’s what the commercial tries to cash on & tries to position Blue Star ACs for home as superior to other ACs for home cooling as it promises office-like cooling. (***)
Verdict: Blue Star dominates in the commercial cooling and refrigeration space. But the company is trying to make a cut into the residential cooling space too and that’s why it has launched a whole new brand campaign to leverage the brand’s pedigree should impress the prospective consumers with Blue Star’s high quality products for homes. The idea is clutter- breaking & has been well executed too and that’s what adds to the appeal of the commercial.
