Know Thy Breaks
Posts tagged Sajan Raj Kurup
Hey! The ‘Grapes’ Ain’t That Sour
May 20th
Tag line: Two Cool Drinks To Hang Out With
Client: Parle Agro
Brand: Grappo Fizz
Creative Agency: Creativeland Asia
Creative Director: Sajan Raj Kurup
Director: Mark Bethune
Production House: Crocodile Films
Duration: 20 & 30 secs
Year: 2009
Story: Parle Agro has launched a new brand Grappo Fizz. Grappo Fizz is a sparkling grape drink similar to the successful Appy Fizz. Grappo Fizz is launched as a cousin of Appy Fizz. The drink has a unique taste, look and also interesting positioning as a Cool Drink. Parle Agro is trying to replicate the success of Appy with the new grape drink. Fizz Bros wear a suave look – a new label with cool graphics and a fun personal profile in the TVC.
Message: The campaign creates bonding between these drink brands and their target audience, which is represented by anyone who is light hearted, youth-oriented and fun loving. Known for its whacky commercials and unique sense of humor, in this campaign, Grappo Fizz is introduced as Appy Fizz’s cousin from London. The TVC weaves an entire brand persona around Grappo Fizz who is introduced as a ‘youthful rapper’. While it highlights the launch of Grappo Fizz, it also dramatizes the differences between Appy Fizz and Grappo Fizz. (****)
Freshness: Grappo Fizz is trying to create another niche like its cousin. Grape is a neglected flavor in the Indian market. Grappo tries to fill in this gap of grape based drinks in India. Grappo shares every branding element with its cousin. The packaging is the same, the nature of the drink is the same and the positioning is also the same. Parle Agro has strengthened the personification of newly launched grape drink Grappo Fizz as cool individual focusing on the hilarity that occurs when two really funny cousins & their friends gang up. The advert is just that – funny meets stylish. And the result is a rocker. (***)
Verdict: Like Appy Fizz, Grappo Fizz is not just about the brand in a bottle but an entire brand persona woven around it. But it should have been Grappy and not Grappo; somewhere the sound of Grappo is not quite right as it doesn’t rhyme & thus compromises somewhere with the true feel of their brotherhood. The biggest catch here is– Why should Grappo share the same tag line as Appy… as if they will always be together in ads? If so then what is the differentiation of Appy? Having all said, the brand does build the reputation of being a witty, opinionated, young and cool drink to hang out with.
Frooti & Its Fans Going Gaga Over Gags
Apr 27th
Tag line: Juicy Mango Surprise
Client: Parle Agro Pvt Ltd.
Creative Agency: Creativeland Asia
Creative Director: Sajan Raj Kurup
Director: Prakash Varma
Production house: Nirvana Films
Duration: 50secs
Year: 2010
Story: From its rhythmic ‘Mango Frooti, Fresh and Juicy’ days to the current attitude-loaded ‘Why grow up’, the brand has come a long way. This time the brand experimented by catching regular passers-by on camera by dropping a gigantic mango on them and capturing their reactions. Seems it has started off with trying to think of the various ways in which the brand could own the word ‘mango’.
Idea & Execution: We’ve seen campaigns featuring giant eyeballs, giant vegetables, giant noses and giant footballs. So at a concept level, a giant mango isn’t as new as, say, a talking mango or a mango that can do math. The creative idea, Juicy mango surprise, is admittedly fertile but doesn’t contain insight. The treatment, however, stays true to the ‘candid’ style. The casting is spot on. Everything looks realistic, including the giant mango. (****)
Freshness: The idea of candid camera for an ad is nice. But, frankly, 10 years ago this would have been fresh as an execution. Today one has seen too much of these kind of gags on Pogo & Chhupa Rustam type of shows. So why is everyone raving about its originality? Let’s enjoy and move on. The other problem here with candid camera is ‘canned’ laughter. Indians don’t like anything canned, be it food or emotions. In India, we’re used to hearing stories ‘visually’ & for us to truly enjoy the laughter, we need to see the source. (***)
Verdict: Does the ad do justice to the brand’s iconic stature? When it was launched, Frooti was insanely different from its competitors. And the communication was packed with almost as much ‘juice’ as a mango itself. It had music, lots of energy (in the characters as well as the camera movements) and highly appetizing mango shots. The current ad is an exercise in minimalism. The mood is laid-back, realistic sound in place of music and zero ‘appetite shots’. The earlier communication (ad) was like a spontaneous outburst, this looks like a guarded assault on the mind of the thirsty consumer. Our verdict is: More YouTube hits but there might be more misses than hits on the hearts of consumers.
Maybe Creativeland Asia should add a disclaimer to the advert: ‘No citizens were hurt in the making of these ads’ 
Parle’s well-baked Hippo-crispy Spot
Apr 3rd
Tag line: Fight Hunger, Fight Evil
Creative agency: Creativeland Asia
Chief creative officer: Sajan Raj Kurup
Executive creative director: Vikram Gaikwad
Creative director: Anu Joseph
Production house: Equinox Films
Director: Ram Madhvani
Background: Till now, the brand’s marketing strategy has been focused on distribution & retail visibility. Having completed a nationwide rollout, Hippo has come up with its first television commercial that takes a fresh look at the role snacks can play in society. The TVC is seen through the hippo’s (brand mascot) view as he goes to every scene of crime, war or conflict, offering each of the involved parties some Hippo chips. Everybody happily obliges and takes a bite, and this is shown to resolve all issues. As the series continues, the voiceover goes on to say that the root cause of all evil in the world is hunger. “So please, don’t be hungry,” it appeals. The song ‘Pyaar baat te chalo’ (Keep spreading the love) which doubles up as the background music, plays a pivotal role in helping the TVC communicate its message. More >
