Dear Shaadi.com

Please look into your operations. If you can't get find matches for these profiles for over last several months/years, why should people think about you for finding their partners?

I have been seeing this ad for almost a year or even more and every time I look at it, I have the same thought. If the same profiles are still being shown as "looking for partners", isn't it failure of the matrimonial service? Something Shaadi.com's ad firm needs to think about :)

The Hindu - Extremely Effective Ad

I got introduced to this ad through a friend of mine as a comment on my other post related to online advertising. The ad is surely a gem, a must watch, and that is why here I am, writing about it :)

The ad starts with a fairly bland mechanism of taking a survey, apparently surveying the college going students. The questions are pretty simple, so to say and doesn't really need one to comb his/her brain for the answers, well... only if you are reading right things. Questions like "meaning of UPA" - no one is able to answer, about Dhyanchand - respondents were completely ignorant. This heightens when one of the fellow student answers that Ratan Tata's son would be his successor and names him as "Mukesh Ambani"...

By this time the curiocity is at it's height. Are the college students so ignorant about the latest happenings around? Don't the read even the newspaper, forget about in-depth study of some subject or GK for that matter. The last but one question, kind of hints where it is going. Each one of the respondents was feeling triumphant while answering the question - they really knew the answer to the question - What is the nickname of Hritik Roshan (a well known Bollywood star) - Unanimous answer was "Duggu" which obviously was correct. While the answering students were joyous about their answer, next question came - which paper do you read? ...

And it makes it all clear. Each one of them uttered the same name, which very shrewdly is "beeped", but gives sufficient hint to the audience which name is being pronounced. And then follows the punch line -

STAY AHEAD OF THE TIMES

 And a rolling paper comes with it's name on it - The Hindu

Many things to note. A perfect college audience and backdrop picked up for this ad. The respondents chosen seem to be from varied background/culture occupying various places in the college campus - one is doing his exercises, another one just lazying around in the canteen, yet another just standing in the college lobby etc. The expressions given by each kiddo (well ... ) are perfect and do not look like made up expressions. This makes the overall plot very genuine and essentially makes you very susceptible for the last punch.

See the ad here
 

Tata DoCoMo - latest Ad campaign

You might have noticed that Tata Docomo has started a new ad campaign - "No Getting Away. From the the network that always connects, everywhere". 

The tag line is absolutely fantastic, however, it looks like the ad company ran into ideation bankruptcy and churned out some very bad concepts. Case in point - "Wedding". The poor chap is getting married, is in the middle of the ritual and all of a sudden his mobile rings. And he starts talking to his boss. Now, no sane person keeps his mobile with him during the "feras". Moreover, by mistake if someone keeps it, would he really pick it up until the ritual is done? The height is that the ad completely ignores the consumer mindset. Now if your service is going to put me in trouble, why would I opt for it?

Another example is - "Rocking Car". About this ad, I have a mixed feeling. The ad creator is successful in hinting what is happening inside the car, without actually showing anything. But again, from human psychology, why would one choose a service, which is going to be a problem at some point in time?

I have same feeling about all the remaining ads except for the "in the house" ad. This ad is actually going to make me think - good I had a good coverage, otherwise my mobile might have stolen.


Other ads in the same campaign include - "Who is in the cupboard", "Operation Theater", "At the airport"


If you want to watch all the Tata Docomo Ads you can connect to YouTube Channel here.

Jaago Re Latest TVC - Isn't it still a bribe?

I happened to watch the latest Ad from the Jaago Re campaign from Tata Tea and felt something wrong with it.

So far, this Ad campaign has presented few very good concepts for fighting or highlighting corruption, however the latest one seems to be, well, actually promoting corruption.

A young lady is waiting for the license for starting a Beauty Parlor, however, the Babu there starts asking for some "पत्ती". The lady probes him a bit if he wants "छोटी पत्ती या बडी पत्ती". Finally the Babu says, "whatever it is, give it!!"

And this young lady gives him the box of Tata Tea Premium!!

Now-a-days even a half a KG of Tea costs you anywhere between Rs 100 to Rs 200, then this Tata Tea Premium would either be in this range or even higher. If that is the case, isn't it still a bribe? After all you are giving that Babu gift worth of at least Rs 200, isn't it?

Here is the YouTube Link for this ad. And all Jago Re campain Ads could be found here.

Maruti Suzuki DZire

A great ad that caught my eyes after long time. It is not hard selling any of the features of the product, but is simply creating a desire in your mind to own one, if not for nothing else, but to fulfill your own desires :)

This ad comes from Maruti Suzuki, talking about their sedan model - DZire.

A little boy, filled with guilty conscious about lying is seeking some respite by talking it out to his dad. In that attempt, he asks dad, if he has ever lied in his life. Now irritated with such an awkward question, Dad tries to play innocent and say "may be". This gives courage to the son and he speaks out. Tells dad that his friends were being boastful and so he also joined them and told everyone that he has seen ice. The cold reply from dad is - "Tell the truth to everyone on Monday".

This surely is going to disappoint the kid big time, and it actually does. Feeling completely low, the boy reaches home and sleeps. He wakes up in the morning, only to realize that he and his family are already driving towards the ice covered mountains through their car. Overjoyed boy plays to the fullest of his heart content and realizes what his father meant by "Tell the truth" He is so happy now that he knows he doesn't need to lie as his father can fulfill all his desires through DZire. And there comes the desirous statement from the little boy - "Dad, I'll tell my friends that I have seen desert too :)", implying let's go the desert soon..

The kid has given fantastic facial expressions along with amazing toning. His uneasiness about lying, relief to realize his dad may have also lied, and sudden disappointment when Dad asks him to tell the truth, the joy on his face when he sees the ice... all these emotions have been captured very well.

Not much of a focus on the car features, except showing the comfort that one gets in the car, I think the ad does make an impact and feel you desirous of this this car :)

Here is the YouTube Link.

Kent Water Purifier - ab to istemaal karo

For quite a few years now, Kent is running the ad to sell their water purifiers. Initially it was at a level where they were introducing the brand and had a humongous task of breaking down the monopoly of Aquaguard - largest selling water Purifier of India.

Since then the advertisement by Kent has taken multiple turns. Initially it was Isha Deol and her sister, almost around the same time, Hema Malini also got in to the frame. It started sounding like a family affair.

However, it was still okay until the Deol family was asking "aap apana purifier kab badal rahe ho?" (When are you replacing your current water purifier with Kent?) - a fair statement. But if you look at the current version, it is filled with complete helplessness and clearly pointing out that Kent has not acquired as much share as they wanted in last couple of years. Read the tag line - "aap apana purifier badal rahe ho naa?" (Are you changing the purifier or not? - skepticism all over the ad)

Here you can find one of the older clips. and for the current one - watch any of the IPL season 3 matches and you can see the difference :)

Sone se bhi Sona lage - Sizzling Aish with Abhishek

In their first every commercial together, Aishwarya and Abhishek have definitely created a magic. Together, both of them are now endorsing the much sought after brand of Lux Soap.

The theme of the ad revolves around how a wife entices her tired husband to go after her even after the day long work!! The glimpses of Ash using Lux, the naughty looks that she gives throughout those 40 seconds, it's simply awesome. The moment she nears Abhishek to blindfold him, see the expressions on Abhi's face - it clearly depicts how he gets mesmerized with the fragrance from Lux and then the chase begins. The sensuous moves from Ash sizzles through the ad, making Abhishek run behind her through the house. And when finally both of them hug, the brand name appears on the buildings visible through full length windows - Lux -background music becomes audible - soNe se bhi soNaa lage...

The thing I liked - fantabulous chemistry, vivid expressions and obviously the beauty queen Aishwarya :)

Here is the youtube URL - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJ46a_xNugY