The Campaign
What if cats could talk? What if they could appreciate how frustrating it is to deal with casual and irresponsible maids and cooks at home?What if the cats could converse with you through TV and help you find a solution to your problem? And what if that solution means shopping? Doesn?t add up, right? Indeed. Because such things do not happen in real life. What has been described above is just the story line of HomeShop18’s latest television commercial.
The commercial explores the witty world of Sunny and Billy ? two animated cats who represent HomeShop18 and take us through the joy of shopping.
In the ad, Billy, the father and Sunny, the son, sit across a table and strike a conversation with the audience. The topic? What else but shopping! They explain to the viewers the benefits and the joy of shopping on HomeShop18?s TV channel, website and through the mobile app.
Just like real life shop owners, the cats inform the viewers about the various product categories that are available on the platform and how easy it is to shop from there. Billy and Sunny elaborate on the various items available on HomeShop18 – branded food-processors, microwaves and rice-cookers – that could help the “aunty” at home take care of all the cook’s tantrums. And yes, they have different products for mopping and cleaning, too. After all, as Sunny observes, even the ?uncle? should also have some work to do at home when the maid does not turn up. The commercial finally ends with the jingle, ‘Shopping makes me happy, happy, HomeShop18 makes me happy’.
Our Take
Shopping for many a consumer is a stress-busting, mood-uplifting, recreational activity. It seems HomeShop18 wanted to build its commercial on this premise and strike an instant connect with those viewers who love retail therapy. The premise is indeed simple, and the use of cats and metaphors such as ‘uncle’ and ‘aunty’ lent a light humorous twist to it, too. The jingle ? ?Shopping Makes Me Happy? is also quite straight and uncomplicated. Yet, the campaign fails to stand out in the cacophony of messages we are constantly bombarded with.
Designed by Creativeland Asia, the story line and its narrative have no element of freshness. They don?t make us sit up and listen to Sunny and Billy?s conversation. The conversation is familiar as it is the kind of stuff one overhears at the mom-and-pop stores in one’s neighborhood. Yet, two cats talking like real human beings isn’t able to give it a real touch. The talk between two animated characters seems non-serious and non-real.
To be sure, cats are popular on the internet. In fact, it is easy to make cat videos the most watched ones online. The chances of such videos going viral are high. But that’s only on the internet. Will cats find takers among TV audiences, too, is a qustion that the creative team needed to have pondered upon..
Campaign: Shopping
Brand: HomeShop18
Company : HomeShop18 Pvt Ltd
Agency: Creativeland Asia