By Gokul Krishnamoorthy
Ariel | See The Signs | #ShareTheLoad
An immutable and undeniable truth about relationships – of any kind, actually – has been brought to life in this leg of #ShareTheLoad. Inequality and the sense of it is enough to dent self esteem. When a bond is expected to be a relationship of equals, it hurts to be giving endlessly and one ‘gives up’. Even when it is not expected to be a bond of equals, one still gives up because it is untenable. What the film also captures beautifully is the very Indian nature of staying put in the relationship – without advocating it. This is a winner from Ariel that elevates the #ShareTheLoad platform. The makers should be given more credit than they ever get for meaningfully keeping the campaign alive with resonant slices of life.
Titan Raga | #LoveYourselfBoldly
One could not have asked for a better ambassador for a ‘bold and beautiful’ pitch. But Alia was on board already. So what’s new here? A seamless integration of message and product range – from the ‘bling’ to ‘’delicate’ to ‘young’ and the labels that come along with them. Told with a product display that you actually don’t mind at all, because it’s part of the narrative. This is writing to die for. Ticks all the boxes and then some.
P&G Shiksha | Bridging the #InvisibleGap
Another initiative that we have come to love over the years, as much for the communication as for the purpose it serves, has moved up a rung in its evolution. From education for the underprivileged and the need for it, P&G Shiksha is now talking about the #InvisibleGap. This is indeed evolution. And it has been evocatively told.
EcoLink | Bachat Ka Link
Full marks for use of celebrity and single-minded purpose. Why beat around the bush when the message is simply ‘Bachat’?
Godrej ACs | Leak Proof | Things Made Thoughtfully
Brilliant. ‘Things Made Thoughtfully’ is great articulation of the brand positioning. This TVC is fantastic interpretation of it with relevance to the category and its problems. A diaper to plug AC leaks is as lateral as it gets. Allows the brand to cut across in 20 seconds or less.
Fastrack | Necessary Not Accessory
Fastrack has taken it upon itself to underline that sunglasses are a necessity, not an accessory. With some use cases. It has also consciously used ‘wraps’ in its comms. While the thinking is in place as one would expect from a Titan brand, the execution is also above par. It’s about time someone evangelised the category and its functional benefits. Who better than Fastrack to say it memorably and entertainingly?
Tata Power | De Power Ko Green Signal
Tata Power rides on the power of the soundtrack and visuals to make an impact. The storyline of bringing electricity to power deficient areas and the pitch to go solar on Earth Day work in unison for the brand.
Mountain Dew | Hum Dar Se Aage
This could have happened as well only in Punjabi. For two reasons. One if the penchant for music videos and the other is the ‘courage’ peg. ‘Dar humse bhaage’ sounds like sompletely natural.
Shyam Steel | Flexi Strong
If memory serves me right, the brand has been going on about ‘flexi’ and this film fits the agenda perfectly. To arrive at a premise in categories like steel and deliver it time and again is an achievement. The spot has a filmy feel and strikes a chord. That said, a crisper edit could have helped the brand cut though sharper.
Mother Dairy | Kulfis | Mother Promise
Wow. What else do you say? On product. On season. On consumer. On brand. This is a marketing team on song. Play on.
Crompton Greaves | Energy Saving Ka Vaada; Hava Adhuri Nahin, Zyada
You cannot imagine this as a radio spot. The entire idea is compressed into one fantastic visual of a face that presents both sides of the premise: compromise in the name of energy saving. In this commercial, visualisation is king. Strategically too, this seems fairly thought through. Haven’t seen too many brands cross referencing compromise in the name of energy savings. Come summer, and we all ask: energy saving? At what cost? I am unable to relate to fans and energy saving as much as air conditioning and energy saving, but I am sure there is a case and audience for this too.
Spotify | Dosti Main No Breaks
‘Ad free’ doesn’t come across as strongly, arguably, as the power and pull of music does. Spotify uses music to great effect one more time with a relatable premise.
Parle Hide & Seek | Start Your Story
Parle continues to look at story starters as Hide & Seek continues to play the mush game with high decibel advertising. It could well do that in the absence of competition within the biscuits space. Pleasant and up there on production values, this should create mindspace for Hide & Seek.
7 Up | Super Duper Refresher (Tamil)
When you have a composer on board, why bother with the TVCs? The music video approach works, thanks to some application. The Houdini effort and soundtrack make an impression.
(First published on FE BrandWagon Online. Powered by ClutterCutters.in. Feedback: gokul.campaign@gmail.com.)
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