The trouble with creating a super-success in advertising is that, the expectations are high for the sequels. Perfetti India and its agencies have consistently produced good commercials that are effective in the marketplace. But like in movies, sequels suffer from comparison to the original. Mentos appears to feel a similar pinch with their new ‘missing link’ TVC.
I can recall at least 4 renditions of the ‘Dhimagh ki batti jalade’ idea for Mentos (dart boards, classroom, saloon and auditorium). Each of them highlighted the ingenuity of the protagonist to wiggle out of tight situations, thanks to his Mentos. Of the lot, the class room one was the most popular. It’s appeal was universal – everyone who has ever been to college would have come across such ‘one up on the authority figure’ kind of situations. It made the protagonist endearing because of his impish yet likable behaviour.
I am not too sure if the new film takes the idea of ingenuity forward. I felt it was clearly a case of style over substance. Its at best amusing but unlikely to be as popular as the classroom TVC. But given that the category dynamics which call for regular rotation of creatives, it won’t be long before Mentos comes up with another super hit.
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