One yardstick of knowing whether an Indian ad campaign has touched a chord – at least among the advertising community is the number of comments in online trade portals: when you have more than 10 comments about an article, you know its generating buzz…er, quite like my blog. I got to know about the launch of Audi A8L and the 3D campaign from trade publications. I was surprised to see some negative comments (seemed like…
The unexpected nature of lottery tickets – the ability to transform the lives of even the most ordinary folks has been a favourite theme of Lottery Brands. I remember seeing a print ad for Lotto in a One Show or D&AD mag: visual of a beer-bellied, unkempt bloke in a vest watching TV in what looks like a palace. The tag line ‘Hey, you never know’ completed the loop in your head. Here is another…
Jokes about the general pointlessness of social media networks abound. They are seen as good for idle talk and sharing photos. While that is perhaps the overarching perception, we’ve read about brands & individuals using these tools for a social cause. I got to witness it first hand yesterday: while the news of actor AK Hangal’s poor health and penury made the headlines, individuals turned to Facebook to garner support. My good friend and a…
Aside from scam awards, there is one other contentious issue among advertising creatives: creative indulgence. Meaning: ads that are meant to satisfy the creative urge of the creative team rather than meet the business needs of the client. One such campaign is the one for Brand Capital. Series of ads, with logos that look like famous brands – Johnson & Johnson, Samsung etc., are juxtaposed with Indian names. Arresting campaign, brings a smile. I presume…
The ‘product window’ – usually the most glossed over section in a TV script. Treated as the mandatory section after the ‘setup’ and the ‘solution’ and left to the production house for ‘treatment’. There are some scripts on the other hand, which are centered around showcasing the product and what it does. Lurpak’s 2011 spot, Kitchen Odyssey is one such. Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, London Amazing how an omelette could be made this mouth watering.…
The Mac App Store was launched, without the usual fanfare of an Apple launch. The Mac blogs have said positive things about it. Apple announced that downloads from the store topped 1 million on the first day. What does it do? According to Apple PR: The Mac App Store revolutionizes the way applications are installed on a computer — it happens in one step. Enter the same iTunes password you use to buy music and…
‘It runs Android 2.2’ – he said, with much emphasis on ‘2.2’. And in case I didn’t get the significance of 2.2 he added, ‘Froyo’. This was my friend who recently bought an Android handset, giving up a Nokia, I guess. Android has definitely created a buzz well beyond the geeks – there is a definite halo around the brand with the regular consumer. There is a noticeable pride of being associated with a cool…
Mobile Number Portability presents a unique challenge to mobile service operators in India. It presents an opportunity for consumers to churn en masse and its interesting to see marketer’s response. IDEA chose to create dissonance with their Get Idea series. Vodafone India on the other hand has taken a more ‘inclusive’ approach by ‘welcoming everybody’. ‘Everybody’s welcome’ seems like a confident, ‘leadership stance’ kind of statement to make. But there’s no concrete reason provided to…
Amidst all the buzz about social media campaigns and creativity in the digital space, comes along a spot that reminds us about the magic than can be created with the good old TV spot. Here’s a spot for H2Oh! – a drink from Pepsico. Agency: BBDO, Argentina Nice insight about what women do when they are attracted to someone, a memorable visual hook and a story well told in 60 seconds.
The cheeky (and eminently extendable ) ‘probably the best beer in the world’ line of Carlsberg gets a new twist. Menzo, a men’s magazine carried a print ad for Carlsberg – one had to tear out the page, fold the paper along the marked lines and fold it in two. Now you can open a bottle of Carlsber with it. Agency: DuvalGuillaume In case you can’t access Menzo, there’s a handy pdf of the instructions.…