Hilarious spot for Vigorsol Air Action Xtreme chewing gum. Exaggeration is at the heart of confectionery advertising as they have to dramatize even seemingly trivial features. Since it is a low involvement category, advertising seeks to entertain the audience, hoping that the ‘likeability’ of the ads get transferred to the brand subliminally. In this spot, the cooling sensation of the gum is highlighted with a take off from the ‘Kill Bill’ sequence arguing that one…
I strongly believe that advertising for a good cause, especially those which call for action must have these attributes: (a) a cause many can identify with (b) an action that is easy to perform (c) specifically outlined donation – either a pre-determined amount of money to donate, a minimum amount to give away or some other clear action and more importantly (d) an act that comes naturally for us. In this context, UNICEF’s Tap Project…
Digital immigrants like yours truly cannot stop marvelling at the ease with which today’s kids adapt to technology. We’ve all seen our own kids take to iPads and smartphones like fish to water. The phrase ‘they seem to be born with it’ is given a literal expression in this new ad for MTS 3G Plus network, highlighting its data superiority. Agency: Creativeland According to the agency: The TVC has been produced by Smuggler films and…
At the recently concluded Social Media Week event in Bangalore, one of the panelists at a discussion said that the classic ‘Brand Positioning Statement’ is dead. This was in the context of today’s digital media being conducive for two-way communication with consumers who have their own perceptions about a brand. It is another matter that the same discussion went on to talk about crowd sourcing brand positioning statements from fans through digital media. My unsolicited…
‘People don’t want to have conversations with a beer brand’, said the incomparable @rameshsrivats at a Social Media Week in Bangalore last week. This was in the context of building brands in digital media in response to how brands have very poor ‘engagement rates’ and ‘conversations’ on Facebook. He also made the point about today being the age of brands ‘doing’ things rather than merely saying through advertising. Done well, it leads to people talking…
Two new spots from Volkswagen, UK convey the idea that quality comes at a price. The creative idea is to convey the downsides of choosing ‘bargain price’ and by implication, poor quality. It has been done by several brands especially those fighting the ‘this is cheap and good enough, why go for a pricier brand?’ mentality. The difference is that in these ads, the impending disaster is only implied and this very aspect is what…
Repartees are always good fun. This anecdote attributed to Winston Churchill is one of the famous ones: Nancy Astor was an American socialite who married into an English branch of the wealthy Astor family (she holds the distinction of being the first woman to be seated in Parliament). At a 1912 dinner party in Blenheim Palace—the Churchill family estate—Lady Astor became annoyed at an inebriated Winston Churchill, who was pontificating on some topic. Unable to…
Loved the design and art direction in these ads for Public Transport, Victoria. They pass the first test of advertising: noticeability – you just cannot ignore these ads. And they transport you to the actual setting of a train even in a static medium like print. Brilliant. Agency: GPY&R The ads drive home the point in a subtle yet memorable manner. For a minute I was left wondering if these were actual installations inside a…
Time and again, market share is mentioned by companies, analysts and media as a measure of how successful a brand is. Sure it is a measure, but just one of the measures of success. While market share is a motive for all companies, not all of them need to live and die by it. Companies can have different measures for success – from overall profitability to margins to average customer yield and so on. In…
A recent IAA event in Chennai debated and declared that ‘there will be no consumer connect, unless advertising is created for each South market’. There were some solid arguments for and against the notion. There is truth in this argument for the motion: Any brand coming into the South has to exhibit an understanding of the people, their language, their traditions, their local context – if it needed to thrive in the South. While this,…