Every week, I attempt to share a compilation of clutter-breaking creative ads and occasionally some commentary on the business of advertising. As many have noted, a majority of the ads out there go un-noticed, so managing to break the clutter is actually a big deal. This week’s compilation includes funny set of ads for Tata Tea’s Kanan Deva tea aimed at the Kerala market, Prega News’ tear jerker #SheIsCompleteInHerself for Women’s Day, a global ‘Made-in-India’ ad for Levis and more.
Tata Tea Kanan Devan tea: The Unique Taste Loved By Kerala
When an ad catches a viewer’s attention, keeps them hooked and then evokes a smile, laughter or tear as the message is driven home it is a triumph for advertising. Making the viewer feel something, tapping an emotion is no mean achievement – that too in 30 or 60 seconds. While no viewer is likely to articulate it as ‘striking a chord’ that’s what brand owners aim for, to create an affinity towards a brand. When the product differentiation is minimal such affinity is a great competitive edge. One’s preferred brand of tea, much like newspapers, is a habit I guess and it’s tough to get people to switch brands.
In this context, Tata Tea has been aiming to capture hearts with a region-specific approach: ads which capture the local flavour (no pun intended). ‘Dil se rich dilli’ and ‘Dumdaar Uttar Pradesh‘ were part of the campaign earlier. A new ad meant for Kerala and promoting the local brand Kanan Devan, highlights the various dialects of Malayalam across the state – the premise being that only those who are ‘raised in its soil’ will understand this diversity. Loved the creative strategy and the execution, especially in the context of many regional ads made in Mumbai being out of touch with local sensibilities or have poor execution in terms of translation or lip sync. Apparently it has gone viral on WhatsApp and it’s not surprising that Keralites are loving it – the yearning to identify with concepts, ideas, people and way of life which we can call our own is universal.
Agency: Mullen Lintas
Prega News: #SheIsCompleteInHerself
Going by the title card prepared for YouTube and the fact that this ad has been written about in mainstream Indian media it is clear that the intent was to ‘make it go viral’. While I am not a big fan of overly emotional, treacly ads aimed at tugging at the heart strings, one can sense right from the first frame that it is leading up to garnering sympathy and tears for the protagonist. And it works (3.5mn views at the time of writing). The brand needs to be commended for taking a different approach to Women’s Day (when most brands usually pay tribute to role models and achievers) focusing on the sensitive issue of infertility, which ‘affects one in six couples in India and the circumstances around them make them suffer in silence‘.
Agency: SG Dream Media
Levis: We All Move
Celebrity as brand ambassador. Check. Montage of visuals of women doing celebratory, happy stuff. Check. Catchy jingle. Check. The new ad for Levis, which is meant to be a global campaign featuring actress Deepika Padukone is out. I liked the base line, ‘When you take a step, we all move’ and the remixed version of a popular Bappi Lahiri hit gives the film the right vibes, makes it peppy. But one has to wonder if the film would get the same attention if it did not have the celebrity as a protagonist and is also pretty close to the Nike ‘Da Da Ding’ film in terms of structure and execution. Nevertheless, it feels on brand and in line with category advertising aimed at appealing to the youth.
Agency: Spring Capital
It also ticks other boxes such as not limiting the portrayal to ‘models’ but portraying regular folks. The track is also likely to find favour with a global audience as they may see it as quaint and intriguing. While I have seen mostly positive reviews, the response can be seen as mixed:
Cushelle Koala Academy: donation drive
The recent bushfires in Australia made news the world over. Pictures of Koalas being affected by them moved many of us. A new campaign from a brand of tissues Cushelle delivers the message that ‘Koalas are irreplaceable’ cleverly through some light hearted situations which still manage to convey the idea that Koalas need saving.
Agency: Publicis-Poke
Tata Sky: window to the world
A new ad from Tata Sky will not pass the ‘why is this true only of my brand and not that of the competition’. Yet it is engaging thanks to the wonderful acting, the everyday relatable situations and the jingle.
Agency: Ogilvy
Air France: safety instructions video
Clutter-breaking safety instructions videos have previously generated great PR for brands such as Air New Zealand, British Airways and other airline brands. A new video from Air France cleverly showcases the landmark tourist destinations in France: the Paris Opera, the Château de Versailles, the iconic Eiffel Tower and the legendary Hotel Martinez in the guise of an ‘instructions’ video.
Agency: Aura
Principal: for all its worth
COVID-19 pandemic has forced many to re-evaluate their priorities and aim for a btter work-life balance. The period has also highlighted the importance of relationships and making us discover what we are ‘working for’ when chasing career goals. A new ad from Principal, reminds us to differentiate between ‘wealth’ and ‘worth’.
Agency: TBWA\Chiat\Day
Zomato: weekday based campaign
During the India-England cricket telecast one noticed weekday-based ads highlighting a different theme of cuisine (if pizzas can be called that). I remember noticing the Oriental Wednesday one and if the match had not ended in two days, may have noticed the others too! Both in terms of anchoring a theme to order food in and media planning (limiting an ad to that day) it was a smart move, IMO.
Agency: MagicCircle
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.
