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 another Adobe ad with a rock-song sound track, a clever ad for Sainsbury’s with some amazing camera work and more. Adobe Premiere Pro: Fantastic Voyage In the creative community,…
In real life, if you met someone who chose to give unsolicited comments on everything that’s going on in the world, that too in every available forum, chances are you’d get annoyed. But brands which claim to have a personality and tone of voice, somehow think always on’ social media is good – they have to offer a comment on every occasion and major item of the news cycle. So whether it is a cargo…
It has become customary for brands to see every occasion (such as Earth Day) or big news event as an opportunity to create ads – mainly social media creatives. Burger King posted a tweet in the context Women’s Day and got into kerfuffle on media. Eventually they retracted the original tweet which said, ‘Women belong in the kitchen’ not before outrage across media. It got me thinking about the need for context in today’s media…
Koo is a micro-blogging platform launched in March 2020 for the Indian market. A plus point in comparison to Twitter is that the app allows for posts in several Indian languages (aside from English). While social media platforms have facilitated posts in major Indian languages, Koo plans to allow posts in regional languages such as Konkani and Manipuri. Its founders are serial entrepreneurs who previously built businesses such as TaxiForSure (a cab hailing service acquired…
Since we live in a world where everyone and every thing is under the microscope thanks to social media, I had said that it might make some brands wary of some new initiatives and look for elements that may offend some group or the other. That does not mean that brands which hitherto took a stance or made a comment on societal trends or some values will suddenly stop doing so. In any case, my…
Ad agency professionals and their clients – the marketing folks at enterprises, pretty much know that a majority of the ads are simply ignored by consumers. Now there’s a new phenomenon to worry about: social media outrage. Ad avoidance is a phenomenon not limited to digital advertising where a CTR of minuscule percentages is seen as a good metric. The problem has existed right from the days of traditional media – be it billboards, print…
Recently, a well-known Indian news personality was in the news after she put out a statement on Twitter that she had been tricked into leaving the company in June after she became the “victim of a very serious phishing attack” that led her to believe she’d been hired as a journalism professor at Harvard. The news was widely discussed on social media with various theories and speculation on how someone seemingly so aware could be…
Titan Industries, known for its watch and jewellery brands, released an ad which evoked a polarised reaction on social media. While one group praised it, another group raised objections and called for a boycott of the brand itself. In response, the company decided to take the ad off air. No, I was NOT referring to the recent ‘Ekatvam’ ad for Tanishq jewellery but to the ad for ‘Tamil Nadu Collection’ of watches which came under…
Advertising has changed over the years. Or shall we say it has evolved and adapted as it always does, to suit the media environment, consumer trends and changing times? Deep down, the fundamentals of advertising and marketing have and will remain the same forever. Products & services have to meet a genuine human need, solve genuine problems or capitalise on valid opportunity. Communication has to break the clutter, offer a proposition which is relevant in…
The dearth of good ads during the IPL 2020 broadcast was discussed in social media and trade portals recently. The use of celebrities as a default option was also mentioned in this context. Some asked if working remotely led to a dearth of good IPL ads this year. In my view, the constraints of the lockdown periods were applicable to all. Yet, some managed to still create clutter breaking communication as seen even in the…