Brands that cut through: Tata Shaktee, Microsoft, Bumble, Standard Chartered, Dabur Red, WinZO, Chupa Chups, Winkies, PGIM, Origami Creative.
Tata Shaktee | #ThankYouKisaan
This Kisaan Diwas will be hard to forget. And so will this lovely little film, for totally different reasons. It’s a very simple exchange between a man and his grandson but it serves as a critical reminder about the farmer’s role in our lives. The usually invisible community is now more than visible and arguably, the common man’s respect for them has only grown with them being in the limelight. We don’t have to take political sides to be able to salute them with folded arms. The brand did just that with this film.
Microsoft | #HumRuknaNahiJaante
Corporate advertising doesn’t normally capture the mood of the nation at that given point in time but Covid19 has allowed some brands the luxury. And Microsoft has used it rather well. The role played by the tech major in our locked down lives is told through stories of the people it empowers. What is wonderful to see here is the naturally empowering portrayal of gender roles and also a young woman with disability – a female athlete training in the lockdown, a young woman reassuring her father to transact online, a woman running a 50k sq. feet factory from home supported by her husband, a young man exploring a fashion designing business after work, and finally the young visually impaired woman receiving news of her appointment as a senior analyst. The spot also manages to package all of this within the ‘unstoppable’ premise. I was waiting to see if they would get something wrong. They didn’t.
Bumble | Pedalling Towards Love
Bumble has received a lot of love for this series and with good reason. This fifth (I think) installment in the #MakeTheFirstMove campaign does not disappoint. It is effortless in putting the girl taking the lead in yet another fresh setting. The setting is a winner and the execution elevates the film. The net result is another adorable exchange and celebration of a budding attraction.
Standard Chartered India | #HereForChange #HereForGood
Communicating CSR can be a tricky business. You can’t look like you’re blowing your own trumpet but you have to. This manages the balancing act admirably with stories of change that are a result of the corporate’s efforts. Those stories are heartwarming and makes the brand endearing. Anushka Sharma’s narration is a welcome respite from the usual.
Dabur Red Paste | #DeshKaLal
Why does this connect so easily and so strongly? The ‘red’ connection between the brand and a patriotic poem and popular expression clicks here. And the execution is well above par.
WinZO | Jeetne Main Kick Hai
New age categories of online gaming and online videos have seen some spunky advertising and this adds to the list. #JeetKaKick is a great proposition for a brand with ‘Win’ in it but one that needed pulling off. WinZO manages to do that with over the top humour. The localised contexts really help. Kudos for making it funny and watchable while driving home the message.
Chupa Chups | #FunKaBooster
Chupa Chups sticks to fun rather funnily here. Smart advertising that plays on smarts. The #FunKaBooster films remind one of the ‘Dimaag ki batti’ school of advertising.
Winkies | Share The Magic (Bengali)
How can you not fall in love with this? An exchange that’s so natural that you can almost predict the ending, but you still love what you see. A film that reminds us why it’s important to keep the magic of Christmas alive.
PGIM India Mutual Fund | Be a Mast Maula for Life
How do you get the young to start thinking of retirement planning? By speaking to them in their own language. In this case, the language is stand-up.
Origami Creative | Someone Else | A Lockdown Lullaby
The lyrics manage to capture the mood of a lockdown world in 2020 that is looking forward to the next year. The frustration, the pain and most importantly, the hope, included.
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