Brands that cut through: upGrad, Licious, Tanishq, Savlon, Unacademy, Mylo, Panasonic, Maggi, Fresh To Home, Heinz, Ozone, Medimix, Zepto, Britannia, Parle, Ninety One, Slurrp Farm, Tata Shaktee, Shoppers Stop.
UpGrad | Help Kiran Before Helping Yourself
The MVP here, ‘Blockchain Kiran’, helps drive home the message loud and clear. If you ace the skills that matter today, you’ll be the toast of the company. Told with exaggeration and excellent execution, this is a thoroughly entertaining endeavour. The line borrowed from the in-flight announcement (and reversed) is the icing on the cake. This is what strategy and creative working in unison can do.
Licious | Khane Ke Bahane
There are scores of Mother’s Day ads and then there are the ones among them that stand out to be counted. This one rides on the universal home truth of children leaning on mothers for recipes, building on it the layer of time with mothers, with recipes as the excuse. Effortlessly weaves in the product into the narrative.
Tanishq | Leadership Bootcamp | The Interview
More than an ode, this film makes the case for treating motherhood as an unmatched course in leadership. There’s no argument about the case being made. And it’s been made with the sensitivity it deserves. On brand, speaking to the progressive Indian mind, this moves the heart and also the needle.
Savlon | Swasth India Mission | #HandWashFirst
This is an unapologetic and vibrant celebration of food, desi finger-licking style. To make the point that to devour these delicacies the way they should be, one’s hands need to be clean. Spot on. Don’t watch this if you’re hungry or are dependent on cutlery to put food into your mouth.
Unacademy | Meri Pehli Academy
As a boy or girl leaves home for the first time, there are two forces at work. The urge to break free. And soon after, or alongside, the realisation of missing one’s family, especially the mother. This is a beautifully written film told from the daughter’s point of view. The mother is indeed the Google of search engines, and a lot more. Crafted well enough to elicit a few tears.
Panasonic | Healthy Mothers For Healthy Homes
Just when one thought it’s the baby sleep everyone is obsessed with ensuring, there comes a welcome twist. The mother’s undisturbed sleep is what they’re trying to protect. For a brand of ACs, undisturbed sleep is a welcome space. On Mother’s Day, it’s aptly the young mother’s.
Mylo | Chief Everything Officer
The moment of realisation dawns on the young father, in good time. There’s a message underlining the value of a homemaker and mother and it’s been told well.
Maggi | Mother’s Exam Day
Every exam is also a pressure test for mothers, and Maggi has latched onto that truth this Mother’s Day. A role reversal with an empathetic son cooking a bowl of the noodles for his mom in the middle of the night before his exam, fits the occasion.
Fresh To Home | #NoShortcutsTaken
Ranveer Singh used well, again. Whacky stuff that will get noticed and get the otherwise boring ‘preservative-free’ message across.
Heinz Tomato Twist | Chota Twist Bada Dhamaka | Heinz To The Rescue
A ketchup that can save your burnt or refrigerated food. Not a route that we’ve seen too often. Well, if it can make burnt pakoras and the day before’s pizza taste good, it can certainly make good food taste even better.
Ozone Overseas | For Every Indian Kitchen | Hum Sab Sambhal Lenge
‘The Indian quirks’ approach has worked time and again when done well. Here, it has been deployed with good impact by the Indian kitchen brand. Smartly takes the ball from the German competition and makes the ‘Made for India’ deflection. The humour helps.
Medimix | Manmarziyaan
It’s not very often that a legacy brand steps out of its comfort zone. I’m not sure when Medimix did the reboot. But in its current avatar with Katrina, it knows that it runs the risk of coming across as a me too, in a category synonymous with ‘beauty’ and Bollywood celebrities. So while it shows Kaif, the premise is to be oneself and fearless in and about one’s skin. That isn’t original either, but the marriage of legacy, celebrity and proposition seem to work.
Zepto | Time Mat Keecho Order On Zepto
We had featured one or two of the films from this campaign earlier. But it’s just pure delight to see all of them at one go. So getting to the point without stretching time: here they are, deservedly making an encore.
Britannia Bourbon | Original Friendship, Original Britannia Bourbon
It’s not often that we see the young sportspersons / cricketers in such mainstream work. The ‘steal’ plot is given a makeover with smart play of words, from the opener to the finisher.
Parle Magix | Magix Andar Masti Bahar
What happens when the child’s imagination is allowed to run wild? The end product can be as vivid as the child’s mind. In this case, they’re hilarious too. Such is the magic the brand named Magix promises to evoke. It certainly helps the brand get noticed – and remembered.
Nua | Go With Your Flow | Smile, Sach Mein
Another attack on the smiling, jumping supergirls in sanitary pad ads. The reality check here is told with a smile. Deepika Padukone speaks of the fake smiles in the category’s ads before urging people to use the brand and smile for real. Straight to the point. With a perfect choice of protagonist to wield the smile message.
Slurrp Farm | Yes Ka Time Aa Gaya
‘Moms know best and care for us’ is the message from the kid rappers. It’s rather new to see this spin in the category where kids usually bat for taste and moms for nutrition and health. Rap also seems to be a category aberration. Anushka Sharma, the new mom, is a very good fit.
Ninety One Cycles | Engineered For More
This cycle is going to be a part of your life. To be precise, every part of your life. That’s the message on screen even as the brand slips in the ‘Engineered for more’ promise. Made to enthuse those with a passion for biking and infuse a bit of FOMO in those aspiring for an active lifestyle. It works.
Tata Shaktee | Mother’s Day | #TheCoverOverUs
Every brand tries to find a connect with the mother on Mother’s Day. Some try too hard. This one arguably doesn’t. We do grow up in her shade. The journey to when she is taken care of, is smoothly captured. The roof over the family’s head remains, giving the brand the right to be part of the celebrations.
Shoppers Stop | Mother’s Day | #CoolMom
Not moms, but cool moms. A young-ish and stylish take on Mother’s Day. Befitting the brand and the occasion.
(Curated by ClutterCutters.in. First published on FE BrandWagon Online. To feature campaigns or add credits, kindly email: Campaigns@ClutterCutters.in / gokul.campaign@gmail.com.)