Brands that cut through: Oppo, Cycle, Country Delight, Sting, Ariel, Kinley, Cadbury Perk, UpGrad, Maaza, Truecaller, Apollo 24/7, Gooddot, Dezerv, Havells, Cars24, Turtlemint, Magicbricks, Netflix.
Oppo Reno7 Pro | The Case Of The Unboxed Phone
A detective mystery starring a much-loved star, with a twist, is one way to make unboxing interesting. Especially when there is something or the other in the category getting unboxed everyday. I’m unaware if any of the features promoted are unique differentiators but one only even notices them with such storytelling. It’s also hard not to love the twist at the end, which also establishes that Ranbir is in love with the phone.
Cycle.in | #PureByNature
This is a stunning film that belongs to the top draw. There could have been no better way to underline that the products are made from natural ingredients while also delighting devout Hindus with an immersive show of moving pictures and accompanying soundtrack. That’s not all. View the shoppable video here.
Country Delight | #HimalayasToHome
Well, there is more than one way to make the point of a product’s point of origin. When it’s not ingredients for religious practices but apples, one can certainly play on why (some) apples are said to keep doctors away. A bit of humour done reasonably well with familiar funny faces does the job.
Sting | Energy Bole Tho Sting
One is reminded of the young bloke carrying a girl up several stories in the brand’s earlier advertising, powered by Sting. While that powertrain for the work remains the same, this one has a lot more in it starting with the Bollywood star. An even bigger attraction is the giant gorilla made in CG. Sting’s selfie should stick.
Ariel | #SeeEqual | #ShareTheLoad
It is heartening to see the brand keep its promise of sticking with #ShareTheLoad for as long as there remains a skew in the distribution of household chores, with women bearing the overload. This one has the lady pouring out her frustration, helping her husband turn into a better half with the attendant awakening. This is a powerfully made statement that will awaken a few men and women to the idea of sharing the load. #ShareTheLoad can take credit for waking a few brands up to the idea, too.
Kinley | Boond Boond Mein Vishwaas
From Boond Boond Mein Sachchai to Boond Boond Mein Vishwaas. It’s been a while since we saw the brand’s advertising. One last remembers the beautiful daughter-father confessional with Ashish Vidyarthi it had crafted years ago, followed by a few more warm #GiveTruthAChance stories. It’s back now with MS Dhoni and the shift to ‘Vishwaas’. I know I run the risk of being labelled as old school, but the ‘Sachchai’ film (below) had far greater impact.
Having said that, the cricket star and his true story have been leveraged right. In the category of bottled water, where Bisleri has a strong play on purity with ‘camel humour’ (and there is no one else visible except alcohol brands using water as a surrogate), this should help consumers associate brand ‘Kinley’ with ‘trust’.
Cadbury Perk | #PerkDisclaimers #LightHoJao
True to its name, another perky piece of work from the brand that will add some smiles during our existence on the worldwide web. Aligned with brand, aligned with the realities of today’s virtual world, aligned with what several digital and content award juries will be looking for.
UpGrad | #AssNahiAssetBano
UpGrad urges people not to be donkeys ahead of the appraisal season. This is a smart and subtle shift from #DontBeAChaatu that made it impossible for people to not notice the brand. The core and continuity work.
Maaza | #DildaarBanaDe
Weeks ahead of summer, Maaza has thrown its lot behind Bachchan Senior and the idea of ‘Dildaari’. The thought finds cute expression with him playing a grumpy old man who doesn’t return balls kids end up hitting into his house. Until he tastes a sip of Maaza, that is. His generosity knows no bounds thereafter, as is evident in the rain of colourful balls of all sizes he has ‘collected’ over the years. Scores on the thought of the taste triggering something good within, and visual impact.
Truecaller | Chhota SMS
Three scenarios where the short SMS saves the day for the smart one, who sets Truecaller’s Chhota SMS as the default messaging app. A clear product benefit and well executed humour helps the brand ace the pitch.
Apollo 24/7 | Direct, Accurate
What a wonderful comparison rooted in a home truth! The family does start policing the elders in the family at some point, out of concern for their health. This comes to life with them showcased in police uniforms.
GoodDot.in | #GoodDoYaar
I am not sure about MSD but Neeraj Chopra should have a Bollywood stint sometime soon (Forgive my ignorance if it’s already happening). He impressed in the CRED work and does more than well here too. The character GoodDo the goat helps the brand tell us that going good is good for everyone, including the animal. Smartly done by playing up ‘doing good’ instead of singling out animal cruelty.
Dezerv.in | Your Money. Our Expertise.
I had seen the video on Crypto posted by funny man Rahul Subramaniam on LinkedIn. The one on mutual funds is hilarious too and rides on ‘Sahi hai’ that has been amplified by big budgets.
Havells Trimmer | #StopMeriGroomingPeAssuming
The premise of urging people to not stereotype others based on their looks and good choice of lead cast carry these films through. Speaks to a young audience in their language. A tad stretched with the articulation perhaps but gets the message across.
Cars24 | MRL Check
Dhoni talking to the camera is something we’ve seen too much of, if you ask me. It happens twice even within these reviews. So the task is to keep it interesting. The number of checks a car bought via the portal/app is subjected to is certainly going to be of interest to a potential buyer. The treatment here ensures that this does not prompt one to skip the channel.
Turtlemint | #ActiveHoJao
This too has MSD offering us some advice. But thankfully, he’s placing some real life situations before us that we can relate to. His logical argument is that when we focus on oils, workouts and juices to ensure good health, we need to pay attention to health insurance too. Could it have been done differently? Perhaps yes. Did we get the point? I’d say yes to that too.
MagicBricks | Property Sahi, Ab Services Sabhi
Another celebrity narration but one that again manages to keep things interesting. The cuts from one room to another ensure that there is no monotony as the Bolly star spells out India’s journey from ‘Pehle aap’ to ‘Pehle app’. That sets things up nicely for the brand to tell us that it now offers a gamut of services related to its core of property buying.
Netflix | Aapki Baasha Mein
Trust this brand to keep things cinematic. The fireman rescue backdrop cheekily blends with the humour. Audaciously written yet smoothly pulled off.
(Curated by ClutterCutters.in. Exclusive to FE BrandWagon Online. To feature campaigns or add credits, kindly email: Campaigns@ClutterCutters.in / gokul.campaign@gmail.com.)