Brands that cut through: Manyavar Mohey, WhatsApp, Mahindra Furio 7, CEAT, CRED, Google, Swiggy, Khatabook, upGrad, Slice, Britannia 50 50, HP.
Manyavar Mohey | Tradition Wahi Soch Nayi | #KanyaMaan
So there’s controversy around an ad again! This time, for Alia making a pitch for #KanyaMaan in place of #KanyaMaan, for Manyavar’s Mohey. I’d look at the positive changes she bats for. Across religions, in India, what we have traditionally followed as a system is for the girl to move to her in-laws’ or at least away from her paternal home. Across languages, one has heard different forms of, ‘She has to go to another house one day’. This never seemed right and hence, the #KanyaMaan pitch resonates.
WhatsApp | View Once | Moving On
The brand seems to have delivered a refined ‘use case’ for the new product offering. The story of the sensible and mature young couple moving on is warm yet real. The situations are believable and at every turn the viewer is perhaps hoping for a reunion. But this was the perfect ending for the ‘View Once’ offering.
Mahindra Truck And Bus | Furio 7 | #DoubleGuarantee
Long before Van Damme did an ‘Epic Split’ atop two Volvo trucks, our man Ajay Devgn did something like that on bikes in Bollywood. Mahindra is riding on that association to put him atop two of its Furio 7 trucks and communicate a double guarantee – on mileage and resale value. Smartly done.
CEAT Tyres | Switch To SecuraDrive | Cricket
There are some brands that consistently deliver above-par creative work in their categories and CEAT must rank as one of them. This is great use of the star and a smart, positive pivot around human behaviour to pitch the tyre. At the end of the day, the roads are still full of idiots. Can’t wait for the other spots in this campaign.
CRED | Great For The Good | Neeraj Chopra
Much has been said about Neeraj Chopra’s acting skills, so I will refrain from adding my two bits. The brand continues to prove that standing out consistently is possible by using stars differently. In this case, it was someone who had just done the country proud, not an established star from cricket or Bollywood. It is also classy comedy stuff of the better variety – the dig on the brand manager, the journo, the Bollywood biggie… genius. The PR-ability of these campaigns and hence RoI for CRED? Priceless.
Google | #BolneSeSabHoga (September 2021)
Two very worthy sequels to the first film in the #BolneSeSabHoga series dropped this September, also featuring actor Gajraj Rao. The situations are relatable and the line sticks. What better way to articulate a voice search pitch than this?
Swiggy | Swiggy Instamart | Salt
When I saw this during the IPL, I thought, Swiggy has hit it out of the park yet again. But this is from a totally different menu and in a different category. The only similarities here with the unforgettable food delivery app work are the age of the protagonist and a brave client who picks edgy over safe. Taking a dig at ‘Aapki toothpaste main namak hai’ was a masterstroke of an idea. The recall of that campaign gets passed on effortlessly through the marauding (and directionless) TV journalist. Swiggy Instamart delivers.
Khatabook | Dhande Ka Doctor | Loss Motion | Dependalytis
A young(er) thala fan from Chennai I spoke with wondered why Dhoni is allowing himself to be featured in all sorts of ‘joker roles’. I’m guessing that’s because he is a sport. That apart, what’s more important for us is to figure if this works for the brand. ‘Dhande Ka Doctor’ should ring a bell in the heads of the small traders this addresses. That doctor manifesting as Dhoni, making a dashing entry, shouldn’t hurt recall.
upGrad | Fast Forward Your Career
The whole idea of ending up as your peers’ boss with an online course becomes interesting when that boss happens to be the only woman in the frame. Add a couple of her presumptuous male batchmates and it gets more interesting. The treatment consciously avoids emphasising the gender roles while making its point. The follow up films are also nuanced. The easy camaraderie between the new boss and her ‘friends’ make this stand out, while allowing the brand to spell out its advantage.
Slice | Nothing Like A Credit Card | Really Fast
Impressive; single-minded proposition hasa been delivered making good use of just 15 seconds. That said, there’s not much one gets to know about the product. I guess there are more films coming.
Britannia 50 50 | Potazos | Aakhri Khwaish
It may not be an idea that comes across as radically new, but with the right investment in production and top notch talent on screen, it does the job rather well. Certainly makes one curious about the product.
HP | HPCreatorsGarage.com | Kuch Karne Ka
Catchy song and interestingly made video, featuring some creators that future creators will look up to. The HPCreatorsGarage.com initiative that the video has been made for is spot on. How the brand builds that community beyond learning and mentoring opportunities will decide the real impact of this campaign’s promising start.
(Curated by ClutterCutters.in. First published on FE BrandWagon Online. To feature campaigns or add credits, kindly email: Campaigns@ClutterCutters.in.)
More reviews on Clutter Cutters here.