Brands that cut through: Infosys, CEAT Tyres, Cadbury, Kia India, Taco Bell, Dream11, JioMart, McDonalds, Bisleri, Skipper Pipes, Spinny, My11Circle, Bajaj Allianz, Tata Gluco+, Lee Cooper.
Infosys | IWD23 | Breathe By Becky Hemsley | #EmbraceEquity
“She sat there for hours not wanting to leave,
For the forest said nothing…
It just let her breathe.”
When you have copy like the one here by Becky Hemsley, why look beyond for a film on the theme #EmbraceEquity? Infosys’ hard-hitting women’s day film rides the powerful lines of the poem and elevates them a few notches with the presentation. Authenticity seemed to come through the women reciting the lines. Their conviction was stemming from someplace else – not their acting skills. While I recognised only a few of them, a cross check against the credits will tell viewers who most of them are. A treat to immerse oneself into. A wake up call that will linger on.
CEAT Tyres | Speed Aur Pakad | Pakka Likh Leejiye
What a casting coup! What courage it must have taken to cast these blokes in these characters – by far the best acting one might have seen from Rohit Sharma for sure. Iyer and Gill show that they are no slouches either. Sharma seems to be evolving as an actor. Advertising seems to be evolving in its use of celebrities, especially cricketers. CEAT scores, again.
Cadbury | #CheerForAllSports
‘Har Indian team ki khushi main shamil hoke dekhiye’ is the message, building on the brand’s ‘Kisi aur ki khushi main…’ thought. CheerForAllSports.com is the enabler of that message. India’s upcoming matches are listed. One can get reminders on mail and phone. One can cheer for the Indian table tennis, boxing, hockey and wrestling teams. There is an option to join Yuvi and Bhajji on a giant screen at these matches, we are told. A great initiative that aligns with brand and the need to support sports other than cash-rich Indian cricket.
Kia India | #DesignedToInspire
Cute is an understatement to describe this one. It’s easy to wow with kids and Kia has managed to do that in the past as well. A slice of life, the film also manages to spotlight two of its award-winning cars that have inspired the kids. Crafted to warm hearts.
Taco Bell | Win An Xbox Series S
One must say that with the deluge of celebrity endorsers, admakers have taken it upon themselves to use them interestingly. Here is an example of drawing on the celebrity’s persona and mapping the message to it – rather than the other way around. Pandya’s tattoos are in focus. Taco Bell wants its offer to be on him. A persistent manager(?) makes the most of his screen time and makes an impact. Message delivered.
Dream11 | Maza Aayega Jab Sab Khelenge
Last week, we featured the press con opener of this campaign that I felt promised a lot. The brand does not disappoint. It’s hard to live up to a certain standard of creative year on year and one must admit that Dream11 has delivered for most part. The primary objective here must be viewed as cutting through the clutter of ads interestingly, in the midst of exciting, short-format cricket, while obviously speaking to a cricket-hungry audience. While cricketers in its campaigns have been a regular feature, so has the brand’s interesting use of them. Yet, a thread of consistency – from ‘Yahan sab same hai’ to ‘Sab khelenge toh maza aayega’ – has been ensured. The cricketers have always played on the terrace and streets in Dream11 films and now when they take to a real pitch, they are pitted against Bollywood stars. A match made to entertain. Thoroughly entertaining and engrossing till now, this campaign will need many more such films given the length of the IPL season. Going by its past record, Dream11 should go the distance.
JioMart | Shopping Aisa, India Jaisa
What a difference the soundtrack and its shifts make to a film! The emotional ride this one takes us on is understated yet powerful. Strategically rooted, the spot attempts to own the warmth and understanding that you get at the neighbourhood store. Tough to expect that from an online portal and a giant at that, but that is precisely the differentiation the brand is trying to establish. Will consumers believe and buy in? No idea. But will they watch this, enjoy it and relate to the theme? I am quite sure they will. This ‘younger sibling’s U-19 trial’ plot is a winner. So is the larger ‘Shopping ek rishta hai’ theme, which has legs to go way beyond cricket bats.
McDonalds | #DontExplainJustEnjoy
So McDonalds has introduced two new products, or should we say flavours, with its brand ambassador who seems to be the flavour of the season. The makers seem to have turned around Mandanna’s usual characterisation to make this stand out. The vivacious and peppy star has nothing to do or say but indulge in the burger. It’s a quirky take on celebrities spelling out product benefits – the spin is #DontExplainJustEnjoy because the product is that good. The visualisation is different too, with the hourglass syncing with the limited period offer message to good effect.
Bisleri | Greener Promise
A little birdie acts as a beautiful device to connect the dots. All leading up to the ‘Greener Promise’ conveying environmental commitment from Bisleri. The song strings the different pieces along, helped by the flying angel of course. There is arguably no path breaking idea here but it does its job comfortably and elegantly. This should count as a corporate /CSR ad film that managed to strike a chord.
Skipper Pipes | Skipper For Life
Dhoni and Gayle? That’s new. The setting is also new as is the premise – lead in water pipes can affect your digestion. Nice idea, but also one that could have perhaps been more impactfully executed? Or is it just me?
Spinny | Go Far For Your Squad
Absolutely delightful watch. The music, the picturesque getaways, three immensely popular and intensely loved former Indian cricketers and their camaraderie make for a pleasant film. ‘Go far for your squad’ has a better connect than the ‘Go far’ spot featuring Tendulkar that one saw earlier. One still can’t get over the disconnect between cricket’s superstars and used cars, but if you leave that to the umpire’s call (makers’ in this case), this works. No reason why Spinny won’t get noticed and remembered with this ad.
My11Cricle | Second Prize 1 Crore | #BaseSeBada
Clear idea, cleanly executed. The brand has chalked things out well, building on its larger-than-life avatar of dada and a few more cricketers (slightly smaller than him in this lot). The idea of “Second prize of Rs.1 crore everyday” and therefore “What will be the first prize?” is a compelling hook. Execution is key here and that aspect has been managed well.
Bajaj Allianz General Insurance | Kum Padega
Everything works in this lot except perhaps the duration. That said, even if predictable, you don’t mind waiting for the predictable events to unfold, thanks to the making. ‘Kum padega’ is on the money for a health insurance offering.
CEAT Tyres | For The Game Called Road
Nice combination of OTT / film star as coach and cricketer Harmanpreet Kaur as herself. The analogies to the road and the cricket field don’t look too forced. Stays within the CEAT zone sans the wow factor we have come to expect from the brand. ‘For the game called road’ rings a bell.
Tata Gluco+ | Energy On, Game On
This is high on energy, as it should be for the category. Reminds one though of other energy drinks like Sting and their work – the visualisation of rapid energising is arguably similar. The setting is more exotic and presentation more vivid, though. A radical shift from the ‘Push-start the plane’ film that was in a different zone. This one is younger, more frenzied, intentionally I am sure. It seems like that the brand wants to speak to a younger audience in their lingo – and that the lingo for this lot seems to have changed.
Lee Cooper | Life Is Out There
Life is certainly out there in this spot. Lively outdoors soothe the eyes while a pleasant soundtrack complements the breezy film. Enough opportunities to showcase the fashion goodies present themselves. Being a brand with an international legacy, one can’t find fault with the choice of models. Or would it have worked just as well – or arguably better – in an Indian milieu?(First published on FE BrandWagon Online. Powered by ClutterCutters.in. Feedback: gokul.campaign@gmail.com.)