By Malay Desai
From: CreativelandAsia
Taking further its initial campaign of ‘Alive is Awesome’, Godrej’s cosmetic brand Cinthol has launched a new film that urges its target audience to go off the Internet and indulge in nature. The 1.50 minute web version of the film begins with a young man’s phoneringing while he’s enjoying mountain air. The IVR, giving a normal response first, later goes on to describe the world he’s in, but using social media and geek terms. As the man walks through fields, climbs rocks and dips in a pond under a waterfall, he is shown eventually looking at the phone, only to disconnect it. ‘The world is more beautiful than the world wide web’ the copy before the brand signage reads.
Do we Like?
Nope, and I’ll tell you why. In September 2012, brand Cinthol gave itself a much-needed shower with a fresh idea called Alive is Awesome. The film, beautifully shot, bearing a catchy jingle and desi quirks, implied that using the soap was akin to dipping into icy ponds or bathing on top of an elephant. Cut to 2015, this film tells me that nature > Internet. So?
Yes, a growing addiction to the Internet is an epidemic among the brand’s target audience. With every other 20-something you meet struggling to meet your eye because of Whatsapping/Tweeting/Facebooking going on below, it’s a worthy cliff to campaign from.
Yes, the film has been shot equally well, although with more generic locations. The many characters of the former film (budgets weren’t as high?) give way to just one guy (dishy, as per one YouTube commenter) who’s wandering about with an Into the Wildagenda in what seems to be Kerala.
Yes, the IVR voiceover going on a preachy tangent to go out and enjoy nature is a unique idea. The script virtually writes itself –lines such as ‘a world where you log in without a password’ and ‘you filter your thoughts, not photographs’ are a half-day’s work of any decent copy writer.
Yes, the campaign, ironically, has been leveraged through social media and the brand’s online activities are trying hard to create a buzz about this phenomenal idea of logging off and going out for a walk.
Also, did I say that it’s refreshing to see a cosmetic advert that overlooks the product’s features and only flaunts the vibe it promises? And that ‘waterfalls’ are becoming synonymous with Cinthol?(Pity the past generation that has no clue how PrietyZintarelates to waterfalls.)
Yes, I watched the film and will show it to my geeky teenage cousin who lives on Whatsapp.
But Cinthol, wait, you were out to sell a soap, weren’t you?
(To watch this film,feed this link in your browser - bit.ly/aliveisoffline)
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