By Malay Desai
By : Grey Group, Bengaluru
3M’s scrub pad brand Scotch Britehas been re-launched with an objective to communicate ‘the singular benefit of its long life’. In its 45-second TVC, a young woman is shown washing utensils by a well in an evidently studio setting. When an old man approaches her and asks for water, she obliges and gets a surprise when he reveals himself as a Hindu God. On being asked for a wish, she chooses a long life but when the Lord is giving the blessing, he’s distracted by a winking angel behind him and ends up blessing the scrub pad instead. The film has a sing-song narration in a retro Bollywood style.
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Minnesota-based conglomerate 3M generates around $30 billion in sales annually. This year, thanks to lyricist Swanand Kirkire and many other people at Grey Bengaluru, it should make more from our market.
Utensil cleaning gels, kitchen sink scrubs and toilet disinfectants aren’t exactly the funniest products to make stories around, but advertising history is replete with instances that have made even these products heroic. Magistral dish wash and Vanish particularly have done hilarious work in their categories, and Scotch Brite’s newest film belongs right up there.
Taking the trope of an old Bollywood song-style isn’t new, the route has often been taken after last decade’s ‘Kya aap Close Up Karte Hain?’ campaign. The treatment, however makes this film hilarious and worth repeat viewing – and by that I mean the self-conscious studio, the exaggerated acting and loud visuals.
The cake however, has been eaten and had by the man who’s written for us so many memorable Bollywood hits, Swanand Kirkire (of 3 Idiots and Barfi fame to name a few). The lyricist of this film takes it to another dimension with his fresh, unpredictable and straight-faced words. ‘Hai daiyya yeh kaisa miracle? Transform ho gaye yeh uncle… Thunder lightening very best, Hollywood ke special effects!’ Give Kirkire a trophy already to sit next to his Filmfares.
On a serious note, the other hero of this outstanding film is the guy from 3M who, one Monday morning over a con-call, told the agency ‘to identify the one singular benefit and elevate it.’ On several occasions in advertising across the world, great ideas and greater products are diluted in communication because they try to say too much – and on TV, even two thoughts it too much. Stick to a single thought, execute it perfectly, and you have a winner on your hands; unfortunately even some creative czars have been guilty of not having pushed this ideology.
One thought to sign off – Scotch and Grey, that was truly a brite idea. (To watch this film,feed this link in your browser - bit.ly/ViewTubeJuly6)
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YOUR REGULAR DOSE ON THE SHIFTS IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA UNIVERSE
Did you go rainbow on your DP too?
Last week witnessed the passing of a nationwide law in America legalizing same-sex marriage and much as the rest of the world has behaved in earlier cases, it celebrated Uncle Sam’s moment of liberation. Thousands back home too changed their display pictures, washing them with the LGBT stripes, as you may have noticed. Interestingly, it led to a debate whether we, the conservative rightist society that we are becoming, should celebrate America’s freedom at all – one funny meme even asking us Indians to ‘first try getting married to someone your choice’. The dissenters were of course arguing that it’s fine to show support to a cause, even if it might take a century to be a reality in India. I am with the latter ones here, Meanwhile, in Russia, some conservative and homophobic Facebook users are shading their DPs of their country’s flag – white, blue and red!
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