By Malay Desai
From: Scarecrow Communications
The classifieds website’s new ad film, currently on its social media channels, features a Haryanvi policeman in uniform talking into the camera. He appeals to all cricketers to not ‘sell themselves’ and if they must, sell old wares from one’s house on the website. He then proceeds to dunk a cricketer’s face into a tumbler of water, rebuking him in rude Haryanvi for his manner of fixing. The film ends with the brand’s logo and the caption ‘post free ad’ with the cop’s voice in the background.
If you’ve been reading the very engaging social media column next to this one, you would recall how we had recently raved about Oreo’s lightning fast takes on current affairs on social media. Well, meet the web film (possibly, TVC) version of it now.
The brand behind this is Quikr, one of portals in the cluttered online classifieds space, backed by EBay. It’s not just about this spot, really. Since their inception in 2008, the brand has put forth its USP – speed – in snappy, often effective ways. They brought back the film character Bob Biswas, rode the ‘angry India’ wave in a hilarious spot in February and this IPL, they have had a series of shorts hypothesizing popular cricketers as commodities on Quikr. Why this spot here then?
Simply, it’s speed again. Sreesanth (the bowler being referred to in the ad) was arrested on the morning of May 15 and this film was online by May 20. To make a film – even of 30 seconds – and put it out while the scandal is afresh is commendable itself, and this one manages to elicit laughs too.
The hero of the ad is truly the copy, you could LOL by just reading it: ‘chund paison ke liye khud ko na bechein. Agar bechna hi hai toh..’ The Haryanvi accent makes it wilder, and the act of the cop torturing the tainted cricketer takes the public sentiment cookie and puts cream on it. At the minor risk of appearing too judgmental too quickly, the brand will garner much mileage through web engagement. We already spotted a visual version of this getting buzzing response on Facebook.
The only missing element from this film that’s been in all prior films, is the ‘Quikrrr’ mention with a whistling whirr that’s a brand recall distinguishing it from competitor OLX and others.
Witty takes on current affairs help shape the personality of a brand over time but also carry the flip side of being involved in controversy. But if Amul has been on the route from decades, it must be fruitful. Wanna bet?
To watch the ad, log on to Goo.gl/eltZd
