Superhits (and misses) of 2013
Saloni Dutta take a look at the ads that got everyone’s attention for all the right and wrong reasons
From highlighting important issues to addressing social taboos, from endearing,heart-warming moments to staging brand wars— for the ad industry, 2013 was split between work that broke new ground and ads that we would rather not waste our time talking about.If we had to pick one theme that stuck out, not only in Indian advertising but across the globe this year, it would be a tie between social issues and relationships. With the former especially, most ad campaigns married the brand’s promise or offerings with an apt social message, to make the communication more relevant and engaging for the consumer. It was also the most awarded theme across award functions, the best example being the ‘Dumb Ways To Die’ campaign, created for spreading awareness about train mishaps.
But what also got our attention this year are the ads that show relationships in a different, more realistic light. Take the Bournvita ad, which shows the mum training her son to be a better runner than her; or the friends who meet each other for the first time after the participation, in the current public favourite the ‘Reunion’ ad for Google.
It was also a year where advertisers experimented with launching on YouTube before going on TV and experiments with duration—from the more than 3-minute long Tata Sky’s ‘Prison Escape’ to the 20-second ads for Parle Monaco. The year was also not short of controversies, with the Ford Figofiasco, the Park’s Avenue deodorant ad, the infamous Pepsodent commercial which openly dismissed its competitor, and a few more that made us .
Here’s a comprehensive look at the tearjerkers, the funniest, the controversial and the not-so-great ads the creative fraternity presented us with this year.
(Thank you for your inputs:Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman and Creative Director, South Asia, Ogilvy & Mather India; Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India; Joseph George, Chief Executive Officer, Lowe Lintas& Partners; Srinivasan Swamy, Chairman & Managing Director, RK Swamy BBDO; Rohit Ohri, Executive Chairman, Dentsu Indi ; Priti Nair, Director, Curry Nation; Nagesh Alai, Chairman, DraftFCB Group, India; Amit Akali, National Creative Director, Grey India)
THE HEART-WARMERS
Who doesn’t love a tear-jerker that reminds you to love your loved ones a little more dearly, every now and then? This year, we saw some beautifully crafted, moving TV ads — from reuniting childhood friends, to promoting the simple action of washing hands among children, to addressing taboos like remarriage, these are the ads that made everyone reach for the Kleenex.
Effective storytelling craft at its best, this ad a simple, touching story in a typical Indian village setting with a beautiful background score. Each year in India, over 2 million children die before their fifth birthday due to infections that can be prevented by simply hand washing with soap. This film for Unilever’s Lifebuoy soap, by Lowe Lintas, tells the moving story of a father’s celebration of his son reaching the age of 5. The film won a Silver Lion at Cannes 2013.
Thanks to their mobile-phone and Google-search savvy grandchildren, two friends separated by the Partition in 1947, literally cross borders and reunite. While the 3 ½ minute long TVC does show the effectiveness and convenience of Google search, it’s the story that’s the winner. That moment when the Indian friend realizes who it really was at his door? Priceless. In a way, it reaffirms that no matter how evolved our mobile phones and other technologies will be, relationships, families, friends will always matter. The ad was first released on YouTube and became an instant hit crossing 10 million hits in a short span of time, and even got the attention of international media.
“Craft has got to do with the acting, editing, pauses and the music. Every part of the craft came in together to make that film as good as it is. Sometimes, God is kind to you and everything falls into place — for me that is craft. I haven’t seen better this year really. You won’t find an Indian that will tell you that it’s not Google.”
Piyush Pandey, Ogilvy & Mather
Modern moms don’t believe in smothering their kids any more.This mommy and son bond, however, is the strongest. The ad tries to break the ‘sweet, loving parent’ stereotype that’s become common in India ads for most consumer brands—and succeeds. The campaign was created on a powerful insight that the parents’ role in a child’s life is not only to nurture, but also help unlock their child’s potential.
How do you make a memorable ad about a product as ubiquitous and boring as cement? This is a great example. This TVC for Binani Cement talks about enduring values that matter to all of us, including the love for one’s parents, in a terrific emotional dimension. And of course, Amitabh Bachchan’s narrative just cements the whole package deal.
“The subject of an everlasting, enduring bond has been very poignantly demonstrated through the idea of parental love being eternal. Add to this some fine copy acted out by one of the finest actors of our time, and you have a winner.”
SRINIVASAN SWAMY, Chairman & Managing Director, RK Swamy BBDO
One of the most talked-about ads this year for a variety of reasons, this ad gets kudos its admirable attempt to break social and, well, typical jewellery advertising stereotypes. The TVC shows the beauty of celebrating remarriage, and portrayed the feelings of a bride in such an elegant fashion. The ad has been appreciated by everyone for taking a bold stand on the rarely openly discussed subject.
The honourable mentions
- ‘Share, Care, Joy’ Naik Foundation
- ‘LOC - Brother Vs Sister’, Oreo
- ‘Farewell Professor’, Titan
- ‘BandheAccheHai’, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
- ‘JeenaIsikaNaam Hai’, Shriram Transport Finance
- ‘Father & Daughter’, KalyanJewellers
THE HILARIOUS GEMS
Did you know that the easiest form of information the brain can assimilate is humour? No wonder most briefs to creative agency start with the proposition that the campaign need to be funny. These are the slice-of-life, satirical ads, most hilarious ads of the year that would’ve probably left Groucho Marx, Mark Twain and Mehmood in splits too.
Ramesh and Suresh are back, with that (terribly) altered pair of trousersand not much of their memory intact. Riding on the success of previous campaigns, this campaign cashes on the recall value of these much loved characters who have managed to establish a great connect with the audience — so much so that we want to know what kind of Supandi-silly activity they’ll be up to next.
A couple of kids role-play breaking news-frenzied news anchors and political debaters, the only difference being they’re not ‘frankly speaking’ about political issues, but the convenience of online shopping. That’s a double whammy of cute AND funny — and a nice progression from Flipkart’s previous kiddie-enacted TV ads. Special bonus points to the kid who gets the popular frenzied news anchor’s mannerisms to the T (yes, you know who we’re referring to).
The littlest things can something bring out the best, or worst, in us, as exemplified by the ad. Taking inspiration from an oft scary domestic situation and giving its own slapstick spin, the ad showcases the fear of lizards, which is prevalent across all age groups
Again, it’s the kids who steal the show, even though the ad features a star ambassador Shah Rukh Khan, glugging his Frooti in dramatic slow-mo. In the end, it’s revealed that the footballers aren’t Frooti-lusting kids but grown-ups, and then you see a hint of creative sneakiness/genius — two kids in the distance laughing at the hilarity of the situation, and you wonder if they were meant to be adults too. The moral of this story: Katrina Kaif, eat your heart and your aam out.
It’s fun seeing thieves being the ones getting duped once in a while. This TVC shows a man on vacation, relaxing at a beach. He gets a call and rambles about household chores to the person on line—which just happened to be two befuddled chors. The TVC conveys the message of safety now assured with an SMS alert, with perfect, precise comic timing.
The honourable mentions
- ‘No Hard Fillings’, Cadbury 5Star
- ‘Yaaron Ka Yaar’, Surf Excel Liquid
- ‘Main Kahan Hoon?’, Makemytrip.com
- ‘Koi Bhi Sawaal Chota Nahi Hota (Samvidhan)’ Kaun Banega Crorepati
The controversies
The start of 2012 was a bit rattled for JWT, since they’d created certain offensive print ads for Ford—the most being a former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi shown holding a peace sign with scantily clad women, gagged and tied in ropes in a Ford Figo’s boot. There was another ad showing Paris Hilton driving a Ford Figo with the Kardashians tied up in the boot, and another with Formula One star Michael Schumacher kidnapping his racing rivals. While publications and the general public were up in arms, declaring they wouldn’t buy a Ford car after this campaign, repercussions were felt in both JWT and Ford, as Bobby Pawar and SriramPadmanabhan, Vice President – Marketing, Ford Motor Company, got the boot.
It’s great that a brand, known for its risqué, rebellious ads to get the attention of the youth, is sticking to its philosophy and taking a stand on homosexuality, a sensitive issue in India. While the ad got both positive and negative feedback, for us, it’s definitely the best out of this campaign series. And with the Supreme Court criminalising gay intercourse this month, communication like this seems like the need of the hour…
The cola wars were friendlier compared to this one! A few months ago, Pepsodent made a direct claim that PepsodentGermicheck is 130% better than Colgate in its TVC. The ad shows two children, one using Pepsodent the other Colgate, showcasing both brand names visibly, leaving no doubt in the consumer’s mind. Of course, Colgate was left frothing in the mouth, and took its competition to court. Recently, the Division Bench of the Delhi High Court granted relief to Colgate. The Court found Pepsodent’s print ad to be disparaging Colgate and restrained HUL from publishing such ad. It also ordered modification of the TV commercial in question. Will this be the end of the toothpaste war? We can only wait. With bated breath.
The misses (or the ‘What were they thinking?!’ list)
· ‘This Or Nothing’, Intex
Farhan Akhtar doesn’t sound convinced. Neither are we.
· ‘Feel Life A Virgin’, 18 Again
We don’t know what the creatives were thinking with the salsa dancing, the bad lyrics, and well, signing on board with this ridiculous product.
· ‘All Mine’, Park Avenue Deodorant
The Axe ads are funny, this one was just done in poor taste and with a rotten imagination.
