Actor Ranveer Singh is here, there and everywhere—in almost every ad on television. When he is not flying on a broomstick screaming gibberish, he is dressed in outlandish costumes and headgear, group dancing with frenetic energy while being watched by some cricketers from various IPL teams. Or he is hamming it up as a Parsi, a Bengali, a Rajasthani and what-have-you talking nonstop, but not making much sense. Each ad is more inane than the other. It’s not easy to remember the product he is trying to sell—one gets so distracted by his antics. Which kind of defeats the purpose of the ad, don’t you think?
Ranveer, I think you’re a good actor and we’re eagerly waiting for the movie ‘83’, where you play Kapil Dev. But why are you all over the place running amok, behaving stupidly and over exposing yourself? Dude, do you really need all that money?
Salman Khan in a Pepsi ad speaks English that would make Shashi Tharoor wince. First he growls ‘What a garmi!’ and then after a swig of the soda, purrs ‘What a refreshing!’ Can someone please explain why Bhai mutters those inanities? In another ad, he flings a sachet of elaichi or supari at the viewer and says ‘Tashan ka jashan!’—whatever that means—looking like an inebriated, tired bear.
You cannot escape these cricketers and movie stars in ads if, like me, you’re watching the IPL cricket matches daily. (Are you grudging me the guilty pleasure of watching the IPL instead of the Covid horror shows we call our news channels?) I don’t know about you, but these kinds of advertisements just grate on my nerves. I find them loud, in-your-face, crude, unfunny….and after they end I realize I hadn’t even noticed what the product was. Are these the kinds of ads people want to see? The lowest common denominator maybe—the unwashed masses—but surely not everyone! Who is the target audience for these ads, for which crores have obviously been spent by the companies to pay these stars?
To be fair, not all the current ads are egregious. The Byju’s Online Classes one, where Parent turns to Partner, I find quite appealing. The app CRED has very original, witty ads—there’s the unlikely scenario of Rahul Dravid displaying manic road rage in one. Another one has ex-cricketers performing as a typically 90s boy band. The Phone Pe ads are not bad either, getting across the message how convenient digital payments can be in various situations.
Some of the ads I watched a couple of years ago are still fresh in my mind, though they don’t appear anymore. For example, the cricket website cricbuzz.com ad showed this fat, curly haired guy, obviously obsessed with the game, coming home after buying groceries and with a bowling action manages to fling a milk packet which lands straight on his wife’s head. The packet splits, spilling milk all over her. As the wife seethes with silent rage, he tries to explain gently that as he’d bowled a bouncer; she should have ducked! The Imperial Blue whisky ads (under the guise of music CDs) showed how stupidly men begin to behave when they meet a beautiful young woman. The Mentos mint ads were also funny, I thought, depicting different situations with the catchline ‘dimaag ki batti jala de’.
Humour is generally very effective, as long as it is not crass. Yes, humour is a serious business in the ad world.
What makes a good ad? Whether in newspapers, magazines, radio, television, catalogues, leaflets, online? I think a good advertisement must emotionally connect with the reader or viewer. It should make us want to go ahead and buy the product or service. It should make us recognize a need for it. Sorry, those loud, crude ads I mentioned earlier don’t do that for me.
No, it’s not easy making a memorable ad which accomplishes everything it sets out to do. I’m not saying advertising agencies have an easy job in these days of information overload and diminished attention spans. But they have an obligation to their client and must continue to strive to do the best they can to capture their target audience. They must appeal to our emotions, or instil fear, or make us chuckle, or give free samples, or run down the competition, or use celebrities…. do whatever it takes, Ad Gurus, to attract, hold and focus our attention to whatever it is you’re trying to sell. Try harder!
So which are the memorable ads that remain in my memory and have brand recall value, thanks to their catchline, or their jingles or the images they created? The ads which accomplished what they set out to do?
The first one that comes to my mind is the Liril soap ad. In the mid-70s Karen Lunel in a bikini cavorted under a cascading waterfall and became the poster girl for fun and freedom. She’ll always be known as The Liril Girl. Preity Zinta and Deepika Padukone were also Liril girls for a while, but people remember Karen mainly—the original one.
Who can forget the ‘Utterly, butterly delicious’ Amul moppet with her amusing takes on current events? Absolutely brilliant. Those ads began in the 60s and are still going strong. That little girl will soon be a senior citizen! The ‘Washing powder Nirma’ jingle is still popular today; such a catchy tune. A little girl hugging a chilled glass and saying ‘I love you, Rasna’ was symbolic of childhood delight. The Bajaj bulb ad of the ’80s had a jingle that was catchy and it subtly connected the brand with the trust of generations.
You didn’t want to mess with Surf’s Lalita Ji—the quintessential Indian homemaker, confident and articulate, who could not be taken for a ride by any shopkeeper. ‘Neighbour’s envy, owner’s pride’—what a brilliant catchphrase for Onida television sets which still remain in our memories, along with the creepy green Onida devil! The Hutch/Vodaphone pug that followed his owner, a little boy, through the day was so endearing, as was the soundtrack. Going back further in time—the early 1950s—was our iconic Maharaja in the timeless ads for Air India, which even the young generation of today recognizes.
Several international ads come to mind too which are unforgettable—the catchphrases synonymous with the product. Nike’s ‘Just do it’ is a slogan we can all relate to—the drive to push ourselves beyond our limits. De Beers says ‘A diamond is forever.’ De Beers actually built the industry; it presented the idea that a diamond ring was a necessary luxury in the western world if one wanted to get married. ‘Come to Marlboro Country’, invited the Marlboro Man, an outdoorsy cowboy gazing into the distance across a vast stretch of country in the Marlboro cigarette ads. The Seiko ad would say, ‘Someday all watches will be made like this.’
Such is the power of good advertisements that 30~40 years down the line, they remain fresh in our minds and hearts.
There is a video circulating on social media showing a restaurant band in Goa singing all the popular ad jingles from the 90s, taking people down memory lane. The diners are all seen to be singing along with the crooner and clapping to the beat of the jingles for Pan Parag, Maggi, Lifebuoy and Tinopal among others in this medley. They all seem to be having a great time. Nostalgia is a great unifier, isn’t it?
Which are your favourite ads?
Beetashok Chatterjee is the author of ‘Driftwood’, a collection of stories about Life at Sea and ‘The People Tree’, another collection of stories about ordinary people with extraordinary experiences. A retired merchant ship’s captain by profession, he lives in New Delhi with his memories of living more than 40 years on the waves.
His book is available on Amazon. Click here.
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