March 28, 2024
1) Common Sense is not common; Thums Up Should have done this 30 years ago.
There is nothing like a nice "Thanda Toofan" after a heavy Biryani. It is not a cool drink; it is a Thums Up. It is a pity that Ramesh Chauhan sold the brand to Coca-Cola. It would have given a run for the money to both Coke and Pepsi. The point is why wait for so long. This ad should have been released twenty years ago.
April 06th, 2024
2. Fingers crossed with KitKat - a beautiful concept
The person who comes to mind is Ritika Sajdeh, wife of Rohit Sharma. It is well known that Ritika keeps her fingers crossed all the time when Rohit is playing. It is a superstition, just like Mohinder Amarnath, who always kept a white handkerchief in his pocket.
Another very apt association was for a television programme called “Chutki Bajake,” which featured the famous Marathi actor Ashok Saraf. The hero in the serial snaps (Chutke) his fingers and gets involved in very interesting adventures.
Fevikwik was the sponsor. The connection? Fevikwik was running an advertisement that showed a boss (Satish Shah) clicking his fingers and getting frantic attention from his harassed lady secretary (Renuka Sahane). The solution to the problem is that the secretary puts a small drop of Fevikwik between the thumb and the index finger of her boss. He can no longer click, and when he can’t click, he can’t order his secretary around.
Whenever Ashok Saraf clicks his fingers in the serial, one immediately gets reminded of Fevikwik. The double whammy in the title of the serial also reminds the viewers of the Fevikwik. There is a wonderful marriage between Fevikwik and the programme.
April 13, 2024
3. CRED UPI latest advertisement - David Warner and Rajamouli - Deadly Duo and a Deadly Duet!!!
The clutter-breaking advertisement using Leander Paes was brilliant. Leander Paes, a winner of 18 grand slam titles, flounders when asked to kill mosquitoes with a mosquito bat in a restaurant. Hapless, he turns to CRED UPI for better discounts and better service.
The latest advertisement for CRED, pardon the pun, is a blockbuster. It features a shy Rajamouli, the ace director, pitted against Davis Warner, the star Australian cricketer.
Brash and aggressive David Warner became a darling with the Telugus during his stay with SRH. He loved Hyderabad, and boy, oh boy, Hyderabad loved him back. He was christened Warner Miya.
Warner loved Telugu movies and performed spoofs of many Telugu movie scenes and songs on his TikTok handle. Warner's wife and daughter, too, became part of his goofy spoofs. Warner loved Telugu movies, period.
Warner was one of the
reasons why the signature move of Allu Arjun became one of the most popular
ways to celebrate in cricket, especially in T2O and ODI cricket. Thus, it was a
coup of sorts when CRED roped in David Warner and pitted him against Rajmouli.
The rib-tickling advertisement is worth watching again and again. To get a discount on his non-CRED UPI, Rajamouli faces harrowing times. Warner makes Rajamouli cast him as a hero in his next film. And what follows is a laugh riot.
Warner appears in a song with a bat, dances totally out of sync, roughly asks Rajamouli if it is RRR or Rrrr, bashes up the baddies too enthusiastically, asks for a kangaroo instead of a horse, and has the cheek to tell Rajamouli, "See you at the Oscars.".
In total desperation, Rajmouli surrenders and switches to the CRED UPI. What makes this advertisement effective is its timing. India has switched to IPL. Warner is a known figure, and so is Rajamouli. My bet is that this advertisement will garner tremendous eyeballs and if shown in the stadiums, will make the spectators roar its approval. Wonderful advertisement, CRED. Way to go. Creative, topical, and hits the bullseye.
April 15, 2024
4. Tick hai to Teek Hai - Google Pay Hai - what a Brilliant advertisement
We have always been worried about fraudulent payments using UPI. We use many UPI platforms but are still concerned. Is it safe? Google Pay is used by many, and Google's reliability is rubbed onto Google Pay UPI too. Unlike other UPI payments, Google Pay comes with double authentication: one linked with the QR code scan and another with the entry of the secret six-number password. Without the password, the transaction does not go through. There is no tick (It is not okay), or it is not Teek (Right).
India has grown comfortable with the usage of Hinglish (a mixture of Hindi and English). We see a lot of advertisements using a combination of Hindi and English, and in a way, it is quite remarkable how this lingo has become a part of us.
In the advertisement, Kajol Devgn, the film star is shown using Google Pay, and a sceptical bystander asks, 'Is it okay (Teek hai)?' The waiter who receives the payment says, 'Tik hai to Teek hai'. This, I thought, was brilliant wordplay. The waiter first puts out the tick mark with the thumb and the index finger (which becomes both a tick mark and a smiley face too). The tick mark comes in Google Pay once the payment is done. That is the mark that the Google Pay authentication has been completed successfully. The advertisement ends with 'Tik hai, Google Pay hai'.
This is Google Pay's way of
countering CRED's argument about discounts. I would stay with my Google Pay UPI
as I feel it is more secure, and Google Pay has never betrayed me. Tick hai tho
Teek hai. 10/10 for a brilliant advertisement.
September 2024
5. Parle G (G mane Genius) Batch of 95th • recall teacher and explain a girl | emotional all
6. Brilliant Advertisement - Hats off Colgate Visible White - An Absolute Man biting a Dog!!
I often tell the students that it is not news when a dog bites a man. It is news when the Man bites the dog. Do something that makes people wake up from their social media-induced slumber and take notice.
We are swarmed and bombarded by messages resulting in overexposure. Most of us are jaded and are no longer stimulated adequately by media and promotional messages.
So how to cut the clutter, especially in Print Media? Print media is no longer the darling of the masses. The readership is dwindling, and many advertisers are questioning its legitimacy and relevance.
Print media still has a huge charm. Print media is seen as more reliable, and more responsible and it has the advantage of featuring an advertisement that can linger for a longer period and make a long-lasting impression.
The precise reason why Colgate's visible white campaign chose print media. Check out the advertisement. at first glance, the ad looks innocuous but at a second glance, it looks as if the Colgate Visible ad is occupying the bottom part of the paper ( Like a solus or a single ad).
But then we scan down and read the caption "Visible White Saamne Aaye, toh Achhe Achhe Daant Chupayien (Meaning that even famous people hide their teeth when they come face to face with Colgate White or a person brushing their teeth with Colgate Visible white}.
For a microsecond we are nonplussed. We don't get it, and the people featured in the News items catch our attention. The movie watcher, the couple on a Goa trip, the Girl with the VR device, the author at the book launch, and the traveler to a foreign country are all "HIDING THEIR TEETH".
7. June 21, 2024
ESAF Small Savings Bank's Dabba Savings Account - Inside the Dabba but innovative out-of-the-box thinking!!
The population decrease in South India compared to North India is due to higher education among all sections, including women. When a woman is educated and empowered, she will have a smaller family, irrespective of her religious affiliation.
Traditionally, women stored the surplus money in the rice container (sacred rice). They would bury it deep in the rice. Many stored cash in the Populla Dabba too. Women store their surplus Cash in a kitchen container or dabba! But the problem was that the other members of the family also knew about the dabba, and they would frequently take the money without consent.
ESAF Microfinance Bank hit upon a bright idea. It came out with an Inside the Dabba idea. Rather, very out-of-the-box thinking!! The scheme was the “Dabba Savings Account.”.
ESAF gifted a stainless-steel rice box to every woman. From the outside, the rice container looked like any other rice container. The lady could store rice in the upper portion. It had a secret compartment at the bottom. The secret compartment was for keeping excess cash.
Every week, the women go to
a designated area in the village and deposit the saved money with ESAF bank
officials. They got a passbook, which showed the deposited money. The money
thus deposited earned interest.
EASF went a step further. It tied up all the shopkeepers and Kirana shops in those villages and supplied them with payment machines with embedded microchips. This helped the women make seamless purchases without paying cash.
They could pay at these shops with the money that they have in their ESAF bank account. The Aadhaar card was the interface, and the women could pay money through biometrics. All the transactions were visible through SMS on their smart or feature phones.
Brilliant campaign, ESAF! It identified a cultural nuance and came up with the concept of helping rural women. ESAF has expanded its own footprint. It also tied in with the local shops to make the process of using the deposited money as effective as possible.
ESAF understood that rural women save for their families and that the saved money would be used to buy household items. Thus, the entire rural economy would benefit from the catalyst, the ESAF Micro Finance Savings Bank.
8. October 20, 2024
Great
one Zepto, "Make Soan Papdi Great Again" Campaign
In India, everything is a status symbol including sweets. Once Padma, my wife hesitatingly asked me, what is your favourite, "sweet?". Without batting an eyelid, I answered "Ravaladdu". Padma watched me with a wide-open mouth. She was astonished "Ravaladdu?".
She expected that my answer would be Ajmer Kalakand, Kaju Katli, Badam roll, dry fruit laddu, Matka rasagulla, or something costly and exotic. She sheepishly told me that her favourite was an equally humble sweet, "Jilebi".
I could never understand how sweets could even become status symbols. I worked in a country where eating sweets was considered a sissy (girlish) habit. There are no sweet shops in entire Ethiopia!!
I am puzzled why Soan Papdi is the Butt of all jokes when it comes to sweets. It is not preferred and is among the least-liked sweets. It is rarely gifted during the festivals and even if gifted, is rarely consumed and the lovely Soan Papdi hardens into lumps and finally is thrown into the dustbin.
What a pity. This mouthwatering sweet that is easy to eat, and ridicule is quite tough to prepare. It needs great muscle power to prepare Soan Papdi. It does not create a mess like the syrupy Gulab Jamoon or the Rasagulla.
Thus, it is heartening to see Zepto partner with a Soan Papdi maker to run the, “Make Soan Papdi Great Again” campaign. This festival season with every delivery, Zepto customers would receive a free box of Soan Papdi and stand a chance to win prizes worth 5 crore rupees.
Brilliant campaign Zepto!! You have hit the bull’s eye. This one resonates. Triple whammy I would Say. Firstly, Zepto is giving a sweet box and receiving a sweet box is considered auspicious, secondly as the sweet is Soan Papdi, Zepto would get a great deal as it is a generic promotion for the product.
The cost of Soan Papdi is reasonable and Zepto would not have to burn a hole in its pocket to get huge quantities. The well-known Soan Papdi makers would give their Soan Papdi free to get favourable word-of-mouth publicity and to garner eyeballs.
Thirdly as there is a chance to win Rs 5 crore worth of prizes many customers would switch to Zepto for their parcel deliveries. Great way to go Zepto, a man biting a dog campaign.
Update 23-10-2024
My Cousin Mrs. Vasundhara Nanjappa from Bangalore sent a WhatsApp message saying that 100 grams of Soan Papdi was given. Karachi Bakery a Hyderabad-based company has tied up with Zepto for the supply of Soan Papdi. Thanks for the update.
9 - November 20, 2024
Thunder Strikes again - A perfect Match between Tumps Up and Allu Arjun's Pushpa's 2!!!
But for Indians and Indians throughout the world, it makes perfect sense. Thums Up has partnered with Allu Arjun; the Thums Up teaser is for the much-awaited movie Pushpa 2.
Does it make sense? You bet it does. For Allu Arjun, who is endorsing Thums Up, it is free publicity for his movie. For Thums Up, the teaser gets tremendous eyeballs, and the image that Allu Arjun portrays in the movie matches the positioning tack that Thums Up has consistently used.
The positioning is that of a macho man who wants the strongest cola in the market. And even better if that strong man borders between lawfulness and lawlessness. That is Sona Pe Suhaga (The icing on the cake). The present generation wants to be a rebel—with a cause or without. A perfect marriage between the brand, its positioning, the brand ambassador, his on-screen image, and movie promotion.
10 - November 23, 2024
Print Media is dead - Nope - It is alive and kicking - Next level Flipkart interactive Rubbable first page ad in THE HINDUSTAN TIMES
Print, they say, is dead. They snicker, "Who reads newspapers?" Reading is so boring, man. Everyone seems to be on the digital gravy train. Everything is online, including a country - Tuvalu. Tuvalu is furiously trying to become the first virtual online country.
But popular beliefs, myths, and hearsay have no standing in real life. The Indian Newspaper Society (INS), the central organization of newspapers and periodicals in the country, said its member publications recorded an 11% rise in ad revenue for calendar 2023 at ₹16,472.40 crore, compared to ₹14,892.34 crore in 2022.
Print is still a big draw, and its primary advantage is its credibility. Readers still believe in the printed word, and somewhere there is a grudging admiration for journalists and the editorial fairness and impartiality. Newspapers are still respected, and people working there are seen as part of a trained professional team.
This is in stark contrast with the Wild West of social media, where anyone can be a digital creator. All one needs is a mobile phone. There is no training, qualifications, degrees, or communication skills needed, and best of all, no editing and censorship. One can do as one feels. The first page of a newspaper still has an irresistible appeal and still grabs instant attention.
Headlines always make news, and they stay as headlines for a day, unlike digital media, where headlines can change in a matter of minutes. It was refreshing to see Flipkart and The Hindustan Times try out a new innovative print media advertising campaign.
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