P & G Creative Advertisement “Not a Kaccha Nimbu, 20 years of P&G Shiksha” that almost Misses the Mark!

Today, while I was walking back from class, my colleague Dr. Himabindu Madam called my attention to a rather unusual advertisement. She said, "Sir, you must definitely write a blog post about this one!" I’m always grateful when colleagues like her recognize my habit of writing about the odd and interesting things that happen in the world of marketing.

An Ad That Stood Out—But Only When Pointed Out by my colleague: This ad was published in The Times of India, and it caught her attention — but not mine when I did browse the same newspaper in the morning. It said:

Change of Name “I Kaccha Nimbu son of Amit Kumar and Jasawanthi Kumari, resident of Phoolpur Jilla, Pimpidi Tehsil, Pin 404181 – have changed my name and will hereafter be known as Bikas Kumar,– Scan know my story."

On scanning the QR code, I was taken to a YouTube video of P & G’s “Not a Kaccha Nimbu (unripe lemon), 20 years of P&G Shiksha”,  where the story of Amit Kumar unfolds — as someone who was once mocked or teased as a child but has now risen above it all to become a successful individual. He has rewritten his narrative and wants the world to know about it. An inspiring concept, no doubt!

 The Idea is Brilliant, But Execution? That said, there are three points I feel strongly about.

First, the execution didn’t do justice to the concept. When I saw the ad in the newspaper earlier, I didn’t even pause—it looked like one of those “name change” notices and didn’t grab my attention at all. Had Dr. Himabindu madam not told me, I might have missed it completely. That’s a big miss for an ad that’s trying to spark curiosity.

Second, the size and placement of the ad left a lot to be desired. It was not very big —barely noticeable. If the goal was to make an impact, the ad should have been at least a quarter or half-page. A catchy headline or a bold lead-in could have helped generate more interest. As it stands, it was too easy to skip.

The Video: A Bit Too Long. Also worth mentioning is the length of the YouTube video. At 2 minutes and 41 seconds, it felt longer than necessary. In today’s age of short attention spans, a tighter version under a minute could have had a much stronger effect—concise, punchy, and to the point.

Closing Thought: To sum it up, a wonderful idea that deserved better packaging. In marketing, especially with storytelling campaigns, grabbing attention is half the battle. And in this case, a little more thought in design, placement, and video duration could have turned a good idea into a truly memorable campaign.

Keywords: Marketing, Advertisement, Print Ad, QR Code, YouTube Campaign, Brand Storytelling, Ad Execution, Newspaper Ad, Creative Campaign, Amit Kumar Ad, P&G, Video Marketing, Viral Ads. 

 Hashtags:#MarketingInsights #CreativeAdvertising #BrandStorytelling #PrintAds #QRCodeMarketing #YouTubeCampaign #AdvertisingStrategy #PandG #MarketingFails #ViralAds #AdAnalysis #MarketingBlog

More Keywords: P&G advertisement analysis, Amit Kumar P&G ad campaign, QR code marketing strategy, Print advertisement case study, Brand storytelling in advertising, Marketing campaign critique, Newspaper ad effectiveness, Creative ad campaigns India, YouTube ad engagement tips, Advertising strategy gone wrong, Emotional branding examples, How to improve print ads, P&G. 

Thums Up (Allu Arjun) vs. Campa Cola (Ram Charan) : A New Chapter in India's Cola Wars"

Ram Chran

It is summer, and the Cola Wars are on! It has become a custom among cola companies that the battle for dominance automatically heats up whenever summer arrives. The sniping has already started this year, and it’s getting quite interesting.

Allu Arjun

Thums Up has brought in Allu Arjun as its brand ambassador and released some very exciting and energetic videos. Not to be left behind, Campa Cola has now signed Southern superstar Ram Charan as its spokesperson. Interestingly, this marks a first in the advertising industry — the same spokesperson is now being used for the entire country. The advertisements heavily bank on his star status and mimic his famous movie scenes from Magadheera and RRR.

Mahesh Babu 

Salman Khan

Earlier, brands used to appoint different film stars for different regions — a North Indian celebrity for North India, and a South Indian celebrity for South India. For example, during 2012–2013, this practice was quite common: Mahesh Babu for South India, and Salman Khan, later Shah Rukh Khan, for North India. 

Shah Rukh Khan 

Vijaya Devarakonda

Vishal

Sudeep

Thums Up has used Shah Rukh Khan for Hindi, Vijay Deverakonda for Telugu, and Kichcha Sudeep for Kannada. The strategy was clear — use celebrities who connect emotionally with people in their mother tongue ("Muzabaan").

But now, the shift is evident: the same film star is being used both for North and South India. This move shows the growing power of South Indian movies, especially Telugu cinema, and how Telugu film stars are now being recognized as true pan-India celebrities.

An interesting side point: There are strong rumours that Ram Charan and Allu Arjun do not see eye to eye, and that they don't get along very well. This rivalry is now amusingly reflected in their being selected as ambassadors for competing cola brands — Campa Cola and Thums Up, respectively.

Interestingly, Ram Charan is endorsing Campa Cola across India, whereas Thums Up continues with different endorsers in different languages (Shah Rukh Khan in Hindi and Allu Arjun in Telugu). Is this advantageous for Campa Cola or Thums Up? Only time will tell.

Chiranjeevi 

During the pesticide controversy in cola drinks that erupted in 2008, superstar Chiranjeevi took the moral high ground and declared that he would never endorse any cola brands. He refrained from being a spokesperson for Thums Up. Chiranjeevi already had political ambitions at that time and quit cola endorsements in 2008. Credit must be given to Chiranjeevi for standing by his principles — he never again endorsed any cola throughout his career.

However, times have changed. Ironically, about 17 years later, his own son (Ram Charan) is now endorsing a cola brand! Meanwhile, Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu had no such moral constraints and continued endorsing Thums Up — and even Bollywood's Salman Khan did the same. In the end, perhaps it’s all about the money. That's just how it is!!!

Breaking the Mold: Rapido’s Scooty feature - a Game-Changer for Women and elderly Travelers"

 Observation about Rapido’s New Scooty Feature:

1. Ditch rough rides! Choose Rapido’s scooty rides — safer, smoother, women-led, gearless comfort. Family-ready, luggage-friendly, premium travel redefined. Ride smart. Ride safe.

2. Rapido has introduced a new feature: scooty rides (gearless two-wheelers like Activa, Jupiter, etc.). Rapido is taking customer feedback seriously and acting upon it.

3. Scooty rides are being offered instead of traditional motorcycles. Long-distance scooty rides aim to help older men, women, and young passengers who struggle with high-sloping motorcycle pillion seats. (Severe cramps are a common complaint.)

4. Motorcycles are rough, fast, and less comfortable, especially for girls and women. Scooty rides offer luggage space, useful for trips to bus and train stations.

5. Scooty rides are safer, slower, and statistically less accident-prone. Rapido is aiming to encourage more women captains (drivers).

6. Rapido’s algorithm may match women travelers with women captains, promoting safety and comfort. Rapido is charging a 10% premium for scooty rides, which seems like a fair deal considering the extra comfort and safety.

7. Keywords:  Rapido, Scooty rides, Scooter taxi, Two-wheeler rides, Bike taxi, Mobility solutions. New feature launch, Passenger safety, Women empowerment, Inclusive transportation, Long-distance two-wheeler, Comfortable rides, Safer rides, Luggage-friendly travel, Women captains, Gearless scooters, Customer-centric innovation, Ride-hailing services, Urban commute, Premium service offering, Family-friendly travel, Feedback-driven innovation. 

8. Hashtags: #Rapido  #ScootyRides #MobilityInnovation #UrbanMobility #WomenInTransport #SaferRides #CustomerFirst #InclusiveMobility #ComfortableCommute #GearlessJourney #SmartTravel

Can De Beers Diamonds Deliver Dramatic Dent in Gold Demand?

Most of my students read the ad and became sentimental. They went gaga over the father—how he was treating his daughter like a princess, how he was trying to break a stereotype, how he considered her a princess, and how he wanted to gift her a diamond on her 16th birthday.  Satiated, they fell back into their seats.  Their faces had the expression of a cat that had a bowl full of cream and was supremely happy.

I said, “Yes, very good. All that you said was seeing the trees and missing the forests. Do you really think that De Beers is the Government of India to fight for girl and women empowerment? Did any of you see the business angle? Every company is looking to make money. It is all about money. How does this ad make sense considering that DeBeers would have spent 40 Lakh rupees in putting out this advertisement?”

A whopping Rs 1,65,000 crores worth, or 802.8 tonnes of gold was consumed by India in 2024. Industry estimates say that diamond sales in India are only 20% of the gold sales. Just like Thums Up dominating Coke in India, in all other markets Coke is an undisputed king. Similarly, only in India do diamonds play second fiddle to gold in a country that worships the yellow metal.

DeBeers is the market leader in the diamond business and would like to have a bigger share in the very lucrative Rs 1,65,000 crore worth of sales that gold generates in India. India has always been a gold country, and the attraction is that gold is seen as a hedge against inflation and as Stree Dhan (a lady’s wealth), wealth that belongs to the lady (mother, wife, daughter). Gold is also seen as an excellent investment that offers a great return on investment.

Diamonds don’t have the above attractions for Indian women. It is only seen as an ornament that is used as part of gold jewelry. That is the perception that De Beers wants to change. Think of diamonds when you earlier thought about gold. A girl's birth, first birthday, first day at school, a girl attaining puberty, engagement, marriage, etc. Thus, this ad campaign of DeBeers is to change perceptions about diamonds. It is positioning itself straight against gold.

Similarly, in the 70s and 80s, motorcycle riders  in the USA had a macho image and an image of negativity because of movies and popular culture. The riders were huge, had tattoos, wore leather clothes, and were shown as tough people. Movies like Mad Max heightened and reinforced the image of this ultra-tough, macho bad man. Regular customers were shying away from motorcycles.

Honda wanted to change this perception and came out with a path-breaking campaign. "You meet the nicest people on a Honda." This campaign, where Honda showed people from different walks of life, aka respectable people, riding a Honda motorcycle, went a long way in changing the perception of a motorcycle being a  mode of transport of tough, bad people. De Beers is trying to do the same with its campaign: change perceptions. In a way, it is a generic campaign that will benefit all diamond sellers, and as a market leader, De Beers would profit the most.

De Beers, too has tried the perception change campaigns in the past. One of its iconic campaigns was the “A diamond is forever” campaign, but that focuses mostly on the engagement and the marriage segment. But in India, it is trying to trigger the heartstrings of the breadwinner, the father, assuming that he will do anything for the apple of his eyes - his daughter!

Key words: Jewelry Marketing, Luxury Goods Advertising, Consumer Perception, Market Trends, Advertising Campaigns, Brand Positioning, Product Promotion, Target Audience, Market Research, Sales Strategy, Gold Marketing Strategies, Gold Investment Promotion, Precious Metals Marketing, Gold Jewelry Branding, Digital Gold Marketing, Gold Sales Campaigns, Luxury Gold Products, Gold Market Trends, Gold Advertising Agency