Niked it.

Today I am going to talk about some of the more hoary aspects of the ad world and how admakers want to cash in on everything. Controversies, scandals, shams, heartbreaks, fights everything is a source of inspiration in the ad making world. The rule, “Any publicity is good publicity” always holds true in the world of advertisement. The fundamental aspect that the entire industry is based on is that an ad must grab public attention. And if it is infamy, instead of fame that does the trick then so be it.

The ad which I have put up on top is the latest Nike ad starring  a post scandal Tiger Woods. Only, he doesn’t speak. Instead there is a voice that seems to be talking about responsibility in the background. The voice is that of his father’s. Probably trying to infuse some professionalism into the golfing champion before he returns back to the field.

As for me, I am not exactly sure how much does Tiger Woods likes being told off by his father while he listens silently. Even if its just a record playing in the background, but Nike must be enjoying all the attention being garnered by this particular ad. Apparently, within the first few days of being aired, this ad inspired scores of spoofs, which were released onto youtube, probably made by disgruntled and fun loving fans.

Ed.

A Safari for life.

Today I am going to present before all of my esteemed readers something very special. This ad campaign kicked off long time back sometime around 2005 attempting to shake some cores and break some ideals. The ad was about reinventing and re-positioning the Tata Safari SUV in the market since it had made  a comeback with a revolutionary new engine DiCOR (DiCOR standing for “Direct Injection Common Rail engine”) in August 2005.

Usually automotive ads are focussed on either the vehicular specifications aspect or the target customer segment ( such as the youth, or female youth, or young executives). However this particular ad campaign aptly called, “Reclaim your life” was more of a breakaway from these traditional points of focus and made an attempt to connect with each individual customer on a personal basis. A one to one connect. And it clicked.

The campaign as a whole was widely acclaimed by critics, customers and admakers all over. Over the year the ads have mellowed down from a “in your face” attitude to a more introspective tone now. I have put up all the ads in their chronological order. The first one which was the introduction to the Reclaim you life campaign showcased a variety of individuals trapped in their lives. The second one focussed on the virtual slavery everyone was made to endure in their routine lives. An attempt is made each time to position the Safari as an alternate means to break free from the daily drudgery and routine lives, since practically one cannot just abandon everything in life no matter how routine things get.

Moving on to the third ad, it sobered things down and used “lines” in general from day to day lives to remind people about lines they are trapped behind, or about lines they must trace for themselves. Mostly, its to generate the feeling of  empowering each person in his own way. The latest ad, which was shot in New Zealand seems to target those buyers who are achievers or forerunners. It reminds them, if they are doing something that would actually add to them and their experiences and not to just to their job profiles or resumes.

As far as I am concerned, if you ask me, I like the first one the best. Awesome music, killer concept and perfect execution.

Ed.

The Indian flavour.

Today I am going to talk about another company that is loved and respected in the country for decades together. At the same time I am going to try to tingle your salivary glands. I am talking about Amul. For as long as anyone can remember Amul, it always started with the Amul moppet girl in the polka dotted dress who put Amul on the breakfast tables. From just butter and simple milk products, Amul has today diversified into dozens of new products. Check out the entire list here -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Amul_products

The most famous ads of Anand Milk Union Limited (Amul) are the print ads and hoarding featuring the amul moppet in various costumes relating to recent incidents and celebrities in the news. However with the advent of TV media, Amul also forayed into the mouthwatering arena of TV ads. One of the most important points that Amul kept stressing on was the Indianness factor that it radiated. And it did make its mark as was intended. “The taste of India” factor has taken the brand to great heights today. It can be easily observed from the fact that a few years ago Amul had no presence in the ice-cream market and today it boasts of nearly 40% market share, which is apparently 4 times than that of the nearest competitor.

The ad on top of the post is one of the earliest ads which showed the co-operative side of Amul  industries limited, as to how they helped an entire community by uplifting their standard of living through the milk co-operative plan. From there Amul has travelled a long distance and is now targeting the upwardly mobile customers of all segments of the typical Indian society by projecting a fresh face of modern Indian industry. All I have to say about Amul is, utterly butterly delicious adsense.

Ed.

Buoyed past decades.

Today I am going to talk about a classic product that has been a part of day to day life all over the world for decades. This particular product has been in circulation since 19th century, even before tele-ads or for that matter tele-visions were a part of the common household.

Lifebuoy soap has a special place in my heart. No, I don’t stink, neither am I that dirty. Rather, the appeal is focused on how the soap has been branded and marketed in various countries of the world successfully over a hundred years now. Unilever, the brand owner has done a pretty “neat” job of maintaining the Lifebuoy brand by constant innovation and acclimated branding strategies. If you want to know more about how Unilever goes about it, follow the link -> http://www.unilever.com/brands/personalcarebrands/lifebuoy/

Coming back to tele-ads, the one above is a 70′s ad of the original Lifebuoy which first brought about the concept of deodourant in a soap. Given the time period and technology used then, it was a pretty good ad. Since then, the bar itself has undergone several changes, both on a fundamental and a cosmetic level. I am told, now it even comes with a de facto “health smell” that has replaced the inherently carbolic smell that we used to associate with Lifebuoy.

The ad below is another Lifebuoy ad which is primarily screened in India. This ad is a part of the “Koi dar nahin” ( Have no fear ) campaign. I chose this particular ad of Lifebuoy since it had a far reaching impact on the general masses as it coupled the “Koi dar nahin” tag with a social cause addressing of dirty neighbourhoods and irresponsible residents. Again, very Indian. Connects with the masses and sends out a message loud and clear.

That’s all for now

Ed.

Love thy neighbour.

Let’s take a break and relax. Today I have a rather humourous commercial of HDFC mutual funds. Very funny, very Indian. Those are the two defining charateristics of this particular ad that hits a chord with the local audience.

The ad works upon the common Indian psyche, potrays a very common feature of Indian neighbourhoods and especially neighbourers. It hopes to connect with the average Indian audience by relating to day to day occurances. The objective however is to make the Indian investor consider HDFC midcap mutual funds as a serious investment option, but the message gets lost somewhere in the ad as it turns into more of a parenting lesson.

All in all, the ad projects a very endearing sojourn into the Indian neighbourhood. But I guess the ad could have done better if the connect between little “Murli” and midcap mutual funds was slightly stronger and more visible.

Ed.

Fast. BMW M 5ast.

Now here is another ad that caught my imagination long time back. It was broadcasted way back  in the late 1990′s. However, this ad was pulled off air ~since its claims of being the fastest saloon car on the planet did not sit well with the competitors~. But not before it made some serious impact on the motoring world.

The M5 comes from the trusted stable of Bayerische Motoren Werke or BMW, as it is more commonly known. BMW is known to spend a fortune ~to the tune ’00s of millions of dollars~on advertising every year. It is little wonder that most of their ads find their place in the advertising hall of fame or as in this case hall of infamy.

Fine tuned engines, 6 speed gearboxes, advanced clutch and differential  and other details that car makers usually delve into while showcasing their goods are all fine and dandy, but what appeals to me in such an ad is the intelligent portrayal of an idea with intelligible simplicity by which it convey what those hi-fi specs mean to me. Because at the end of the day, I would want a car and not just an assemblage of parts. Taking this advertisement in particular, the reason why it had such a hammerhead impact was simply because it catered to what anyone would look for in a car, and more so in a BMW. Power and speed.

The execution of the ad is so near perfect that even to this date, I am tempted to believe it outran that experimental land vehicle. I am not sure if it is the fastest saloon on the earth of not, but yes it can set pulses racing.

Ed.

When 1984 was not “1984″.

Ads come and go. Most of the times into archives, or dustbins, as the case maybe. But once in a while, there comes an advert that makes it into the pages of history. When this particular ad was aired at the Super Bowl way back in 1984, for the first and last time ~believe it or not, this ad was aired once. o-n-c-e~, it created what it was meant to. A revolution.

Apple, at that time had come up with the first Mac which was Apple’s ace in the sleeve. A personal computer with a mouse and GUI (graphical user interface) in the era of MS DOS clones. But before selling it, they wanted to sell the core idea which was a revolution of sorts in the world of personal computing.  And  hence the ad had did not show the Mac or its GUI or its mouse. As far as I can see the only thing that the ad was supposed to do was to catch the imagination of the audience. And that it did.

I mean, everyone had seen movies or read about iconoclastic movies but seeing something like that “live” and right in you face, challenging you that it would change your world as you know it. I literally felt a sense of shock ~more like a tingling sensation in my limbs~ and at the same time it gave rise a certain inquisitiveness as well. I can only imagine what the people felt when they saw the ad in the stadium that day. And more importantly what did they go and tell their friends and relatives back home.

As for me, I can only wish that I could have been one of that lucky crowd that saw this epic ad. And who lived through 1984 to see how was it different from the “1984″.

Ed.

P.S- “1984″ refers to the book by George Orwell.

Hello world!

Hello world indeed!

I am Adman ED. And I am a diehard fan of the advertising world. Go absolutely gaga over the coolest ads out there. As far as my hobbies go, I love to collect ads. So would you like to be my friend?

^_^