Most ads are simply ignored – a fate worse than being disliked. Hence it is said that the most important task of an ad is to be simply noticed first. Once a brand has its consumer’s attention, rest of the goals like engagement, relevance and effecting a behavioural or attitudinal change, makes sense. Here are a few creative ads from the past week which caught my eye:
Bata: Stronger Inside
The 40 & 50+ age group in India has witnessed a sea change in many ways. A lot of us from middle class families grew up in relative scarcity. Choice was limited in everything. Major categories such as automobiles had just a couple of viable brands. In footwear, Bata was ubiquitous and the go-to brand for us. The brand had a reliable but dowdy image and its product range was low on fashionable quotient. Many used to believe it to be an Indian brand even thought it originated in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Over the years, Bata has attempted an image upgrade including the product portfolio, store decor and stocking of upmarket brands like Hush Puppies. It’s sub-brand game with Power is also strong competing with the likes of Skechers. Fitness & sports themed ads – many from Nike and other brands in the category, have commonly appealed to our inner conscience – pitching our own mindset as the enemy. Remember the classic jogger boy commercial? A new spot for Power borrows that playbook with some inspired writing and uptempo mood. The ‘power inside is stronger than the challenge outside’ blends the brand name well too.
Agency: FCB India
Teamwork: client from hell
Those in advertising are familiar with client-bashing. It is true that a majority of the clients place tough, often unreasonable demands. The ‘client from hell’ perception is very much alive in the business. The common grouse is that they contribute to the toxic work culture in the ad agency business and make ad agency life tough both for account management & creative folks. A new spot for productivity software Teamwork plays on this theme and creates a comic-horror movie plot where the feared client is the villain, who is of course overcome by the benefits of the software.
Agency: Umault
McDonald’s: The Great Cup Odyssey
This is not an ad which moved me or made me feel good. Yet, I am sharing it as an example of there’s never such a things as a boring brief or a trivial product to advertise. Of course, having a big client with deep pockets and big budgets for production helps. A tactical ad for McDonald’s collectibles brings alive the characters like Shrek to promote a collection of cups with such characters etched on them. Proof that advertising can make a big deal of anything.
Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
JSW Steel: blast from the past
In India, there has been a lot of coverage for the Paris Olympics, especially in the context of women’s wrestling. An opportune time to recall this ad from nine years ago, dramatising the story of Geeta Phogat.
Agency: Ogilvy
KitKat: digital detox break
One would think that with a powerful property like ‘Have a break, have a Kitkat’ life is easy for creative teams working on the account across the globe. But it’s tough to meet the high standards set already.
A new ad in India adds the dimension of ‘constant partial attention’ which we all suffer from, thanks to constant notifications, interruptions and distractions. It does a competent job to convey that we all deserve that quiet ‘me-time’ break, devoid of any distractions – digital or otherwise. The ad also made me wonder if the idea would be any less powerful if it had not cast a celebrity as the protagonist. I guess advertisers believe that the mere presence of a celebrity gives that small incentive for a viewer to continue watching the ad – and not switch channels.
Agency: VML
Indigo Airlines: loyalty programme teaser
The ambition is big: other airlines get nervy hearing about the imminent launch of Indigo Airlines’ loyalty programme, BluChip. It remains to be seen if the product offering matches the expectations. A word on the branding – it appropriates the brand colours well and cues ‘quality’ and reputation – borrowed from the stock market parlance. Word-play which is also part of the brand DNA is evident even in the pre-registration page.
Hyundai: It’s OK
While this may not get the kind of attention or debate Nike’s ‘Winning isn’t for everyone‘ got, I thought Hyundai conveys a poignant message through a plot line that sweet, understated and not over-the-top adrenaline rush.
We wanted to use this moment to remind parents that kids need to find joy in their sports journeys, even if means taking a break or pivoting to something else.”
It is a much-needed reminder that not everything the youth take to – be it sport or education stream maybe to their liking immediately and they might very well evolve into liking something else other than what they choose to chase earlier. The line ‘There’s joy in every journey’ completes the loop back to the category and brand.
Agency: Innocean USA
Which one was your favourite? Do comment in.