Interesting world of Television Commercials

I have not been watching a lot of television these days and whatever little I get to watch is either sports that too Cricket or prime time soaps that my mom like any other middle-aged women is in the habit of watching. I have not noticed a substantial change in the content for past many months: the sport is still the same apart from induction of fresh faces in Indian squad and soaps too surviving on unlimited supply of rambling; iconoclastic, rebellious women; and melodramatic frames and effects.

In the hope of some change, at times I would switch to News but there too you find Arnab screaming at the top of his voice and others simply trying to ape him. However, in the midst of all similar looking and sounding scriptures I find a fresh breath in television commercials. In this post, I am going to talk about my thoughts on commercials I have recently come across.

Havells that took me off guard last season by having late Rajesh Khanna narrating a story on fans has once again surprised me with its out of the box thinking. It is one brand that I admire for its admittance of the fact that fan as a category on a functional aspect has limited penetration through advertising. The latest Havells’ campaign speaks about ‘taaza hawa chali’ which is a metaphor for ‘change in code’. To establish this thought the copywriters of this advertisement have referred to two social norms/stigmas that are widespread and deep rooted. The commercial per se does not highlight product differential nor intends to underline social caring of the brand. It is simply a thought provoking commercial made with an intention to refresh the brand in consumers’ minds and build salience. Full 10 from me!

ICICI Prudential’s Bande Achche Hai is again a nice thought provoking advertising, high on emotional quotient. It will definitely score high when compared to peers such as Max whose corporate campaign is built on a cult song Sar Jo Tera Chakrai. The move by both these private sector life insurers suggest a change in approach to reach out to consumers: from scaring, in your face reality content to feel good, pat on the back storyline. The underlying message is still very strong but subtle, making viewer think positively rather than having them commit to doing something out of fear. The commercials are now made with an intention to evoke a thought and involve consumers at emotional level. Thumbs up again!

Apex Ultima I noticed a technical glitch in the two commercials that this brand is presently running. The story narration is same in both the commercials but actors are different apart from one person. However, the closing frame has two characters one of whom is common in both the commercials but the second person is carried from the other commercial. It is confusing in a way for the consumer. On effectiveness scale, the commercial is good but could have been represented better. The storyline is quite old and a drag. The other brands have not come out full hog yet, so hard to predict the salience of Apex Ultima through this commercial. In my view, it needs to reboot its thinking.

Nokia for its Lumia 800 and Samsung for Grand are pitching hard with consumers these days. The former is a premiere category product whereas the latter is in mid category. However, the common between the two is reliance on photo features. These commercials make it evident that the smartphone category has moved ahead of higher pixels to photo editing/enhancement. Nokia hinges on cool friends circle storyline whereas Samsung presents Grand as a thing for a highflying, go getter and aspiring youth. Nokia seems to have better presentation and recall value than Samsung through these commercials. However, Samsung has more purpose. The product per se has been launched with an intention to bring advanced features of an advanced smartphone in approachable price band and lift consumers who are stuck in below Rs. 20,000/- category with a value for money product. The consumers who aspire for S3 or Note II but cannot afford are the real target for Grand. The messaging is moving and appropriate considering the background.

Kent RO Peete Raho is a cheap and failed trial to ignite a wave. Hema Malini who I believe is ill suited for such a brand stutters Peete Raho two times to end the commercial with little or no impact. The makers of this commercial should learn a thing or two from cola brands whose lifeline is more and more drinking, and how effectively they execute it. Urging someone to do something in access is the biggest task for a marketer and Kent Ro is clearly struggling to get past the ‘convincing’ line.