Addendum

Addendum is a weekly column that takes a sometimes hard, sometimes casual, sometimes irreverent yet never malicious look at some of the new or recent advertisements and comments on them.

Culture shift

Sapient Nitro’s digital offering for British Airways is a long, mushy film. It has everything Indians relate to. A delightful grandma who will not take no for an answer, Indian hospitality, sentimentality and long relationships. Hold on a second. This is supposed to be an advertisement for British Airways, right? British, with the stiff upper lip, the clinical efficiency, the frosty smiles, bland food, and so on? Well, I guess that’s exactly what Sapient is trying to re-position. As films go, it’s pretty well made. The problem is that one begins to expect all that is portrayed from the product. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying BA isn’t a good airline. In fact, I think it is. It is the cultural nuances that are difficult to deliver. Air India’s Auntyjis wouldn’t bat a mascaraed eyelash fitting into this role. But they have a different set of issues, right? Still, I’m going with an “A” for effort.

Stories worth telling

With SUVs being the flavour of the year (except that the diesel models cannot be sold currently in Delhi), their tyres will obviously soon be in greater demand. And that’s what Ceat and Ogilvy are counting on. Their new TVC has an irate school-master wondering about the seemingly fantastic stories a little boy is penning. The master has called the boy’s father in, and the youngster reads out a story about a drive he takes in an SUV with his dad. The story graphically describes the kind of terrain the Ceat SUV tyres can handle and relies on a little hyperbole from the tot to prove the point. A nicely made film. Very different from the normal explosive action tyre companies rely on to make their point. Intelligently, the SUV is not the centre of the visual narrative and one never gets the feeling this is an advertisement for an SUV.

Patience, a virtue

The stock markets seem to be in the grip of a bear hug. Every passing day sees the Sensex dipping with predictable regularity. What does an investor do in such a scenario? ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund and LinEngage, a part of Mullen Lintas, have created a new TVC for precisely this. The film shows a couple celebrating their tenth anniversary over dinner. When a friend asks the host what ten years of marriage felt like, he says that, when things are good, they are very good, and when things aren’t, one should use logic, perseverance and patience. The wife asks if he is speaking about their marriage or about mutual funds, and the host smilingly remarks, “Both”. An interesting way to address a critical issue, prompting us to stay invested in mutual funds and ride the rough with the smooth.

Why not?

We’ve reviewed Motilal Oswal films before. They’ve featured a James Bond-type character and a tag line ‘Invest Right, Sit Tight’. We liked the character and the tagline. This time, Motilal Oswal has three TVCs for its mutual fund. All three show financial advisers and even a random friend advising people to buy into the top mutual funds. All end with the client asking one question: “Why not Motilal Oswal?” The voice-over says that Motilal Oswal’s unique investment philosophy makes customers ask this question of their financial advisors. I like the question. It is with the answer, or the lack of it, that I have a problem. So I’ve asked my wealth manager the question. If he hangs his jaw out and stares at me, I would be sorely tempted to sock him. And knowing glib managers, they would have a hundred answers as well. So, I am left wondering what the objective of the campaign was in the first place. Other than showing me that ignorant wealth managers are pitching other MFs at me that are probably not as good as Motilal Oswal’s. I wonder why. And, of course, I miss James Motilal Bond.

Ramesh Narayan is a communications consultant. Mail your comments to cat.a.lyst@thehindu.co.in

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