addendum

Addendum is a fortnightly 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.

A heartfelt message

I recall many many years ago when my late father was diagnosed with a heart ailment, vanaspati and other oils were marched out the back door and Saffola found its way into our kitchen and occupied a pride of place as the healthy oil-of-choice for decades thereafter. In a world that is somewhat confused by big business that uses every trick in the book to sell products and services, we have gone from seeing coconut oil and ghee being branded as unhealthy, to being confused about mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and trans fats and articles that cholesterol is now free from its killer image to Baba Ramdev ratcheting up sales from selling ghee that is now good for health.

Through all this Saffola has been steadfastly occupying the position of a cooking medium that is kind to the heart. This new TVC from Saffolalife and McCann is nice in a different way. It is down to earth in the essence of its message. Take little steps to stay healthy. Stay active, eat smart, be happy. And the best part is there are no scenes of oily samosas and bulging waistlines. And though I get put off by TVCs that “adapt” popular movie songs (I think it is lazy creativity), the adaptation of a popular old Bollywood song makes this film appealing. Good production values add to the way the brand makes an appearance almost in the last frame giving credibility to an “issued in public interest” slide. Yes, this film grabs ownership of World Heart Day. All-in-all, sound strategy backed by good creative. You can’t go wrong this way.

These products don’t judge

The e-commerce market grew to dizzying heights, stuttered to a seeming correction and now seems set to grow at a more realistic pace. The age of informing customers about quality, returns, and quicker delivery has all passed and eBay, one of the pioneers in this space, is making its move to play a significant role in the Indian market. Powered by a campaign from BBDO, it has opted for an approach that is wisely different. The TVC shows regular people making important statements that the product they use does not make value judgements about them or their preferences. You have a male Kathak dancer saying his ghungroos (anklet bells) do not comment on his love for this dance form, you have a lady saying the diyas (lamps) she lights up for Diwali do not wonder why a Muslim lady celebrates this festival of lights. You have a young man proposing to another man, happy that the ring he is proffering sees only the love that comes with it. So you have this very healthy messaging about various matters of diversity that include age and other issues that all seem so natural and “normal” seen through the filter of the product. The TVC ends on a note that announces that the 10 crore products available on eBay come with only message: Live and let live. There you have it! There is still a way to say how many products you have, their bewildering range that cuts across age, gender and other psychographics, and yet embed a relevant social message that raises the advertisers from the mundane to the profound. Josy, we won’t ask you to doff that hat of yours. We’ll doff ours.

Family entertainment

Now that Tier 1 cities are almost saturated with dish television, it’s time to reach out to Tier 2-3 cities and towns and give them the good news that there is an entire world of entertainment, cooking shows, what have you, from Tata Sky. To spread the word they have O&M and Amitabh Bachchan doing what they do best … entertain. It takes the shape of one of those tent cinema-type shows in a small town in North India where you have Big B donning the avatar of the rap-star-puppeteer explaining the different shows that a Thakur’s family likes. And each of the family members is a Bachchan adaptation, from the Thakur himself to his wife, daughter-in-law, twin sons, and so on. This is one man who can look and sound engaging while he is dressed up in the wackiest outfits and asked to do the zaniest things. They really broke the mould after they made this man!

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