For some soul-searching

Sravanthi Challapalli reviews some ad campaigns that were launched recently.

For some soul-searching

Men, do you know how you look when you leer at women? No? See this film called Dekh Le , then. It’s a short film commissioned by Whistling Woods International (WWI), a film, fashion and media institute, to create awareness about sexual harassment. The male actors – especially the one who played the role of the bearded guy in the train – do a great job of looking flustered and chastened when they see themselves reflected in the eyes (well, the helmets, glasses and pendants) of the women they are ogling. I loved this device the film-makers employed. The women do an equally good job of looking grim and disgusted.

The song, Dekh le tu dekhte huey kaisa dikhta hai , sung by Sona Mohapatra and set to music composed by Ram Sampath, is catchy. WWI alumnus Ketan Rana made the film. Well done!

And for demanding daughters …

The latest TVC for HDFC Life’s Young Star Plan has gone in for a change of mood. There’s more humour in this ad compared to previous ones where arranging the funds for education was portrayed as a cause for worry initially – but just till the realisation struck that HDFC Life would do the job and that made for smiles all around.

This ad is light-hearted from the word Go – a father asks his young daughter what she wants for her birthday and she tells him she wants a princess doll. And goes on to reel off a long list of wishes for the future that go right up to Disney World in the US. The child looks momentarily disappointed when the surprised father exclaims that he has not planned for such a long term but then the mother pipes up saying, “ America mein vacation, phir education ” (Vacation in America is the first priority, only then education). The TVC has also highlighted the role of mothers in financial planning, which was not seen in the brand’s earlier advertising, and portrays insurance as an apt birthday gift that one can buy to fulfil their children’s wishes. The ad was made by Chrome Pictures for ad agency Leo Burnett.

Indian insight

Few are immune to the charms of tart green mangoes, and surely there’s nothing like stealing a few and eating them? It’s this typically Indian cultural thing that Everest Brand Solutions tapped into in its new commercial made by Jamic Films for Parle Products’ Kaccha Mango Bite candy.

None less than mega star Amitabh Bachchan is made to look sheepish when he shatters a window as he aims for a cluster of green mangoes on a tree in someone’s house. The angry housewife comes out all prepared to scold the culprit but of course, it’s the Big B, and when he apologises, saying he could not help himself at the sight of the mangoes, she asks her child to bring some ‘ Kacche aam ka Xerox ’ (Xerox of raw mangoes) for the ‘guest’. Can the megastar get adults to start popping Kaccha Mango Bites more often now? And I wonder what Xerox will think of its name being used in this line. We hear Parle Products had in an earlier ad changed it to ‘copy’ to prevent trademark troubles.

Getting it right

You can count on Amul to come up with timely ads and not lose the sensitivity. In its latest ad (at the time of writing), Amul pays tribute to actor Farooque Sheikh who passed away suddenly a week ago. It depicts him in his role of Aqeel from Shatranj ke Khiladi, with the Amul girl in an Umrao Jaan-esque costume, and a line from the movie ‘ Naav yaadon ki doobti hi nahin ’, implying that he is unforgettable. Poignant.

Golden oldie

In times when brands go rushing for the young and the latest celebrity, Kirtilals, the Coimbatore-based jewellery brand, has done the exact opposite. That is not to say its choice is any less interesting or unsuitable.

In a print ad that points to its 75-year-old heritage, the brand uses dancing star and South Indian heartthrob of yesteryear, Padmini, to show off its first diamond belt, which the actor owned, we learn. (Trivia: It was made in 1953, had diamonds weighing 25 carats and used about 200 gm of gold.) It’s not so much the belt adorning Padmini as much as the actor adorning the belt, as the tagline will have it. The ad was conceptualised by Kirtilals internally. Now that’s a smart line, intended or unintended!

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