Just Ask

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.

The redoubtable Ranbir Kapoor is one of the youngest “A” listers in India today. His following is legion. And one can understand why. The boyish charm, the likeable smile, the impeccable comic timing and the wide range of acting skills are there for all to see. And all these have been harnessed for a series of winning TV commercials (TVCs) for Ask Me, the one-stop shop for information of any kind that has become a national phenomenon and, I hear, a venture capitalist’s dream.

The series revolves around the nation’s favourite pastime, Bollywood. Cleverly written dialogues, imaginative direction, tight editing, and superb acting ensures that each spoof, whether it is Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan or the immortal Sanjeev Kumar, is dealt with in a manner that it becomes almost naturally relevant to the brand. The art direction is wonderful and the use of larger-than-life props along with real-life situations adds to the “fun” element. The “Baap of all Apps” tag line sums up what the advertiser wants to convey. All in all, an eminently enjoyable series, and as we all know, when we enjoy watching something, it automatically has an impact and does its job rather effectively.

Sold on stunts

Now that ASCI has come down hard on the motorbike ad that showed the riders dressing up while riding, one wonders what’s with auto advertisements these days. Stunts seem to be the order of the day. Is it because their research shows that every young man who buys a motorbike is a closet stunt rider desperate to perform death-defying stunts in the middle of crowded streets? The current TVC for Hero Moto Corp seems to tie in their communication with the World Cup fever, which is rational and topical but cannot escape the urge to sneak in the stunt riding, albeit not too many scenes of it. And I really wonder what excuse Maruti Swift has to position the rather competent little car as some deadly turbocharged sports vehicle. I like the car, I like the song that accompanies the TVC but showing a Maruti Swift flying and drawing tyre-tread donuts on a race track? Really? Is that what research showed the customer wanted out of an econobox? Boy, now we understand why the roads are increasingly becoming a more dangerous place to be on!

Curved TV

So what will they come up with next? I’ve been watching the TVC for the new Samsung curved OLED television. There’s this Roman Colosseum and a father-and-son pair standing in the middle, rather incongruously dressed in pyjamas and a dressing gown. The father is holding a cup of tea and a biscuit in his hand.

There are all these old-world baddies all around and the king gives the deadly thumbs-down sign. I love the way the biscuit falls into the tea as the baddies begin their run for the father-son duo. Little touches like this make a film memorable. And as the baddies close in you are teleported to a bedroom where the duo are experiencing real-life imagery and sound on this new marvel of technology, the Samsung curved TV.

Not an original idea but rather imaginatively produced and the sheer scale of things makes it very impressive. Of course, I’m still wondering what exactly a curved TV set will deliver to me and how I would fit that large curved TV set in my bedroom. That is, if I could afford it.

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

COMMENT NOW