Walkers Extra Crunchy - Review

I'm afraid I'm unable to keep pace with the glut of great ads being churned out by the advertising fraternity, be it domestic or international.

This one dates back to at least a month ago! See, what did I tell you!

With this ad, Lionel Richie, yes, none other, makes his debut, and how!

The ad opens dramatically with a man in the shadows, subsequently being revealed as, yes, you got that right again, Lionel Richie.

The music is borrowed from his vintage collection - the chart buster, "Say you, say me..." which has been changed in the ad so hilariously to "First you, then me".

The ad sees Lionel singing the number as friends and family share a Walkers Extra Crunchy Crispy in the park, while two lovers share it on a bus, and at the department store, Lionel tries to take a crispy from the former English footballer (striker) Gary Lineker only to find himself in quite a pickle over it.

The ad ends with the voiceover saying with a straight face, "... made for sharing, sometimes".

I loved it as I'm sure you will too. Write in and tell me what you think, at:

rajni.shriram@gmail.com

I'd love to hear from you.

Indian Railways - Review

We've all done it as children, aped the train journey with its sounds and whistles. And those memories come flooding back as Piyush Pandey and his gang of men bring back those memories by recreating the experiences of the sights and sounds of a train's journey across the country.

The ad is loosely borrowed from the Ashok Kumar starrer Aashirwad (1968). For more, view here:

There is no story to the ad because the train is the story. The ad is about a string of a human train meandering through the streets and in and out of mansions hooting and chugging along.

In our memories of the rail gaadi, hangs many a tale: of matka chai boiled umpteen times before it finds its way into the matkas (!); of tender coconuts in Guntur station and aaloo luchi in Kharagpur station. Yes, those were the days. I loved it all. And that's what the train in the ad chugging along reminds me of... but I digress...

"Rail gaadi, rail gaadi, chuk, chuk, chuk, chuk..."  chugging along, rakes up some good, some not so good, but always interesting memories.

Have your say of your experiences on the rail gaadi and what it means to you, at:

rajni.shriram@gmail.com

We'd love to hear from you.

Tata Sky - Review

When the product is excellent coming as it does from the stables of the Tatas, ably supported by Aamir Khan on whose shoulder the ad rests, the cash registers are not expected to just ring, but sing.

What do I have to say? What can I say? A wonderful product in combination with some powerful acting by Aamir Khan makes for a delightful experience. Not to be left behind is the witty script itself. Aamir's entry into our homes and lives is a delightful intrusion, a gentle reminder to us that not all ads should be dismissed by the click of a button; that some ads can entertain and inform us in a pleasant way.

Here is the gist of the ad:

Enter Aamir, as a milkman, who deftly extracts a full month's wages from a customer for the milk even though the customer had gone on a vacation for part of the month. The VO says on a humorous note, not to be deceived by such manipulations, and that if you were to go on an annual holiday, you need not pay Tata Sky for that particular month.

Have you been deceived by your milkman or your newspaper man? Tell us about it. Who knows, your story may be the next story to be featured in one of the ads of Tata Sky!

An Announcement

This blog, dear reader, is meant for you. Your opinion is valuable to us. It is our constant endeavor to make it better and better for you.

Just to show how much we care, we would like you to send your comments, bouquets and brickbats not withstanding, of last month's reviews. The best three comments will get a book that inspired us, as I hope it will, you.

Email your comments to: rajni.shriram@gmail.com

Looking forward to a great partnership,

Best

Rajani

Kerala Tourism - Review

Kerala, as depicted in the ad, is a land where time stands still, a time to be pampered; to watch in leisure as Nature takes over you. Every shot has leisure written on it coupled with a sense of intrigue - a young woman on a boat seeing a twin on another boat, the man wearing a mask...

A haunting music keeps the languishing girl company while the kathakali dancer and the rest draw you by virtue of their mystique. The state beckons you to make a trip to Kerala in order to make this an experience of a lifetime because as it says in the end "your moment is waiting". A moment to hungrily feast your eyes on Nature - that which you have never seen before...

The ad finds resonance in a Mexican Tourism ad, only, may I add, that the former is a much better version of the latter.

Watch this ad if you have time on your hands and are weary of the city's babble of sounds in shrills and decibels beyond the scope of the human ear...

Watch it if you have questions that only Nature can answer...

Watch it if intrigue draws you like a moth to a flame...

And watch it to commune with a larger than life Nature that is impervious to man's hurried pace in Time.

Be wooed by Nature as it engulfs you in its arms...

Be wooed or be damned...

... for in Kerala, Nature's intriguing form cannot be ignored...