GoaFest, 2011 - My Tentative Pick of Possible Award-winning Ads...

GoaFest, 2011 - My Tentative Pick of Possible Award- winning Ads...

 Would you agree?

Coca-Cola Ad – Shadow

 I’d put my money where my heart is and that is on Coke’s Open Happiness Campaign by McCann Erickson Worldwide and its team of men, some of whom include:

Prasoon Joshi,  Tirtha Ghosh, and Ashish Chakravarty.

Shibani Kashyap is the voice behind the remix song “Aaj ki raat...”. The song was first heard in the movie Anamika (1972) starring Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri (Bachchan).

 Any ‘treatise’ of an ad would be incomplete without a mention of the production team, and in particular this ad, ably led by Dibakar Banerjee of Freshwater Films, for a superb orchestration of the concept. A brilliant effort by Dibakar and his team. 

The man behind the camera deserves a separate page by himself. Watch this space for more on this amazing talent and his production house.

That’s how perhaps I’d summarize the performance of the key players in the conceptualizing and execution of a brilliant idea.

A little history would not hurt:

 It is alleged that 300,000 consumers had downloaded and  previewed the campaign on digital media. The website also claims that at the time of publishing the details of the ad, there were nearly 90,000 referrals for the ad online. Amazing, isn’t it? Especially when the claim was made even before the ad was made public in the mass media. 

And now to juggle your memory. This is that ad that has Imran Khan as the protagonist who is in the process of shifting to a new house. As he lowers the last of the cartons and wipes the grime and sweat from his brow, he notices a shadow of a young woman working away on her laptop and with some brilliant play of light and shadow attempts to have a sip of her cola. And that forms the base of a possible romantic overture between the two. 

The ad ends with a lot unsaid, allowing us to surmise the possible outcome of the meeting of two perfect strangers over a shared bottle of a cola. That is the concurrent theme running across both the Coca-Cola ads I have discussed at length with you.

A bottle of Coke opens up possibilities to strike up a conversation even between strangers is what both the ads seem to be telling us, true to the tagline: Coke khule toh baat chale.

Not sure you have got the ad right? Then here it is just to juggle your memory:

And as a parting shot I have this to say:  A good ad always sticks in your memory, and if not, a little nudging brings it all back, as it did me.

GoaFest, 2011 - My Tentative Pick of Possible Award-winning Ads...

GoaFest, 2011 - My Tentative Pick of Possible Award- winning Ads...

 Would you agree?

As promised, I begin this week with one of my favourites - The Coca-cola ad.  I would like to add that there were many ads that were good but as only three can be selected, and as I am pressed for time, I have chosen my favourite few only. Hope you agree with my choice. Enjoy!

Coca – Cola – Invisible Bottle Ad

Unbelievable as it may sound, two strangers sharing a desire for a drink to beat the heat find common solace in a shared bottle of coke.

The handsome youngster Imran Khan and an alluring Kalki Koechlin of Dev D fame make for the handsome though unlikely pair in this ad.

 Superb story told simply, and ably crafted with some amazing creativity, this ad never fails to put a smile on my face. A repeat after repeat of the ad generates the same delightful response in me.

 The voice of Carlyta Mouhini belting out the old song, “Tum jo mil gaye ho...” from Hanste Jakhm starring Navin Nishchal and Priya, and directed by Chetan Anand, has given the lovely song a new dimension.

I see much promise in this ad and hope it wins a metal.

In case you cannot remember, allow me to refresh your memory with a clipping of the ad:

Creatives: Prasoon Joshi,  Tirtha Ghosh, Nakul Sharma and Ashish Chakravarty.

Directed by Dibakar Banerjee of Freshwater Films.

Make who stick, the Client or the Consumer?

Make who stick, the Client or the Consumer?

As a copywriter, a huge responsibility rests on your shoulders: a) to present your client’s brand in the best possible way, and b) to offer a benefit to the consumer without resorting to puffery or being fake.

When put that way, it is difficult to please both. So, I would rephrase that by saying offer a genuine benefit to the consumer and make him aspire for the product.

 When the consumer is happy, you can safely assume the client will be too.

And finally, it's here!

And finally, it’s here!

The Advertising Agencies Association of India and The Ad Club Bombay jointly host the Goafest 2011 which is scheduled to be held in the Zuri White Sands Resort in South Goa from April 5 – Apr 9.

 It is that time of the year when hopes run high and disappointments well nigh abound.  But that’s life, kuch khatthi, kuch meetthi, take it which way you like.

In an attempt to relive those moments that the select ads remind us of, I have selected a couple or two that are my favourites for this season.  I will be featuring them beginning this Monday.

Your comments and opinions are important to me. So don’t forget to write in and I might just include some of them here in the run-up (or thereafter) to the event.

Think Blue

Think Blue

The ad for the all-new Volkswagen Passat with BlueMotion Technologies was launched for the first time in India in TOI and I am told, The Hindu too, the day after the men in blue won against the men in green (in what was touted to be the mother of all battles) which was a coincidence, really. 

 The following day, the cover page had the following headline splashed on it, “Think Blue” the theme of which ran across many subsequent pages of the issue, one of which even lauded the performance of the men in blue. 

What was refreshing about the ad was the use of blue in all the news headlines, besides the display of the environment and buildings in the ad in 3D. The ad had a shade of blue consuming the entire page except for the car, which, as a result, stood out. Again a brilliant effort from Volkswagen’s stable of innovative ads.

But to pick up from where I left off, about the ‘blue’ bit being just a coincidence, I have this to add: 

While working for this write-up, I found a video clipping that I personally found very interesting and thought that you might want to know too.  So, here it is. Be my guest;  be the first to judge and feel free to share it with others. Only don’t forget to tell them you found it here first!

So, now you know!

The gist of the whole print ad underscores the idea, of efficiency ‘trumping up’ speed in terms of reduced carbon emissions.

  There is a website dedicated for the purpose of spreading the word that offers suggestions to reduce the carbon footprint in everyday situations by using the carpool instead of going to work alone, switching off the appliances like our TV sets when not in use, using rechargeable batteries, using fluorescent bulbs instead of yellow light bulbs, and checking the engines.

It further urges you to give it a try, because, “the planet doesn’t always need one big change; sometimes it just needs a few tiny ones.”

Wisdom Lies in the Detail

Wisdom Lies in the Detail

Much can be said of the wise who keep an eye on the micro without losing sight of the macro (vision).

Work vs. Family

Work vs. Family

So much has been written about this topic, yet recent events compel me to write about it anyway. 

I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for 21 years and have just started going out. My daughter who is fiercely independent and perfectly capable of taking care of herself, protested, saying  that I was going out too often these days!

You are never too old to want attention.