Brand Busters

The following points are the prime criterion for selecting, short-listing and ranking the winning ads in this section:

• Product positioning clarity
• Clinching benefit to the brand
• Presence of a power idea
• Visibility of brand personality
• Expectancy of communication
• Single-minded focus of message
• Reward to the prospect
• Visually arresting
• Painstaking craftsmanship Here’s the 4Ps B&M verdict for the fortnight ended July 16, 2007. First come the print ads, then the TVCs. Ready for a piece of action?

Brand: Unitech
Headline: Living in the sky... can be
Baseline: See what life can be
4Ps Take: It’s eye-catching, gripping and sets you dreaming. And yes, it’s an ad of a real-estate company. Incredible! As Unitech unleashes its dream project, it’s come out with a remarkable ad to attract potential investors. The aim of the ad – to promote Unitech’s Grande project, which is being undertaken in collaboration with some of the top architectural firms, is explained in the body copy in the most delightful manner. The communication is bang on with the message loud and clear: ‘living in the sky’ – makes one immediately think of high living (also of skyscrapers), ‘complete with nature in the neighbourhood’ (the visual is in sea green) et al. While the visual is a treat, the features listed in the body copy attract. The name itself – Grande – hammers home premium living. At a time when almost every housing colony is given the rose-tinted treatment, this is a good way of rising above the clutter; in fact, we’d say it rises sky-high!

Brand: American Express
Headline: Membership changes everything. Even what you drive.
Agency: O&M
4Ps Take: American Express is back with a bang with the visual of (for a change a clean-shaven) Junior Bachchan and the Porsche 911 Targa that hogs in snazzy way (not all of it!) the limelight. The duo ably bring out the single-minded focus which is to promote the Platinum Credit Card of American Express via its latest attraction for all its proud owners: handing over the keys of the iconic Porsche 911 ‘experience’ Targa to them by no other than Abhishek Bachchan. While the USP is undoubtedly Bachchan and the dream car, there’s another attraction – the body copy informs about an unforgettable three day visit to the Porsche factories in Germany along with the thrilling opportunity of a race track test drive of the Porsche model range. What a reward to the prospect! Classy and effective communication; in fact, we’d say great going at express speed!

Brand: Virgin Atlantic
Headline: To make flying great…..to go
Agency: O&M
4Ps Take: This one is truly Branson style. Bathed in a striking blood red background, this print campaign of Virgin Atlantic doesn’t sport an aeroplane. Instead has a limo doing a trick for it. But, it’s the headline of the ad that wows the most – ‘To make flying great, we go the extra mile. Or as many miles as you want us to go’. Now, that’s making the consumer king. The body copy explains the various services that come along with flying Virgin. While the uncluttered look adds to its classy appeal, the USP and the power idea is communicated in the most simple and powerful fashion. As Air France and other international airlines flaunt their upper class facilities in India, it was only a matter of time that the fast-thinking Virgin Atlantic unleashes its communication weapon. Great branding, Sir Richard, yet again!

Brand: Hyundai Sonata CRDi
Headline: New Sonata CRDi...a bottle
Baseline: Undoubtedly distinguished
Agency: Innocean
4Ps Take: As its new Sonata CRDi drives onto the Indian roads, Hyundai challenges its competitors to show more sophistication in their products than its new baby. Well, as the headline of the ad reads – If it was any more refined, it would come in a bottle. The visual of a black Sonata CRDi and a side view of a silver one coupled with the reference to wine (bottle) automatically lends it the elegant appeal. The body copy is informative and the communication positions the product as one which is classy, high-end, runs on diesel and is therefore a little easy on the pocket (all clinching benefits to the brand!). Distinguished? Definitely!

Brand: Malayala Manorama
Headline: A shopping spree that spares no one!
Baseline: Nobody delivers Kerala better
Agency: TBWA India
4Ps Take: A queue comprising shopaholics – and who do we notice first amongst them? Mahabali, the mythological ruler of Kerala! And what is he doing in the queue? The headline has answers: ‘A shopping spree that spares no one!’ This ad of Malayala Manorama is celebrating the upcoming festival of Kerala – Onam. One with a difference, it tries to convey its message – that they are the best when it comes to covering Kerala – by associating themselves with the most important festival of Kerela which is when Keralites shop the most. The ad stands out for its sheer out-of-the-box communication strategy. This corporate branding initiative of the newspaper also succeeds in bringing out its brand personality very distinctly.

Now over to the idiot box!
The following points are the governing criteria for selecting and short-listing the winning TVC ads: clarity in positioning products; clinching benefi t to the brand; presence of a power idea; visibility of brand personality; expectancy of communication; single-minded focus of a message; reward to the prospect; visually arresting and painstaking craftsmanship. Here’s a peek into our TVC verdict for the fortnight ended July 16, 2007. Ready to groove?

Brand: Vote for the Taj
Agency: Capital Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Baseline: NA
Description: A blind kid is distributing pamphlets on a busy pavement saying ‘Taj ko vote deejiye’, but the pedestrians are not bothered: they throw away the pamphlets, some without even looking at it. Suddenly one of the fallen pamphlets catches the eye of a young man who is on his way to office and the blind boy tells him that he has heard that the Taj is very beautiful and innocently requests him to vote for the Taj. The patriotic tune of “Saare jahan se achcha,” plays in the backdrop as the caption reads, ‘The beauty of the Taj inspires us all. Vote it one of the world’s new seven wonders.’

4Ps Take: Touching storyboard and one that’s working effectively on reverse psychology: people don’t have time to vote for the monument that does them proud across the globe, but a little blind boy, who can’t even see the Taj is egging people on to vote for the monument of love. Pulls at the heartstrings – and how! Sponsored by Airtel, this global campaign eggs on Indians (obviously Airtel users) to get into the messaging mode and vote for the mighty Taj. The power idea is to encourage proud Indians to vote for this most beautiful monument in India, and give it pride of place in the Seven Wonders list. The agency took the emotional route to reach out to the target audience. And though predictable, the ad managed to strike a chord. We hear now that Taj has made it to the list; so maybe Airtel had a small part to play in that! Just goes to show what effective communication can do: in this case it worked ‘wonders’, literally!

Brand: HSBC
Agency: Contract Advertising
Baseline: The world’s local bank
Description: Om Puri plays a café owner who gets into a fight with his next-door bookshop owner (Neena Kulkarni) over the books that a customer keeps on a table. The V.O. says, “In business, 68% of Swedes believe that you have to be prepared to descend your character.” Cut to the next morning: Om Puri throws bits of papers into the bookshop and both argue again. The V.O. says, “While 65% of Italians think that giving way is a sign of weakness.” Next we see Om Puri and Neena Kulkarni are selling their respective wares in a common shop (though still competing) and the V.O. says, “For Indians however, 38% believe that success often comes from unlikeliest of partnerships. Different points of view are welcome here…”

4Ps Take: This ad efficiently takes forward HSBC’s tagline of being ‘The world’s local bank’. The message highlights how the bank understands the different views of its varied customers via the two talented actors, Om Puri and Neena Kulkarni. The reward to the prospect is banking with a global bank that understands local flavour and is willing to go that extra mile to make customers feel comfortable. Full marks to the storyboard: strong and interesting narrative, hugely entertaining and clearly explaining the theme, maintaining the required focus. The clinching benefit to the brand is the ‘flexible’ nature of the bank. ‘Different people, different views’? Point made!

Brand: Parachute
Agency: Madison
Baseline: Gorgeous hamesha
Description: A song ‘Gorgeous hamesha’ plays throughout the ad. While a woman is flipping through a magazine, the caption reads ‘Sachchi khoobsurati ko banane sawarne ki zaroorat nahin.’ A woman is trying to reach for something kept on the top shelf, a girl gets annoyed with herself while playing chess, another staring out of her car window dreamily… In the end, the V.O. says, “Parachute advanced karey aapke baalon ki dekhbhaal jadon se, taki aap kabhi kabhi nahi, par rahen gorgeous hamesha.”

4Ps Take: Guess the boring days of showing a woman with long and healthy hair is over for Parachute coconut hair oil! When rivals are busy focusing on women of substance – and intelligently at that – why not Parachute? The bid is to reach out to the aware woman of today who’s reading, working and travelling. Nice try by this rather gorgeous ad!

Brand: Videocon
Agency: O&M
Baseline: A new language of colours
Description: A lady gets up from a violet sofa, dressed in a violet gown. Cut to a painter who is wondering what to call the colour he is using. Next, a lady is wearing green-framed glasses and a green colour trickles down from the side of her frame. Then we see a young girl in a flowery field holding a light blue butterfly that releases a blue hue as it flies away. A group of ballet dancers are practicing with different coloured ribbons. The V.O. says: “With so many colours on the Videocon LCD,..Videocon Integra, a new language of colours.”

4Ps Take: The new range of Videocon’s LCD TV sets is busy calling shade a shade and how! The power idea is to firmly establish the USP of the product range in consumers’ minds: colour clarity. With Sony Bravia’s LCD TV ads (that has colourful balls flying around everywhere), guess this one is quite a winner too. The reward to the prospect is, of course, Videocon’s truly desi character. You think colour may have a new language? Then, try turning on the Videocon’s LCD TV!

Brand: Alpenliebe
Agency: McCann Erickson
Baseline: Laalach aaha lap lap!
Description: Kajol wakes up and finds a crocodile sleeping next to her. Then, she drives around with Mr. Croc comfortably perched on her car’s roof; she pops in an Alpenliebe into his mouth. She goes grocery shopping, for a movie at the theatre – and all the while Mr. Croc wants to be fed an Alpenliebe. When Kajol enters her bathroom she finds Mr. Croc in the bathtub. Finally she relates her story about how she went to the zoo and fed the croc Alpenliebe; since that day, he has been greedily following her for the tasty candies!

4Ps Take: Those kids and grandparents are no longer doing the trick for Alpenliebe; instead Mr. Crocodile from the animal kingdom and the zesty Kajol team up to deliver the requisite punch for this confectionary giant. For the first time, the brand has roped in a celebrity (Kajol) and the single-minded focus is to push the sales of Alpenliebe further northward. USP? The taste that drives Mr. Croc .crazy. Cute storyboard, cuter Croc. Time to get greedy, shall we say?

Brand: Cadbury 5 star
Agency: O&M
Baseline: Jo khaye kho jaye
Description: Two guys are planning to go somewhere, but cannot make up their mind! Enter a third friend who munches his 5-Star bar – and vanishes! Suddenly, his voice is heard saying, “Bahut achchi jagah hai yaar, bahut mazaa aa rahaa hai, jaldi aao.” Hearing this, the two guys break their chocolate into two halves and devour it. But only half their bodies disappear as each had eaten just half of the bar. In the end, the V.O. says, “Chocolate, caramel, itna kuch, jo khaye kho jaaye…”

4Ps Take: The storyboard is interesting as it takes us back to the 70s hippy caravan culture (the three guys also look very 70s). When any excuse can work for grabbing a bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk then what can keep Cadbury’s 5 Star away from chocolate lovers? The single-minded focus is to promote Cadbury’s 5 Star’s new crunchy flavour in Indian market. The USP is the Cadbury’s 5-Star brand name. And even though the characters ‘vanish’ on munching the bar, we certainly cannot say the same about the brand’s message!!!

Brand: Acer
Agency: Dentsu marcom
Baseline: Life is busy. Acer makes it easy
Description: Passengers on a flight are getting irritated over hanging of their laptops. Enter Hrithik Roshan, who merrily whistles a tune. Everyone looks back at him, when he says, “Problem? No Acer ‘e’ ki? The Acer ‘e’ technology that reduces setting so easily, that manages your power, your presentations, your security, almost everything you know.” The V.O. says, “Acer 5583 laptop powered by Intel’s Centrino duo processor technology.” Hrithik signs off saying, “Life is busy, Acer makes it easy.”

4Ps Take: Even as there’s stiff competition amongst PC companies, Acer is out with yet another ad using the delectable Roshan. Having launched Acer laptops in the Indian market, the power idea is now to boost sales. Roshan, as usual, manages to grab attention as he describes the product’s USP: the ‘e’ technology that will never let you down. The setting of the ad, inside an aircraft, subtly positions the product as a brand to be aspired. This one’s an ace up Acer’s sleeve.

Brand: Hero Honda Splendor NXG
Agency: JWT
Baseline: The splendorful bike
Description: Guy meets friends. He’s riding a Splendor. One of his friends asks him how his Splendor was doing. He replies, ‘Splendor-ful’ and explains: imagine the first day in college, a pretty girl (a pataka!) in pink, eye-contact, heart attack. How did that feel? “Beautiful,” says the friend. So imagine the feel of a roller-coaster smooth ride with a kudi. The friend now says, “Wonderful”. Next he gives his Splendor’s key to his friend and after sitting on the bike, the friend says, “Style-ful, comfort-ful, bharosa-ful, meaning Splendor-ful” and rides off.

4Ps Take: When Bajaj is busy singing paeans about its Pulsar range, why should Hero Honda lag behind – especially now that it has the Splendor NXG to boast about? Bikes are synonymous with speed, so the single-minded focus is to highlight the product’s USP: of course, its speed. The communication is smart, targeting the youth while speaking their lingo (pataka and kudi). And in typical youthful style seeks to add a new word - splendor-ful - to their vocab. Splendid it is!

The runner-ups...
With the ad rankings behind us now, it is time to focus on those print and electronic ads and billboards, which could not make it to our coveted rankings, nevertheless, they’ve created quite a stir among the ad-frat and consumers alike. Most debated, most discussed, well appreciated or blasted, whatever they may be , we bring them all to you. Check out the hottest spots for this fortnight and decide yourself...

Category: Online
Brand: Sony Ericsson
Baseline: I love making news
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
4Ps Take: This time Sony Ericsson is in love with making news and how! In the latest online advertisement of its cyber shot range, the picture of a man comfortably resting his cycle over a platform on water is taken; what’s more, that becomes the headline picture of a newspaper. The power idea is to depict the picture clarity of the Sony cyber shot – which is equivalent to a photographer’s sophisticated high-quality camera. Great example of how Sony Ericsson value adds to your everyday life!

Category: Billboard
Brand: Hutch
Baseline: NA
Agency: O&M
4Ps Take: Sometime back, we saw Irfan Khan voicing it out for Hutch and now it’s up on the billboards too. Yes! Rs.99/month rocks. The focus is to inform Hutch pre-paid users (and of course lure away the users of other connections!) about its latest offering: which entitles them to a one-month validity for only Rs.99. The communication is powerful, packed along with a witty comparison: Bus fare for a month-Rs.250; Stay mobile for just Rs.99. The USP is the Rs. 99 effect that’s bound to grip the attention of Hutch pre-paid users. Power idea is to induce the bottom of the pyramid into the Hutch plan. So, stay Mobile!

And the Bakwaas ads...
After you have gushed over the blockbuster ads of this fortnight, here are some, which – we are absolutely sure – will never make it. 4Ps B&M lists the three worst ads of the fortnight... Ads that almost made you swear that you won’t ever buy the advertised brand. And even if you managed a peek at it, you were left with a bad taste in the mouth. Medium error, complex message, vulgar (recently added) or just plain bakwaas communication!

Brand: D’Cold Total
Baseline: Yaad rahega na
4Ps Take: You know what, we didn’t have a clue that pilots were allowed to fly even when they have coughs, colds and all possible aches in the world! Talk about air safety! As the pilot can’t focus on his flying skills – just because he didn’t pop a D’Cold, the plane crashes and the pilot is left hanging on a tree: isn’t that extremely stupid? As a communication tool, the ad leaves us foxed: do you have to be in a do-or-die situation to pop in a D’Cold? The storyboard too is silly and frivolous, with no attempt to showcase the brand propositions and product benefit. Poor creative, and nobody, it seems, had put on their thinking caps at the time of conceiving this ad. And finally, it leaves somewhat of a bad taste in the mouth as the D’Cold is, at the end of the day, a medicine (even if an OTC one), and not something you can trivialise in such a manner. Yaad rahega na? Are you kidding? This one’s eminently forgettable!

Brand: HP Turbojet
Baseline: Zyaada mileage wala diesel
4Ps Take: The ad begins with a group of firang soldiers trying to protect their country’s border when they suddenly get into a state of high alert because they think that someone (from the enemy forces) is round the corner. But fear not: it’s only an Indian truck driven by a sardar and his navigator. He pops his head out and chirpily asks for tea from the soldiers. What the makers of this ad were probably trying to communicate was that HP Turbojet gives you such great mileage that you don’t mind driving past the border, into another country. But for God’s sake, could no one come up with anything brighter than this? Also, stereotyping the sardar as being a dimwit who has no idea that he’s in someone else’s territory is highly avoidable. Moreover, the ad doesn’t even convey any sense of power idea and any coherent strategy. So guys, why don’t you be a little more realistic -- because this idea might sell in dreams but not in real life. And definitely not at the border line!

Brand: Marcoman
Baseline: Live like Marcoman
4Ps Take: Guess the Deadly Dutt (we mean Sanju baba!) andthe Govinda effect is very contagious – because Hrithik Roshan too is now endorsing Macroman innerwear for men! How on Earth did Hrithik even agree to do this ad? He’s at the peak of his success and didn’t need to be seen endorsing a Rupa vest? The storyboard is the same old drag portraying the brand ambassador as an action-packed hero impressing a firangi heroine. The most absurd part about the ad is that the hero doesn’t want even a small particle of dust to settle on his Marcoman vest while fighting! How’s that for projecting “possessiveness” for the product? Bad idea! No communication about the product attributes, no positioning strategy, no power idea; the only thing the ad seems to be trying for is to stroke up an aspirational value: so, will you wear Macroman because Hrithik wears it too? The Indian vest-wearing public can’t be that dumb! And what can we say about Hrithik: that he’s now become Macroman after being Macho Man? Huh???!