A TRIED & TESTED FORMULA
Advertiser: PepsiCo India
Baseline: Oh Yes Abhi
Agency: Taproot
4Ps B&M Take: There is no doubt that Ranbir Kapoor is the man of the moment – especially if you have seen him shaking a leg in the rushes of his upcoming Badtameez Dil. Given that, it comes as hardly any surprise that Bollywood’s stylish heartthrob has been snapped up by Pepsi for their multi-million IPL campaign. The storyboard has the 30-something actor in a middle-class working-man avtar, supporting a1990s style chevron moustache and thick spectacles. If the de-glam imagery reminds you of Shahrukh Khan in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi – you are not too off the mark. Except, Ranbir has also has an endearing sadak-chaap naughty streak to him. So, one moment there is Ranbir counseling two squabbling pals (each holding a half-drunk bottle of Pepsi in their hands) about how it is not important whether Kolkata Knight Riders wins or Kings XI Punjab wins the match… because after all we are all Indians. Not only that he pours all their Pepsi into a single bottle and drinks it too – lecturing them symbolically about the oneness of all Indians. But the very next moment, when a young sardar boy turns a corner running and screaming ‘’Dilli jeet gayee’’… Ranbir dumps all pretences and breaks into an impromptu jig, even jeering the Kolkata and Punjab supporters about how their respective teams couldn’t stand their own in front of the Delhi Daredevils. Message: A man would don do anything, don any pretense, in a bid to satisfy the thirst for Pepsi. As far as summer cola wars go… there is nothing here. But as far as pure good and recall-worthy television commercials go – this one does cross the stream and the river. Viewers won’t forget the de-glamorized version of Ranbir Kapoor. Neither are cricket buffs likely to ignore given that IPL fever is at an all time high. Mix cricket and Bollywood – and you get India’s biggest religion.
DINE-O-MANIA
Advertiser: Jubilant FoodWorks Limited
Baseline: Yeh hai rishton ka time
Agency: Contract Advertising
4Ps B&M Take: A fantastic pizza ad after a really long time. Brand Domino’s reaps the benefit of associating with a relevant theme for youngsters i.e. their first job; makes them laugh by touching an emotional chord; and also sends out a pertinent message to them viz. no job is too small especially when you are starting out. The storyboard is simple, engaging and nicely executed… telling the story in a visually appealing manner. The film opens with a boy dressed as a dinosaur at a theme park. His job is to entertain visitors and amuse children in the park, with his fancy dress and antics. So we see him slogging it out the whole day – being hassled and harassed by the kids, chased by the toy train, stumbling over his own clearly uncomfortable outfit, generally making a fool of himself and tiring himself out. And at the end of it all he gets is a few hundred rupees for his effort. But that’s not the point of Domino’s advertising. The point actually starts from here and that’s where Domino’s manages to tap into the youth psyche and endears its brand to them. What does our young dinosaur boy do with the money he earns? He invites his friends over for a happy pizza party and orders from – yes, you guessed right – Domino’s Pizza Mania, available just for Rs.44 only – or so the advert touts. And then the kind of leg-pulling and college humor that young ones would totally identify with. One of the friends tells our DINE-O-SAUR boy as to how he should never forget to tell prospective employers that he started his career as a Dinosaur. Cheesy, yeah! But then, so is Domino’s Pizza, my friends… very cheesy in fact!
SPREAD THE CRAZINESS
Advertiser: Coca-Cola India
Baseline: Bewajah khushiyan lutao Coca Cola pilao
Agency: McCann Erickson
4Ps B&M Take: It’s seldom that both Coca-Cola and Pepsi feature in our effective advertising section at the same time. But hey, the summer sun has begun to scorch and the cola guys have to live up to their mutual competition right? So what if there is no comparative advertising and below the belt one-upmanship? It’s still war zone, like it or not. On stake is the Rs.14,000 crore Indian soft drink market, and when the number of zeroes is so large one had better pull up their socks. So if PepsiCo’s Rs.150-crore marketing extravagance is built around the IPL this summer, Coca Cola is rivaling it with market expansion and heavy advertising of the crazy variety. Yes, the ‘haan mein crazy hoon’ madness continues with Coca Cola and in a better, softer and a more humane avtar. Three friends order four Coca Cola’s at a restaurant… the over-worked and harried waiter is puzzled but does his job… Then suddenly the girl offers a Coca Cola to the clearly tired waiter. The stunned waiter turns around and looks for the approval of his boss – the foul-mouthed restaurant owner… who imperceptibly nods his agreement. The waiter is even more stunned and happily begins gulping down the drink which refreshes him. The film ends with happiness all around and the extremely hummable jingle… haan mein crazy hoon… the tagline ‘Bewajah khushiyan lutao Coca Cola pilao’ leaves you with goose pimples and a yearning to change the selfish urban society. Targeted at youngsters who have a more idealistic view of life and the will to usher in change, this one does touch a chord. And then of course, there is Coca Cola’s masterstroke for crashing Pepsi’s IPL party – the super slogan – 200 ml bottle at Rs.8. Coca Cola has clearly started a price war this inflation-laced summer season to win those brownie points.
