The Indian Council for Market Research (ICMR) in association with 4Ps B&M conducted an exclusive market survey to reveal the funniest advertisements of 2013 in the Indian television space. In the first phase of the survey, a list of the top 50 advertisements that were featured in 4Ps B&M for the year 2013 was generated. These advertisements are ranked and rated in the 4Ps B&M Ad Rankings section every month based on four core parameters – creativity, brand recall, levity/concept and cinematography/execution. The final call on the advertisements that score the most on an aggregate basis on these four parameters is taken by the 4Ps B&M editorial team.
In the second phase of the survey, ICMR interviewed over 1,000 respondents on a pan-India basis to take their inputs as to which of the top 50 advertisements had the greatest impact on them. The respondents were asked to name the advertisements that were their favourites, considering the parameters of humour quotient in the advertisement, brand recall (top of the mind) and emotional connect that the advertisement could make with the brand’s target audience/end consumer. The highest weightage was given to the levity factor. The list of advertisements was arranged in a structured format for the respondents to give their feedback. The respondents were chosen by using the simple random sampling technique. Based on the advertisements chosen by these respondents, a final list of the top 20 funniest advertisements of 2013 was generated.
The survey was conducted in the 4 metros of India namely Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Approximately 55% of the respondents were male while the rest were female. The respondents were from diverse age groups with 45% of the respondents in the age group of 25-35 years, around 30% of the respondents in the 35-45 years age group and the remaining 25% above 45 years of age. Please note that this final list is completely based on individual perceptions of the people who were interviewed. In addition, what we have brought forward is a listing and not a ranking, because each of these advertisements has been a winner for its respective category/target audience.
4Ps B&M Take: About a year ago, The Hindu had released an advertisement on Indian politicians. This one simply builds on that. The latest ad is another reminder of the rot which has crept into the system, but told in such a manner that it leaves you infused with hope for the future entrusted in the hand of India’s capable Gen-Next. The commercial begins with a man sitting in his living room surrounded with newspapers, mobile phones etc. He is shown behaving in the worst possible manner with his mother, his servant, and just about everyone who comes into contact with him. The man’s teenage daughter who is watching the unfolding saga is perplexed. She asks her mother if something is wrong with her father. The mother, in a matter of fact manner states that nothing is wrong – that the father is merely getting prepared for the budget session of the Parliament – implying that he is gearing up to behave in the most abominable manner in what is regarded as the supreme lawmaking body of the country – which is the Parliament. The message at the end of the TVC – Behave yourself India. The youth are watching – is what makes the break or make difference in the TVC. Ever since Gandhian Anna Hazare’s graft crusade caught the imagination of India’s middle class and the youth, advertisers have built a slew of TVCs around a similar theme with the youth demanding a change in the system. This one hits home ground simply because it delivers a succinct but stern message to the netas to behave themselves – because the youth are watching, judging and eventually will have the wherewithal to do away with them because they just don’t identify with this brand of politics anymore.
4Ps B&M Take: So what comes to mind when you think of annual Budget speech and the accompanying analytical blah blah? We bet you have sombre thoughts about inflation, taxes, subsidies, even fiscal deficit. But financial website Moneycontrol.com is turning traditional knowledge on its head and has come up with hilarious promos to promote their Budget 2013 coverage, complete with a Finance Minister P. Chidambaram look-alike mascot doing the disco with a bunch of glamour girls. What’s more, our Chidu mascot does his dance moves wearing the humble lungi – and comes up with rib-tickling dance moves that are populist, can control inflation and even bring back the bull run to the Indian stock market. So there is the Kaichi cut move to slash taxes and bring relief to people reeling under high prices; next, Chidu does the Pump Set – ostensibly to pump up the economy and control inflation; and finally, Chidu pulls up and doubles his lungi to ensure that the stock market does a Bull Walk on budget day. Chidambaram’s shake-a-leg finally comes to an end with a super announcing: ‘The Budget 2013 Comes Alive.’ The humour quotient of this one is up there and is an obvious extension of last year’s ‘Rock the Sabha’ that featured lookalikes of politicians jiving to rock music. If the bid is to hook a new generation of users to get interested in the budget, these guys have got it bang on. And you thought there was no humour in economy and finance?
4Ps B&M Take: This one’s another rib-tickler, totally stands out for unusual storyboard and fantastic expression by the models in question, and therefore highly effective in the extremely cluttered mobile services market. The communication seeks to drive home an oft-repeated message by mobile operators – that their network coverage is the best of the lot. But the big idea is in the out-of-the-box manner that the message is delivered. This one zeros in on what NOT to do when choosing a mobile services brand that promises ‘speed’ i.e. depend on luck. Two separate ads deliver the message. The first – and by far the better executed of the two – narrates the story of a hold-up at knife-point at an ATM counter by a suited-booted, apparently-educated man. The well-dressed goon threatens the man withdrawing cash from the ATM to withdraw a larger sum. The scared chap agrees and punches in his PIN only to be informed that the cash in the machine is over. The expressions on the aces of both the victim and the goon are the high point of this storyboard. The message? ‘Luck works sometimes. Never leave speed to luck’ and goes on graphically explain how Tata Docomo has hi-speed internet network in 99% locations, while other service providers have no Internet coverage in 23% areas. An ingenious take on ‘better network coverage’ that has been claimed by almost every other service provider. There is humour, there is surprise, and there is the big idea to execute it differently. Now that’s what we call a winner!
4Ps B&M Take: This festive season Snapdeal is celebrating the constant race amidst consumers to score good deals and discounts and they communicate this effectively to their present and potential consumers by coming up with a campaign that showcases the lengths that people go to in order to get the best value for money deal. So there is this urban, seemingly well off couple in a plush, top-notch jewellery showroom. The husband wife duo apparently looking at some beautifully crafted neckpieces to buy. Just as the two seem to have settled on to potential buy, the wife asks to have a look at another piece on display, much to chargin of the stiff-upper-lip salesman. But hey, the moment the salesman turns his back on them, the wife immediately brings out her smartphone and clicks a picture of the set in front of them. The salesman, who has been alerted to such tactics deployed by many consumers, freezes and the expression on his face is classic. Of course, he knows that the showroom pays handsomely to his jewellery designers in a bid to retain exclusivity of its designs – but the design has been captured on camera now right under his nose. The next shot is of the couple sitting at their local jewellers’ store – haggling with the lala to replicate the design caught on their phone. The consumer insight is fantastic – primarily because many have already done/ or have at least thought of doing similar stuff to get a designer piece replicated for themselves at a lesser cost. Likewise, the brand identity of ‘Bachatey raho’ on snapdeal.com also gets reinforced in the consumer psyche. And the best part, you can’t help a smile creeping upon your face at the innocent cunning displayed by the disarming couple in the jewellery showroom. A smile won, is half the task done, right?
4Ps B&M Take: Mints and murders seldom go together. Rarely would you even see the two strung together in a single sentence. So for a mint brand to adopt such an unimaginable proposition for promotions is preposterous, right? Wrong. Confectionary major Perfetti Van Melle and Oglivy India team up to carry off this imaginable feat and with great aplomb. With the insight that people have a natural and sometimes morbid fascination with mysteries, Mentos has come up with a riddle, stringing together unrelated instances. Viewers have to come up with answers to their bizarre murder mystery. The teaser ad poses unrelated questions. ‘’If a girl is walking on grass, if balloons were a life form, if harmonium was not invented in India, if Raju’s mom plugs in a mosquito repellant, if a guy doesn’t know English, then – who is the killer?” And there are handsome cash prizes for the right answers. If the campaign ended there… it would have been an anti-climax. But no, these guys built it up with subsequent spots of a young girl, a math-obsessed boy, a group of eunuchs, et al, giving their respective hilarious takes on the possible murderer. By doing so, Perfetti simply stuck to the essence of humour, keeping the Mentos brand imagery intact. Going by the huge buzz that the campaign has garnered on social media, mobile apps, et al, Perfetti may just have landed themselves with another winner. Witty, humorous and Mentos-style Batti Jala De campaign.
4Ps B&M Take: It’s certainly not easy to keep coming up with fresh and innovative ideas for soft drink campaigns every summer. And for that reason, normally you do not see many fizzy drinks’ TVCs feature in this space. But every once in a while, in the flood of more-of-the-same ad spots, there comes an advert that catches attention. And Sprite usually gets it right – perhaps something to do with the fact that it boasts of itself as a drink with an attitude. Small surprise, the drink’s advertisements also come with wallops of attitude. Sometimes that attitude knocks you with its knack for stretching boundaries; and at others makes you laugh out loud at its cunning. This ad stands out for the latter. Though nicely crafted and well-executed, it stands out more for the story it tells. A teenage boy is half-heartedly accompanying his mom to a grownups party when his friend calls and says he is coming over to watch some match on the telly. At first the boy refuses, sorrowfully telling him that he is going out with his parents. But then he opens the refrigerator and takes a swig of Sprite. Immediately his mind starts working overtime and he cooks up a scheme. Talking loudly on the phone, so that his mom overhears, he tells his friend that he must go to this party – so that he may meet with the ‘hot’ Rekha aunty. The kid’s mom is horrified. The parents go to the party without him, leaving the scheming kid to his own devices. The TVC ends with the line ‘Chalo Apni Chaal’ (plan your own move). A wily kid and a cool drink do sometimes make for an effective advert.
4Ps B&M Take: Does hunger change your personality? Likely, eh! Well, then this commercial has been designed specifically for you and millions of others who share a similar fate. The concept is of course borrowed from a global campaign for the Snickers brand, but is thankfully not botched up as some other local versions of global campaigns have been. The biggest eye catchers for this commercial are of course Rekha and Urmila Matondkar – both yesteryear stars who had not been seen for quite some time on the screen. The storyboard revolves around three young boys on their way to a cricket game in a car. One of the boys at the back starts throwing temper tantrums (taking the physical form of Rekha) but gauging that his mood swings are a result of his empty stomach – his friend offers him a bar of Snickers in a bid to control the hunger. The boy returns to his original form no sooner than he takes a bite of the chocolate bar. The message? Hunger changes the best of people and grabbing a Snickers bar is the best way to get rid of that growling tummy. Smart message and slick execution of the film by Jab We Met director Imtiaz Ali adds to oomph factor of this distinctively over-the-top advert. Hungry, anyone?
4Ps B&M Take: The storyboard goes something like this. Mr. X is sitting in the living room of Mr. and Mrs. Y with nothing better to do than keep an eye on the insects and roaches prowling the lovely home. And then he sees it, offs his shoe, and flings it at a cockroach climbing the wall… clearly expecting praise from his hosts for his pain. Imagine his surprise when the hosts instead yelp in agony and rush to the cockroache’s side as if a loved one had taken off from the planet. Thank god Mr. Y stopped short of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (eew!) in a bid to get their dear, departed roach to start breathing again. A puzzled (and clearly stumped) Mr. X wants to know what the brouhaha is all about. That’s when the point of the message really comes into play. Godrej Hit anti-roach gel not only draws roaches out, but if one of them tastes the gel, he makes sure he takes down countless other roaches in the vicinity. So Mr. & Mrs. Y were only bemoaning the death of a prized stallion, in a sense… This one scores high on levity. And stands out in its category purely for that reason.
4Ps B&M Take: Coca Cola and McCann Erickson collect random acts of kindness in this very charming communication at the beginning of a brand new year. The irresistible stories are characterized as seemingly ‘crazy’ in today’s cut-throat environment where selfish overrules selflessness every moment in our daily lives. The big idea is to celebrate do-gooders who bring a smile on the face of strangers through their little acts of kindness. So a girl on a bicycle does random high fives with strangers hailing a cab for themselves; a pooped Santa finds that some do-gooder has left a bottle of Coke to help him get rid of his tiredness; a young man feeds stray dogs and a diner offers the restaurant doorman a bottle of Coke for his efforts. The concept is a carry forward of Coca Cola India’s positioning as ‘little drops of joy’ since 2007 – an effort in raising the corporate brand image of the beverage major which had taken a heavy beating then due to some controversies. But the response to this ‘happiness’ positioning was such that Coca Cola has never let it go since then. This latest campaign simply wows in aptly re-emphasizing Coca Cola’s brand recall during these biting winter months – when the mere thought of gulping down a cold drink sends shivers down the spine. Feel-good execution and the foot-tapping jingle ‘Haan mein crazy hoon’ only add to the appeal of this one to the Good Samaritan who hides deep in every heart.
4Ps B&M Take: Banking is a sector that is usually devoid of clutter-breaking advertising. But every once in a while there comes a big idea that clicks and makes an ad stand out in the category. One of the new-generation private banks in India IndusInd Bank has been able to do exactly that over the years. Last year their marketing onslaught featured Choice Money ATM and Check-on-Cheque service – small ideas that saw the bank’s net income and profit rise year on year. And this year they are at it again. The latest commercial from their stable has once again been able to respond to consumers ahead of other banks. Now they are offering personalised account numbers. The ad starts with a man trying to desperately shove his shape into a size 30 jeans … because 30 is his lucky number. He next applauds his son for scoring a measly 30 out of 100 in his school test. What’s there to applaud? Well, 30 does happen to be his lucky number! He then is seen watching a cricket match with his air conditioner set at 30, much to the chagrin of his friends. You got it right, 30 is his lucky number. So imagine his surprise when he walks into an IndusInd Bank branch to discover that his bank account number can be personalised with as many 30s as he might want. An interesting proposition, which many may value in a superstitious nation. Let’s see if it gets then the numbers… again!
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 humour that young ones would totally identify with. Cheesy, yeah! But then, so is Domino’s Pizza, my friends… very cheesy in fact!
4Ps B&M Take: A decisively stimulating advert from a soft drink major in a long time… This one’s not about one-upmanship, youth power, being different, thirst quenching, refreshment, or even tasting the thunder. 7Up latest commercial talks only about how the drink can lift your spirits, whatever the situation. So there’s this girl at a busy road intersection. Suddenly, someone taps her back and offers her a 7Up. When she sees that the bottle is being offered by a man fancily dressed up for a Kathakali performance, she hesitates and then accepts the drink. The man is thrilled and breaks into an impromptu jig complete with his garishly painted face and dressed in fluorescent green Kathakali finery. At first, the girl is not amused… but when the man breaks into a western number wearing the elaborate Kathakali gear… she can’t help smile and laugh. The message: Jab saath ho 7Up, I feel up. Nice consumer insight we say, and far away from the mad competitive rush visible in most soft drink ads these days. Visually so gripping, it will catch your attention… and probably stay there for a long time to come.
