Ranbir Kapoor will keep you hooked throughout this hilarious Asian Paints ad

Titled ‘Raag Malhar’, the latest ad of Asian Paints Ultima Protek has become immensely popular with close to 2 million views on YouTube in just 10 days ! The ad has been conceptualized by Ogilvy & Mather.

Inspection: Asian Paints describe their latest ad as ‘a cloud-bursting romantic musical’. The ad features Ranbir Kapoor as a classical musician with the ability to induce rain through his classical singing. He resorts to this ability to wreck the setup of the arranged marriage of his girlfriend with someone else and ultimately gets the girl in the end, all this without being apprehensive of the effect of rain on his own house since it is protected by the waterproofing of Asian Paints Ultima Protek. The ad ends with a slogan "Baarish ko aane do" (let the rain arrive).

Analysis: Ranbir Kapoor exhibited his brilliant acting skills and appears quite apt as a classical singer. The vocals of Dr. Rahul Joshi and the classical background score adds to the unique flavour of the ad. The ad has been beautifully executed as far as the creative elements are concerned. With an effective humor appeal, admirable comical setting and a hilarious performance by Ranbir, the ad will definitely be remembered for a very long time. However, if we talk about the promotion of the product, the ad loses points since little emphasis has been given on providing information about the product. Advertising is all about creatively marketing your product/service. However, it might happen that the creative elements of this ad might overshadow the product. After all, what is the first thing that Asian Paints would like people to recall about the ad – their Ultima Protek Exterior Paint or Ranbir Kapoor as modern Tansen?

The Ad Inspector’s Rating: 3/5

Layer’r continue the trend of illogical deodorant ads with their Layer’r Shot Bullet ad.

Akshay Kumar in a still from the Layer'r Shot Bullet Ad

Inspection: The Layer’r Shot Bullet ad is like just another deodorant ad where the protagonist of the ad, after using the product, starts acquiring unimaginable benefits and treatment like no other. After Imran Khan, Akshay Kumar have become the face of Layer’r Shot. Akshay Kumar after using the deodorant, the bottle of which is in the shape of a bullet, gets everyone to surrender to his wants just by the mere action of firing guns with his hands.

Analysis: The advertisement tries to highlight the fact that just by using the product, the consumer can get anyone to submit to their demands, including females. So much for women empowerment, gender equality and safety for women. Fogg and Nivea are two brands to have tried something new to advertise their deodarants. However, Layer’r served us with the same old nonsensical concept of rather irrational consequences of using deodarants.

The Ad Inspector’s Rating: 1/5

THE TASTE OF TOGETHERNESS !

A still from the ad

In 2016, Parakh Agro launched an ad film for ‘Samrat Atta’ which was fabricated by Grey Group India. Tha ad aims for a wide and diverse target audience by positioning the brand as a connecting thread between people.

Inspection: ‘Swaad Jo Laaye Paas’ is the central message of the ad which communicates that taste and food can bind people together by creating memorable cherishing moments. The ad highlights various different aspects in which one can bridge the gap that exist in our society just by the gesture of sharing. It shows that the act of sharing food can bring people closer by eliminating the differences created by language, status, power and position thus; developing a beautiful bond and the brand i.e. Samrat Atta contributes by adding the required flavours to these relationships from past many years.

Analysis: The voice over and the theme song ‘Mitt Sakti Hain Ye Duriyaan’ defines the abstract comprehensibly. Unlike other brands under this category ‘Samrat Atta’ has made an attempt to break the ordinary and typical ideation of the product. Simple and day-to-day situations are very well executed and linked with the brand. The ad may act as an eye opener by touching the emotions of the viewers. The online version is quite long but effective while the shorter version which is on air right now lacks the desired potential because of low recall value. Communication-wise the ad is meticulous but visually the ad fails to appeal or strike our hunger or craving for home-made roti. Inclusive everything this ad will assist the brand in establishing a long-term positive image.   

The Ad Inspector’s Rating: 3.5/5

Seagram's Imperial Blue is back with our favourite 'Men will be Men' campaign !

STILLS FROM THE NEW 'MEN WILL BE MEN' AD

Seagram's Imperial Blue's successful surrogate ad campaign series ‘Men will be Men’ created 17 years ago by Ogilvy & Mather was a clever concept utilised even today by the brand without losing its essence. Every ad under this campaign depicts true situation which many men and women can relate to.

Inspection: The miscellaneous elements and characteristics of men showcased in the series are extracted out of real life circumstances whether it is changing the usual behaviour after seeing a beautiful woman just to impress her or trying to grab her attention by showing off. The latest 30 sec ad in the series titled ‘Lucky Seat’, as always opens with a ghazal , “Pyaar Ki Raah Mein” playing in the background as a young pretty girl in the flight requests a man to change his seat and he readily agrees to shift only to get disappointed when he sees the girl’s grandfather sitting next to him and not the girl. The ad ends with the other man offering him water with a sarcastic smile.

Analysis: Imperial Blue in their series of ad under the disguise of music CDs exhibit various situations which rationalize the tagline ‘Men will be Men’. The ad provides an insight of Indian male who looks for opportunity and chances to interact with the opposite sex in order to impress them. The 17 year old crafted tagline still works refreshingly for the brand. The depiction is straightforward and is complimented by the background score. Rightful blend of all the components and the humorous witty content makes the ad memorable. The significance of good and creative concepts has been understood by the brand which is clearly reflected in their ads.

The Ad Inspector’s Rating: 4/5

The beauty of the visually impaired has been gracefully captured by Samsung India in their latest ad.

A still from the 'Samsung Cares' ad

Samsung India recently released a 4 minute ad about their after sales services (Samsung Service) titled ‘Samsung Cares’. The ad highlights last year’s launch of ‘Samsung Service Vans’ to cover rural India.

Inspection: The ad begins with a girl confirming her complaint on phone with Amit, a Samsung Service Engineer. The girl asks him whether he will make it to repair her Samsung TV before 7 pm and he replies positively. He sets off in his Samsung Service Van through a difficult mountainous region but crosses all hurdles and obstacles to reach her house before 7 pm. Finally, when he reaches her doorstep, he appears a bit shocked to see the girl who is visually impaired. She welcomes her with respect and shows her the way towards the TV. Once the TV is repaired, the girl starts ringing a bell to call out others and in the next moment it is revealed to be a blind hostel. A large number of visually impaired children enter the living room to watch the TV. The visually impaired girl asks for the remote from Amit to switch to a singing competition show ‘Junior Indian Icon’ which has just started. All the visually impaired children jump up in joy and start cheering and enjoying the voice of ‘Prerna’ on the show. Prerna is later revealed to be a girl from that blind hostel and the best friend of the visually impaired girl who had filed a complaint for the TV. Amit is surprised by the beauty of the visually impaired children and their happiness which knew no bounds once their favourite voice of Prerna filled the living room. Amit leaves the house with a smile on his face and a lot of happiness of serving such beautiful people. The ad ends with Samsung stating that Samsung Service Vans go to each and every corner of the country to serve their valuable customers.

Analysis: The ad scores quite high on emotions. Samsung launched 535 Service Vans across the nation to serve rural India and cover all Samsung products because people living in such areas have to cover a huge amount of distance to get after sales services. This initiative itself deserves a lot of admiration and this ad just adds to the appreciation which Samsung deserves for such dedication towards after sales services. The song ‘Beh Chala’ sung by Mohit Chauhan forms an essential part of the ad. Samsung’s brand image suffered an irreparable damage thanks to the Galaxy Note 7 but this ad will prove to be the best beginning they could have for an image makeover as it will surely win many hearts.

The Ad Inspector’s Rating: 5/5

You need to be awake and dominating the streets during the night to prove your manhood, according to Bajaj.

A still from the Bajaj Dominar 400 ad

Bajaj Auto Limited recently released their latest ad demonstrating their new bike Dominar 400.

Inspection: The ad starts with a man heading towards his Bajaj Dominar 400 quite late during the night when the surroundings are silent and empty. The “Hush little baby” lullaby in a female voice is the background music throughout the duration of the ad. A gang of bikers riding the Dominar 400 are shown speeding away on the dark and lonely streets late into the night when the rest of the world is fast asleep. In the end, a grown man having the expressions of a sleeping baby is shown on his bed with the caption ‘Only Babies Sleep at Night’. The ad ends with the bikers speeding in a tunnel with the caption ‘Dominate the night’.

Analysis: “Because only big boys play at night” is the caption put up by Bajaj on Youtube. The ad is highly irresponsible and stereotypical in many ways. When one of the biker is speeding away during the night, his speedometer reveals to have crossed the 110 kmph mark. We are already dealing with the problem of harsh and reckless driving and bike-riding where reckless youngsters endanger not only theirs but also lives of other innocent people on the streets. Some reckless youngsters perform dangerous stunts and race away during the night and this ad will make them feel good about it. Apart from sending a wrong message, this ad stereotypes other men by comparing a grown up man who is sleeping during the night with a baby stating that only babies sleep at night. Not all men have to be adventurous and daring to prove their manhood. In a time where the fight against stereotyping has just begun, this ad is downright misleading, irresponsible and ill-advised.

The Ad Inspector’s Rating: 1/5

You must start the New Year by watching this highly motivating ad by Royal Challenge

Stills from the Royal Challenge Sports Drink ad

  

‘Make a bold move’ is the latest surrogate ad by Royal Challenge under the disguise of Royal Challenge sports drink featuring India’s current cricketing sensation and youth icon Virat Kohli. This highly inspirational ad has been created by Royal Challenge in collaboration with DDB Mudra Group.

Inspection: The ad portrays everyday life through the use of running trains and its passengers. According to the ad, our life is like a moving train and we are its passengers and the track on which it keeps running is actually the society and its expectations. So, our train keeps running on such tracks whether we like it or not and we are always afraid to stop or change tracks. The ad shows a nervous man who is sceptical about resigning from his current job to take up an initiative in the NGO sector. It also shows an inter-caste couple separated from each other due to travelling in different trains. However, Virat Kohli states that we never know what the future might hold and we can’t know it either unless we take a bold step. He then pulls the chain of his train and gets off signalling his bold move. Similarly, other people in the ad also do the same – the hesitant man sends his resignation email and the inter-caste couple hug each other when the Hindu guy gets on the Muslim girl’s train.

Analysis: The ad urges us not to hold back and follow our instincts to make our own choices instead of being shackled by the society's expectations for the rest of our lives. The ad has highlighted two major issues – job security and the marriage system. India is a country where people have little flexibility in terms of choosing a profession or a life partner of their choice. The theme song which is energetic and infectious blends with the narration and makes the ad quite inspirational. Although liquor companies are banned from advertising in India, they are known for their innovative and surprisingly inspirational surrogate ads. This, by far, is one of the finest surrogate ads that we have ever seen.

The Ad Inspector’s Rating: 4.5/5