addendum

Addendum is a weekly column that takes a sometimes hard, sometimes casual, sometimes irreverent yet never malicious look at some of the new or recent advertisements and comments on them.

Slim is in

There’s a wolverine that’s captured and dumped into a black site. (I’ve learned these terms by watching Blacklist on TV). But then Hugh Jackman (famous as the Wolverine) has other ideas. And he has this super-slim mobile phone which his captors have missed. It’s so slim, you know. So he pulls out this phone and makes it do wonders. It opens the cell door, unscrews some bolts, displays a playing card (for sheer effect) and even gets flung into a drawer jamb for good measure. All this to tell you the Micromax Canvas Silver 5 is the slimmest phone you have seen, and it’s hardy and tough as well. And the TVC with Hugh Jackman is made in a fast-paced, slick Hollywood style that keeps you wanting to see it once again. I read that, in the quarter ended June 2015, Micromax established itself as the number 2 player in smartphones, in India. Very impressive! And so is its advertising! Looks like Micromax hit pay-dirt with Jackman as its face. How many of you readers can tell us who the No.1 was in smartphone sales? Write in.

Eid Mubarak

So who’s the winner in the Eid festival sweepstakes? I don’t mean Bajrangi Bhaijaan or any other Bollywood pot-boiler but happily many consumer brands have decided that this festival, like any other, is a good catalyst to increased sales. Cadbury, which is always aiming at the festive season with its Celebrations range of chocolates, released a TVC that simply played on the old and much recognised “ pehle aap ” syndrome that we expect from the old well-mannered Lucknowi types. And so you have a gift of Cadbury’s chocolates, in a TVC by Contract where everyone is trying to be very courteous and saying “ pehle-aap ” until the father butts in and adds a touch of humour by grabbing a chocolate and saying “ pehle-baap ”. Simple, to the point, effective.

Achieving their dreams

As students head back to college, Dell releases its new TVC created by Grey that shows the power of the young mind. A power that enables students to do whatever they think they can do. The TVC, which has a nice tune and even better lyrics to its background song, shows different situations where young students are following their dreams and achieving what they want to. There’s a runner, a block designer for fabrics and a graphics designer in films who work at achieving their dreams in this nicely made film. And, of course, every pursuit is enabled by a Dell computer. Rather motivating, with the selling proposition subtly woven into the narrative.

Cruelty to animals

Last year, addressing the International Advertising Association (IAA) Olive Crown awards function, Maneka Gandhi said she had a bone to pick with the advertising industry. She cited the Vodafone campaign with the adorable pugs and said that it helped fuel an unnatural demand for pugs which made unethical breeders inflict unwanted pain on poor female pugs to quench the thirst for pugs in the market.

The wife was very upset last evening. “What’s with these Vodafone people?” she cried out aloud while watching the new commercial. “First they made everyone buy pugs and now they have this adorable beagle in their new commercial. We will now have a huge surge in breeders offering expensive beagles with all the attendant cruelty to these gentle creatures. Doesn’t the agency have any other creative way of selling a good network except by showing dogs?” This is an authentic user statement. What do you all think about this? Write in.

Ramesh Narayan is a communications consultant. Mail your comments to cat.a.lyst@thehindu.co.in