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.

I used to say that everyone is an expert when it comes to advertising. From the client who cutely suggests an alternative line to what you thought was the best line you ever wrote, to the marketing executive who looks intently at his boss’s face before giving his view on the presentation you have made. Well, Bharti AXA Life Insurance assures me that “expertise” is equally common when it comes to investment and savings options. And so you have this harrowed couple wanting to save and getting confused with the profusion of gratuitous but dubious “expert” advice from everyone from the postman to the friend to the cable guy on a pole.

The exaggeration serves to make the point well, and the young husband plays the part of the confused man really well. And then of course you have the Invest Once plan from Bharti Axa Life Insurance which is apparently the panacea for all confusion.

App ki kasam

Everything is moving to your mobile phone. The small screen is not the TV any more, it’s your smartphone. And joining the app revolution is Motilal Oswal, with a humorous little film from Cartwheel. I recall an earlier TVC of Motilal Oswal which had the protagonist all fired up like the desi version of James Bond. This time he’s looking the same but behaving differently, tongue firmly in cheek. He’s kind of cute as he materialises each time someone presses the button on their smarthone app and gives them timely advice on what to but in the stock market, the need to research and what to sell. Good casting, good acting and a pithy script make the film eminently watchable. I like this avatar of the Motilal Oswal man. And I like the fact that while they have a very western-looking protagonist, they stay grounded by freely using Hindi ( ‘Button dabao’ ) and App ki kasam . Nice!

Bold new woman

Anouk, the ethnic women’s wear brand from Myntra, is fast building a distinctive image for itself by creating short stories and releasing them on digital media. I distinctly recall the last one which told the story of a lesbian couple with refreshing candour and sensitivity. This time around the brand has taken on the subject of pregnant women and the discrimination they face at the workplace. The story is very well told over a two-minute-plus film that is substantially shot in the back seat of a luxury car.

The pregnant architect, Shaheen, brings out the discrimination she is facing at the workplace in her conversation with her boss. The nice thing about the story is that it not only tackles burning issues for women head-on but it is not apologetic. The casting of the boss as a woman is a winner all the way. This way the film focuses on societal discrimination and not just gender as an issue. And the end of the film is the icing on the cake. The pregnant architect is not some whining employee. She is an assertive confident woman who believes in taking her life into her own hands. All very positive attributes that Anouk is trying to imbue the brand with. A good story, told well!

Furniture that knows

Urban Ladder and Lowe Lintas have created a series of TVCs that interestingly bring out the unique design insights that go into their furniture and thereby make life easier for you. The communication uses light humour that makes the point and brings a smile to your lips. What more could one ask for from an ad?

Well, if I had to nitpick, I would have a more seasoned actor playing the role of the absent-minded husband packing his bag. A little better timing would have lifted the film even higher. But the ‘sleeping” wife somehow makes up, and the idea is good, so I’ll go with a thumbs up for this one.

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

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