Addendum. Festive cheer

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’m sure many of you enjoyed Vodafone’s offer of 100 MB of data free to all its customers on November 11 as a Diwali gift. The TVC Vodafone made to announce this offer had all the warmth and love that relatives and close friends feel for one another when they share the festive spirit. The script was woven around a father who is trapped in his medical obligations, a sister who is probably studying far away and a bubbly working lady whose friends are celebrating and missing her. Of course, Vodafone ensures they are all very connected with its data offer. And so the doctor can guide his kids through bursting crackers, the family can share in the excitement of new clothes and the young lady, whose performance was really top class, could share in the lights and celebrations with her friends in the neighbourhood. The music, the colours, the acting and, of course, the offer made this a winning combination. Now just get those calls to stop dropping and we’ll say all is forgiven.

Getting into the spirit

Remember the Cadbury’s advertisement where the young lady leapt over the ropes, ran onto the cricket field and danced in gay abandon when her friend hit a great shot? That’s what I was reminded of when I saw the new TVC from Mondelez for Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate. The young lady is in her verandah, watching a

baraat wind its way below her apartment. The setting is middle-class and the young lady is clad in a sari, biting into Cadbury’s Dairy Milk and nodding appreciatively to the peppy dance number. Enter a middle-aged lady. Very subtly, a realignment of the pallu shows she is possibly a mother-in-law. The daughter-in-law offers the mother-in-law some chocolate. One bite and you see her nodding to the music too. And then you have the almost incredulous but thoroughly enjoyable sight of the two sari-clad ladies in the middle of the baraat dancing as if their lives depended on it. The bold dance steps are in perfect antithesis to the image created so far and make this an enjoyable film. The production values are good, as one would expect, but the message is clear. Cadbury’s is stepping out of the event-driven market into a wider space, and also widening the base from the very upmarket models (except the Bachchan series) to embrace the much wider market. Great acting by the two ladies adds to the film’s fun element.

Insta-reviews (Because we are short on space but long on commitment)

Phillip Capital and Six Inches have a TVC which shows a number of situations with the question, ‘When is the right time?” as a theme. The idea is to position this global firm as a good partner when the time comes to invest. No comment.

Vento Highline Plus: DDB Mudra West has some pretty competent TVCs to bring out the features of this VW car. But unfortunately I see a VW and think of the emission scam. Can’t help it. Trust is something you build the hard way and lose in a moment.

Oreo, in a nice TVC from Interface Communications, shows the lively interaction between a mother and her little daughter over Oreo cookies and a cake that is baking for Dad. Then the last line says something to the effect that Oreo has the trust of moms the world over. Pray why?

Sony Bravia TV and Hakuhodo Percept build an imaginary world where children enter a factory, and create puffs of colour that transform a dull grey world. They revel in a plethora of exotic colours each more vivid than the other. A nice festive feel. The message of true colours comes out very well.

Lava Pixel V2 has lifestyle photographer Subi Samuel endorsing the capabilities of this phone as a great camera. Nicely made. Great locales, good script, and the phone takes on the look of a great camera. Really puts the art into smart!

Hindustan Unilever and BBH present Magnum ice creams. And everything turns brown magically, even the white cat. The regal setting, the music, the way people are dressed, everything gives the idea this is a very premium offering. Then Kareena Kapoor dips a vanilla ice cream stick into what is rich Belgian chocolate and wraps her luscious lips around the chocolate stick and …you get the message? Bliss!

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