New approach

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.

This is ecommerce as seen through the eyes of the talented bai . You have this hired help who is lamenting about how many things each member of the family buys by just clicking on a computer. The mother, the daughter, the son and even the father. They are all bitten by the “click-click” bug. And as the bai takes you through the apparently profligate lifestyle of the entire family you get to see that Snap Deal.com has a wide range of products that appeal to everyone. You realise how easy it is to order and you are told it’s even very cost-effective and you can actually save a lot of money. Now all that’s left for you is to decide whether all this translates into a raise for the bai or not. Clever work by Draftfcb+Ulka in a market where you differentiate or die.

Everything is possible

Mak lubricants brings with it a message of hope and optimism. The ad shows a young village schoolteacher explaining that rivers all flow into the sea. A young student inquires whether they could go and see an ocean. After a moment’s hesitation the teacher says “Why not?” And then begins a journey where the kids and the teacher hitch rides in various vehicles (powered by Mak of course) and keep their hopes and spirits soaring till they reach the beach and see the great blue ocean. The idea is that Mak makes everything possible. And all you need is the yearning in your heart to achieve whatever you want. Produced by Havas Worldwide, the film is competently made and puts out a strong message. How far that positive message reflects in a lubricant brand is for you to judge.

Stuck at 4?

I remember the rather engaging campaign Kotak Mahindra Bank ran exhorting people to understand how much more they would earn by receiving 6 per cent on their savings bank account instead of the normal 4 per cent that most banks pay. It has now come out with a new campaign created by Cartwheel Communications to essentially reinforce the same proposition with a fresh creative approach. A man is busy with his phone as he presses the button to go to the sixth floor in an elevator. The lift suddenly stops on the fourth floor and the light indicating the number 4 begins to flash. Thinking he is stuck in the lift, the man curses the timing when suddenly the lift speaks, saying he has been stuck at 4 per cent for a long time and it was time he gained the benefits of 6 per cent on his savings bank account. Very predictably, the man is spooked (I would be too) as he makes good his escape when the lift door slides open. That’s what I call being direct, creatively. It’s impossible to miss the core message, and the film still holds your attention.

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