Manish Tiwari can call it what he wants, but the Bharat Nirman blitzkrieg that has been launched by the Government is really the first sounding of the election bugle. In the months to come, other parties will reply and apart from the considerable badly-needed advertising revenue this would translate into, we will be watching the commercial messages with great interest. Remember, until there was consensus that the India Shining campaign was one of the causes of the NDA’s loss nine years ago, no one had even admitted that advertising could make a serious difference to the election prospects of a political party. So Grey would have the rather dubious distinction of having proven that advertising does make a difference! And for that we need to be grateful to it.
So what’s the buzz on the Bharat Nirman campaign? A series of TV commercials seek to bring out the many entitlements people at the base of the pyramid have been provided by the Government. It ranges from medical facilities for pregnant women to loans for education and guaranteed employment. In every commercial, the aam aadmi is shown as someone who is aware of her rights and is shown putting down some obstructionist official who is trying to deny her that right. All the commercials end with the protagonist asking the audience if they were aware of their entitlements under the Bharat Nirman scheme of the Union Government. Obviously, some bright spark has thrown up research that shows that many among the aam aadmi are, in fact, not aware of their entitlements and are being denied these by local officials.
Well, a couple of things strike me. On the one hand, we are reinforcing what my wise friend Homi Bhabha would emphatically call “an entitlement society” which never seeks obligations in return. On a communications front, while I see the
Cashing in on IPL
The final moments of the IPL made more headlines for all the wrong reasons. Advertisers such as Quikr were quicker than others to pounce on the mood of the country and come out with advertising that showed a police officer exhorting people not to indulge in spot fixing and other creative ventures and sell their old TVs, and other appliances through Quikr if they really needed money. Scarecrow Communications needs to be congratulated for the immediate response that made the advertising hugely topical if not greatly appealing.
Zoozoos
And no IPL is complete without Zoozoos. They are as central to the IPL as, say, spot fixing. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that! I loved the adorable little creatures, and thought their moon-walking to the strains of Zumi Zumi was fantastic. I couldn’t get Zumi out of my head for quite a while. What a property! No, not the IPL, I meant the Zoozoos!
Axe, the great leveller
Some people call it sexist. Friends of mine say the Axe commercials objectify women. Others wonder aloud how Unilever can come up with the wonderful Dove commercials where women are portrayed with such sensitivity and also encourage the Axe effect. Like it or not, it’s hard to ignore the Axe commercials. By now, any minor outrage I might have had has given way to amusement. The commercials are so blatantly outrageous, they do not offend my senses. The new Ranbir Kapoor commercial is a case in point. Ranbir is shown with a clicker counter, toting up all the “hits” he makes as he wanders through his day with his Axe deo on, and the lovely young women all around. The last scene where his chauffeur is shown with a far greater “hit” list on his clicker shows Axe as the great leveller. With the Axe effect, you don’t need to be Ranbir to get all that attention. Everyone is a hero with Axe. Funny!
Volkswagen Polo
First the disclaimer. I have always thought highly of the VW brand and the cars it produces. Yet, it could take some time before it becomes a frontline player in the price-sensitive Indian market. The new advertisement for the Polo GT created by DDB Mudra is yet another step at systematically creating competent advertising to build the brand in India. With good production values, the film sees a father through the admiring eyes of his little son. Every little thing the father does elevates him to a super-human status, and this is only reinforced by the peppy little car he drives, the new Polo GT. Playing out to the cost-conscious Indian the advertising emphasises the maximum savings and maximum power as well. Who could ask for more?
Ramesh Narayan is a communications consultant. addendum.brandline@gmail.com