From Icarus to Ajax….

 This is the opening line of the song which runs in the background for the new Vodafone elevator ad,which I m sure most of you would have seen.In case if you’ve haven’t check out this link.

http://in.truveo.com/Vodafone-Alert-India/id/703800549

 This brings us to our current topic.Commercial ads.If you come to think of it,advertising plays a major role in popularising a product or a service.A good product is only a job half done,and it may not reach the masses without adequate marketing or good ads.This also holds true vice-versa.A bad product/service with good marketing alone isn’t enough to sustain in this ever-growing competitive world.Thus a good product/service combined with an even better ad is a killer combination and would surely give its competitors sleepless nights

So lets take a look at the different type of ads we see on television.Each company has its own formula and style of advertising.For example the ads of Nike or Adidas are like Shankar’s films.They are grand spectacles themselves,filled with sporting superstars,with lavish spending written all over them.I think Adidas held the record for the world’s costliest commercial for a long time until the one by Honda for Accord beat it recently by spending a whopping $6.2 million for 90 seconds.Find the link below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yylNWKoifgk

But in contrast are the latest Vodafone ads which are like Maniratnam or Aamir films.Nothing extravagant.Limited dialogues.Simple yet impressive,which force you to watch it till the end to understand it completely.The old Hutch ad with the pug and the kid falls under this.

Then there are the ones like Hollywood action movies filled with mind boggling stunts performed by hunks on super race bikes.And of course they come with a warning “Stunts performed by professionals.Should be tried at your own risk.In the process,if you crack a bone or two we are not responsible” 

Some are musical hits.They serve as ring-tones for every 8 out of 10 mobiles when its popularity reaches its pinnacle.I don’t think its necessary to point out that I m referring to the jingle by AR Rahman for Airtel.Another famous example is the Titan ad which actually is an extract from a symphony by Mozart.You can catch that here :

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN2mIa2UlV0

And then you have the ad wars companies wage against each other.The playing ground doesn’t get any bigger and better,than this.This is the arena where you mock your rivals,try to establish your supremacy and challenge anyone and everyone.The best rivalry till date undoubtedly is between Coke and Pepsi.If you can get hold of all the ads produced by Pepsi and Coke you would easily note that it would be similar to Tom and Jerry cartoons or Senthil-Goundamani comedy where they constantly try to pull each others legs with the guarantee of a laugh riot.

Frankly speaking,ad agencies thrive on creativity.Creativity is their bread earner at the end of the day.But they also have an alternative if they run out of it.But that requires a super-model’s or a ‘badshah’s’ consent to endorse their product.With the amount of money these stars get paid these days for a simple appearance there’s no wonder that they are ready to endorse anything from luxury cars to toilet cleaners.But who said money is everything?There’s an added ’status’ tag attached to it.According to the modern Inverto-Statuso rule of commercial ads the number of ads or the total revenue earned per year through ads is directly proportional to your quest for numero-uno status in your respective field.That’s why cricketers are selected in a team based on the number of products they endorse and not on their performance in the field.And stars are called either ‘badshah’ or ’shehenshah’.Does it make sense now?

If you are a regular viewer of Sun Music,you would agree with me that making an ad for the Saree/Jewellery shops  all over T.Nagar is as easy as counting with your fingers.It requires minimum effort and thinking.All one has to do is pick 4 or 5 good-looking but not so famous models.Make them wear the Saree/jewellery you are advertising.And allow them to dance all around a set or inside a shop for a simple tune for 50 seconds.At the end of which they should tell the viewers in chorus something like ’Annachi kadaiku vanga’ or ‘Idhu romba romba nalla pattu’ and you have an ad film ready which can be shown umpteen no. of times between programs.And you can reproduce the same for any no. of shops/stores.The only catch here is one model can endorse only one brand,so you have to keep changing the models for different shops and you’ve to get the correct shop name and the % of discount they offer at the end. 

So time for some reminiscence.The classic ones which remain green in my memory till date are the Dairy milk ad,where the girl dances in the ground after her guy hits a 6 and reaches century in the match, and Sachin’s boost ad where he starts ‘There were 9 guys around me in the field looking to get me out..’ If you got reminded of the same catch them here :

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1O_3ciQ7RtU 

And do add yours…Au revoir.