Saturday 10 May 2014

Flipkart shop anywhere ad. Yawn.

Flipkart creatives seem to be running out of steam :(




They caught everyone's attention with their initial string of commercials using little kids as adults.  Somewhere down the line even that seemed to be running out of decent plots and ideas.  Its great that they went back to using adults that actually represent their target audience but this ad...

If the idea is to simply get on TV and pummel the public with Flipkart branding then they've succeeded.  But they are certainly running out of clever ideas.  

This is just monotonous and dull.

So the guy is trying to scream but he cant because he is in a library.  So what.  Big whoop.  For the amount of money that would have gone into a production like this and even more that would have gone into the media air time, they could have spent more than five minutes on the toilet to think this up.

Flipkart gets a big thumbs down.  Yawn.  

Monday 5 May 2014

Micromax Canvas Doodle 3. Clever, intelligent and heart warming!

Finally an advertisement that is written well and put together just right.  Very impressive!


I dont need to spend a lot of time on this.  The animation is brilliant.  The seamless transition from one scene to the next is great.  The story itself is a fantastic take on the classic tale of the three little pigs. The music is light and heart warming. 

Its nice to see some good clever intelligent work coming out of the Indian creative industry.

All in all a big thumbs up to the Micromax creative team!  
Keep up the good work.

Tuesday 15 April 2014

HP Slate - God save us from celebrity endorsements and cheap tacky ads!

Why do Indian advertising agencies feel the need to rely on a celebrity to promote a product in India?  Isnt the product good enough on its own?


So take a look at the Indian version of the HP slate ad.  I'm not sure if the ad is about the slate or about Deepika.  Not that I have anything against her personally, but half the ad is just a personal blog for Deepika.  Its just 'me, me, me'.  Yes its awesome you can play badminton.  Youre a model too, wow thats nice.  Oh and youre an actress.  Oh my, you are just perfect and you can do so much and you are so accomplished.  Oh and by the way, so is the HP slate.

And did anyone else catch the fact that she says she used to be one thing and then moved on to do something else.  Thats not exactly what the HP slate is saying though.  HP is saying it can do many things- is basically multitasking, multi-talented and the best of everything.  So the analogy isnt actually very good.  Clearly something not thought through properly from the agency copy department.

And if we really want to be critical, which we do, then does anyone else notice the setting for the entire ad.  Some sort of surreal modern cave that would have cost a fortune from a vfx company that ads no value to the ad and just looks cheap and tacky.  Come on guys, give it a little thought.

Now take a look at the international version of the commercial.  No celebrities.  No endorsements. Its all about the product.  Real world examples for real people.  And it works!  When will advertising agencies in India 'grow a pair' and stop finding the easy way out by using a celebrity to make a tasteless add.


Its sad knowing that overpriced talentless agency hacks are ripping off the public and companies to churn out slop.

HP India gets a big thumbs down! 

Thursday 10 April 2014

Old Spice India - Cant even do a decent copy of a commercial




If you have seen the original old spice commercials then you know how I feel.  I feel sad.  Very very sad at how badly we can screw up even copying a commercial.
And for a commercial that requires the bare minimum of acting, Milind fails miserably.  Really Milind? Is it that difficult to pull it together for just 60 seconds?  You do know that this is meant to be a slapstic spoof right?  Not an audition for a Bollywood item number!

There is absolutely no emotion in his voice.  He doesnt space the sentences in the right places and places the emphasis on absolutely the wrong words.  He rattles on at breakneck speed in barely legible English and the expressions on his face are, well, just all wrong.

You cant blame Milind entirely.  The scriptwriters were clearly uninspired or half asleep when they wrote this lame copy. And the big cheeses at Old Spice need to shoulder some of the blame too- Considering the amount of money it would cost to pay Milind and produce this commercial, you think they would want a decent bang for their buck.

So so sad.

Milind and Old Spice India get my unequivocal thumbs down. And how!

If you want to see how it should have been done:


Thursday 27 March 2014

Thums Up TVC - Adrenaline pumping

Thums Up TVC - Good old fashioned action packed entertainment.


Say what you want about the cheesy actors but  this Thums Up ad has got to be one of the best in the series.  Its got action, awesome music, a decently hot girl and amazing vfx.  Dont tell me you aren't picturing yourself in his place when you watch this!


This ad gets the G Man stamp of approval.

This is the reel juice from the G Man.

Wednesday 26 March 2014

iPadAir - Emotional masterpiece

Apple iPadAir - If your heart isn't in your mouth at the end of this ad then there has got to be something wrong with you!



I wanted to start this review blog off an a good note.  Having said that, it is unfortunate that I couldn't find an Indian ad that was worthy enough!

The guys who made this ad have earned themselves free drinks for life as soon as I get around to opening up my dream bar that serves only Strongbow and Bushmills.

The music builds up just right.  The play between the image sequences leaves you wanting to see more.  Its the right choice of voice- he accents, highlights and emphasises exactly where he needs to.  I cannot remember how many times I have seen this but I never get tired of seeing it.  These guys are good.  (Im talking about the ad, not the product.  Im still not a fan of Apple tec.  But thats for another time and another blog.)

Currently my favourite ad!  If you think there is anything better out there, give me a holler.

This is the reel juice from the G Man.