Beat the Heat With These Creative Ads

If you live in India, chances are you are almost wishing for snow. With temperatures soaring, lakes and water bodies drying, people getting a heatstroke and birds falling off the skies because of thirst, the heat wave this year is unbearable. It is but natural that everybody wants to cool off – I rush to office as early as I can to get away from the heat in my house. A nice air conditioned room is just what everyone wants or maybe get stuffed inside a refrigerator :).

I don’t have an AC so I was just browsing to see what technology has done to this market – do we have smart ACs you can talk to or maybe ACs which follow you where you go? Anyways, all of this got me thinking about how a product should be marketed. Lets take an AC itself and see how you can ‘ice out’ your competition by getting creative. I have also linked some innovative AC ads – some of them will really tickle your funny bone.

You have got to make them feel hot first

Before you start saying things like the AC will do the job well, you need to make the audience feel they NEED something to cool off. So give them some numbers like ‘2016 is the hottest year in a century’ and then tell them what an AC will do. Instead of just advertise, establish a requirement or desire and then go for the kill. Like this ad does. Heat makes you angry, irritated and agitated. So use the AC to cool off – whether at home or office. Simple yet absolutely effective.

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Bull’s Eye on the Target

Yes, yes,  you would have heard this many a time, whether you are a marketer or not. You have to pitch to your customers and their cultural habits. If it is an Indian market, then cost is what you might want to consider first. ACs are expensive and the electricity bills just soar. You might want to talk about how your product is economical and how it wouldn’t be a burden on your wallet. This Godrej AC ad is just what Indians would want.

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Tell a story that sets you apart

If you can connect with the audience at an emotional/sub-conscious level through advocacy, then  you have them hooked. So tell a story that connects with the masses. This ad of Daikin ACs takes the 3 monkeys angle and give it a whole new twist. It not only depicts that Daikin redefines silence but tells a story that is different.

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Don’t just think about the peak seasons, stretch

Not all places will have the same seasons. And it might seem counter-intuitive to increase your advertising in a place which doesn’t have a peak season but by focusing on the off-peak, you might just catch customers who are planning ahead.

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Get testimonials

Offline channels can work wonders as well when paired with your external hoardings or TV ads. Get testimonials of people recorded in a fun way and distribute them. You want to create that buzz through people advocating for the product or byte sized marketing techniques.

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Here are a couple of my favorites.

This is a 1958 ad by GE. The penguins and the ice take your mind instantly to some place cool and what do you find in that place? A GE AC. Like I have said in some of my previous reviews, print ads can convey so much too. If you want to have a look at some other retro ads for ACs, here is a list compiled by BuzzFeed.

Source: Buzzfeed – 20 Coolest Retro AC Ads

 

This BGH air conditioner ad is a whole campaign in itself – it does all of the above and does it in a quirky and funny-as-hell way. I mean who would want to see #DadsInBriefs? Thank god the ACs prevent them from leaving the house in those. It was created for the Argentinian market by Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi.

 

Hope you enjoyed these as much as I liked digging them out. So stay cool this summer, get an AC or just travel to the cooler parts of the world. Who knows, with the current global warming discussions, you might not have any cold place to go to in the future.

FAITH

He was falling into a precipice

Not know who had pushed him

It seemed like a long time

Before he hit solid ground

He got up and tried to see what was around

He saw not one but many shadows

Lurking in the dark and ready to pounce

And take from him what was most precious

He believed in God you see

The one almighty who helps those

Who help themselves

And he trusted in God completely

You can imagine his surprise

When the shadows fought him

To take away his precious, his treasure

And God did nothing

His confidence and FAITH

Were his gems he was trying to protect

He had to battle on his own

Against the shadows, the evil

His faith in God he lost, but not in himself

To emerge out of the abyss 

And swear in his mind

Never to trust anybody other than himself.

Colors of London – Photo Blog

I visited London for a creative writing course last October. This was my second time around but this time it was different. I wasn’t freezing so I could go out more and this time I had some local company. I am not much of a lone explorer, the streets confuse me and half the time I am just looking at maps to figure out which direction I am headed :). So I was really grateful that there was somebody to show me around and thankfully my friend who came down from Manchester hadn’t explored London as much either.

Luckily for me, my friend and I don’t like doing the touristy things too much and so both of us decided to explore the streets, aimlessly wandering about and soaking in the colors of London. And did I get some great shots (I am sure a lot of the serious photo bloggers would disagree but they do capture some great views with my half decent mobile camera and this app called CandyCam). The photos have not been edited at all except for the filters that the app provides.

So here are some moments capturing the dichotomy that is London.

The Bustling Streets Vs. the Peaceful Streets Elsewhere

Somewhere in the Streets

From a Bus

Close to Piccadilly Circus

Yoda Floating – Somewhere in the Midst of Everything

Colors and Peace

Street Art – Playing the Sword

The Old Vs. the New

The Anchor – Since 1615

Borough Market – 1002 Years Old

Somewhere on the Thames

The New Shops and Posters

Old Streets with New Life – NFL 2015

The Old Architecture with New Looks

The Historical Vs. the Modern

London Bridge – Not falling yet

Big Ben – 1859

Tower of London – Kohinoor is kept here

The Shard – Opened in 2013

Modern Advertising

Millennium Bridge – Opened in 2010

The Pale Days Vs. the Shiny Nights

Cloudy Day – Dull and Grey

The Iconic Postbox against a Dull Sky

The Quiet Spice Shop

Evening Hues

Bright Shiny Lights – The London Eye

Its amazing to see how different parts of the city have their own personality, their own spirit. And I am glad I was able to see that the best way possible – walking and some of it through the iconic London double-deck buses.

Here is one panoramic view I captured on the phone near the London Bridge which shows the expanse of it all.

London – Panoramic View

Hope you enjoyed these photos.

Refresh Your Cap – Ad Review

I guess my ad reviews are becoming a weekly affair 🙂

This week I have the Vettel Cap Refresh Ad. I posted this on my FB page but I think this ad deserves a bit more. Before we get into that here are some facts:

• According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, forty-three percent of adults drink less than four cups of water a day. Now how much water you actually need depends on a lot of parameters but less than four cups a day is definitely not sufficient.
• There are over 30 Apps present today to remind us to drink water. And that is with just a simple Google search that I did. I am sure there are more.

Why am I stating these you would ask? Because the ad in question does exactly that. It reminds us to have water, every hour.

Ogilvy Paris comes up with this innovative way to remind you drink more or equal to 8 glasses of water, which is the recommended quantity. Designed for Vittel, a French brand of bottled water, the ‘refresh cap’ is a bespoke topper that pops up a tiny red flag every hour to prompt you to take a sip. When you twist the bottle cap shut, a timer autonomously begins, counting down the minutes until your next notification. The device encourages people to stay hydrated throughout the day in a fun and engaging way, promoting good health through design.

Some people might argue that it is just a marketing gimmick and if you wanted a reminder, there are apps, alarms and even your will power. But take it from someone who doesn’t like drinking water – this will help. Though I haven’t tried using this bottle, it seems engaging and its fun. And by the time you get bored with the game, you might just be in the habit of drinking water.

To understand if Vittel is selling this in general public or it is just a campaign, I searched high and low on retail websites online, doesn’t seem to be available. But your 3D printers will be useful in case you want to put your design skills to work and build one? What say?

Transience

We all have plans, plans to make it big

Some want to be somebody,

And some want to own something.

 

But life has plans, plans of its own

Life leads some to become what they want

It hands out things that others desire

Some make history, and some become history.

 

Transience is the name of the game

What is life if not a game?

Where you win some and

Where some lose it all

 

So what does one do? Do they still bet it all?

Or do they plan for transience?

Big bets lead to big wins

But they also lead to historical losses

 

Is anything in our control?

We would like to believe so

But the thing is, life has its own plans

Some call it destiny, and some call it fate

 

I don’t know what it is

But one thing I know for sure

You can plan all you want, desire all you can

Life will only give what IT wants

 

For those who won it all

Congrats! But don’t get too cocky

Those who lost it all, you will get over it someday

But you will never get past it

 

So hope and plan for more

But cherish what you have now!

Jungle Book, 2016 – Review

Source: IMP Awards

Chances are if you grew up in India, you would remember Mowgli fondly. Jungle Book got back memories that my mind had hidden away somewhere. Like the Bare Necessities song. And the Hindi series of the characters had this other song called ‘Chaddi Pehen Ke Phool Khila Hai‘ that translates into ‘You have bloomed like a flower in your underwear’ 🙂

The beauty of Rudyard Kipling‘s Jungle Book is the simplicity with which he brought to life animals from the jungles of India and the man-cub Mowgli who has been brought up there. For the uninitiated, Jungle Book is about Mowgli who was rescued by Bhageera, a panther and handed over to the wolves to raise him as a part of their pack. The other central characters are Baloo the bear, Kaa the gigantic snake, and Shere Khan, the almighty tiger. Jungle Book was published in 1894 and since then there have been countless adaptations of the book and the characters.

Jungle Book, 2016 is directed by Jon Favreau of the Chef and Iron Man 1 and 2 fame. He takes the central characters described above and does wonders – I just loved the new movie.

Plot: Jon Favreau stuck to the main plot of Mowgli (newcomer Neel Sethi) being part of the pack of wolves and Bagheera (Ben Kingsley) as the main caretaker. Sher Khan (brilliantly played by Idris Elba) is introduced as someone who hates humans and it doesn’t matter if its a grown up or a young kid – he wants to devour Mowgli. Mowgli runs but gets caught by Kaa (Scarlett Johansson). She is about to finish him and Baloo (Bill Murrey) saves him. With Bagheera and Baloo by his side, King Louie (Christopher Walken) is brought in who is the king of the apes and wants to use Mowgli to create fire and become the king of the jungle. The only difference is that in this movie they show a  Gigantopithecus instead of an orangutan as Louie and he is just amazing. The rest of the story about what happens when Louie tells Mowgli that Shere Khan killed the leader of the wolf pack.

Why you should definitely watch it?

Nostalgia – I almost cried when I heard Bare Necessities – it made me go back to my childhood when I used to watch the Disney or the Hindi versions. If you haven’t seen it before, still watch it because its directed really well, the story and editing is tight and the animation is just kick-ass.

Characters – Whether you know them or not, it doesn’t matter. You will fall in love with the characters and the animals. There is a certain warmth when it comes to jungle stories be it Lion King or Born Free – the rules of the animal kingdom somehow just make sense. Its the same here, you will like them all – from the evil Shere Khan to the mighty King Louie to the smallest of the animals shown in the movie. Apparently there are over 70 animal species shown in the movie.

A special mention for Neel Sethi as Mowgli – this kid was just superb. He had the heart, the daring and the vulnerability all bundled up in one. And it definitely didn’t look like it was his first time acting.

Animation – The animation is just great – the jungles and the animals really come to life. I thought it would be stupid to see the animals talk, but I was mistaken. You still might find it weird at first when you see Bagheera talk but within 10 minutes into the movie, you will see it is absolutely normal for the animals to talk.

What I didn’t like

I would have liked all the animals to talk the same. But they portray some as not talking, like the monkeys. And the story is set in the jungles of India, maybe Mowgli should have had an Indian accent as well as the animals? But I am really nitpicking here.

Go watch it – alone, with your partner, parents, kids, grandparents, grand kids – there is something for everybody – watch it once, twice, thrice or many times. One of the best movies I have seen this year.

 

 

 

London Marathon – A Painless Ad Review

With less than 10 days left for the London marathon, the excitement seems palpable in the news reports. The 36th London marathon is expected to have approximately 38,000 runners. So it is funny I kinda stumbled upon this ad on the marathon.

Before I review the ad I have in mind, I thought it would be interesting to share a fact. We have so many forms of media today trying to grab attention – TV, Print, Tabs, Phones, Internet, and Radio.  Research suggests we are exposed to, on average, 362 ads per day (not including brand exposures) but only a meager 12 of these will make an impression in your mind. That’s a dismal number. But it doesn’t stop there. Out of these 12, you will forget over 50% of them within 24 hours.

So how does a marketer cut through this mess and reach each of us consumers? One of the simplest ways is to rethink design execution once a solid concept is in place.

Here is the ad that grabbed my attention.

                London Marathon Reflex Spray Ad                        Source: Ads of the World

The London mini-creation on the sole uses the limited space brilliantly and the layout is clean and simple. It really feels like the shoe has been all around London. Reflex Spray is not really featured prominently but subconsciously when you think marathon aches and sprains do come to one’s mind which you can ease and make painless with Reflex Spray.

The recall for Reflex Spray might be more latent compared to the marathon itself but the connection is unmistakable.

Both London marathon and Reflex Spray win in this case.

Here are the details of the ad for those of you who are interested.

Advertising Agency: Contrapunto, Barcelona, Spain
Creative Directors: Tomas Oliva, Jofre Biscarri, Carlos de Javier
Copywriter: Sergi Pros
Art Director: Jesus Navas
Photographer: Xavier Pastor

Batman v Superman, 2016 – Review

Source: IMP Awards

Note: This review might contain some spoilers 🙂

Oh Zack Snyder, what have you done? You took a really bad script and did the best you could. Yes, that’s what it was – no plot, no logic except for maybe the last 30 minutes but the movie looks really good. No points lost for direction, yes Mr. Snyder, you haven’t become the black sheep yet in my eyes. Its a pity though that you were fired by Warner Bros., my sympathies.

Plot

People, the plot/story is zero, nada. There is nothing. For two years Batman thinks Superman is the villain and Superman thinks Batman is the nasty guy and they fight. Jessie Eisenberg plays Lex Luthor, the actual bad guy who is in the quest of what, I don’t know. Maybe world dominion? But why pit Batman against Superman when he already had the Kryptonian ship with which he created the ultimate monster? And then another no surprise – enter Wonderwoman, played by smoking hot Gal Gadot who helps Batman and Superman after they become friends to fight the ultimate bad ass monster. And what is Lex doing when all this is going on? Well, getting caught but not without saying there is something more sinister in store.

Confused yet? Well, that’s what it was about.

Why you should not watch it?

I can think of many reasons other than what was wrong with the plot. Here are some of the top:

• Jessie Eisenberg, he didn’t look or act like the bad guy at all. He could be a nerd or a billionaire or even a playboy but definitely not a villain. I was actually cringing when he came on screen and tried to do crazy dialogues which didn’t suit him at all.
• Superman and Batman were enemies and they fought real hard and then suddenly they were the best of friends. Well if they bonded so much so instantly just because of their mothers’ name being the same, why couldn’t they talk earlier? Maybe have a dialogue before you cause mass destruction? You are superheros, how can you given into blind rage like us commoners?
• Too many subplots finally not really making sense together.
• Amy Adams – her role, hmm? I don’t know what her role was about. All she kept doing was putting Superman in trouble though she thought she was trying to get him out of trouble. Even the last scene where she throws away the Kryptonian spear is stupid, what if you needed it at a later time? Why would you throw it away?
• 3D – My earnest request is for all film makers to stop making movies in 3D. I have had enough of them. As someone once said, if it is a really good move, you just need to see it in 2D.

Why you should watch it – at-least once

• As expected from Mr. Snyder, it is a really good looking movie. The effects are great, the fight sequences are good although most of them are towards the end.
• Henry Cavill – he seems to get better with every Superman movie. I liked him a lot here.
• Ben Affleck – he, in my opinion, is probably the best looking and the closest in resemblance to Bruce Wayne/Batman. I like Christian Bale, but I think Ben is much better suited. His suit is also just awesome.
• Gal Gadot – she has a small part but does she make an impact as Wonderwoman. I loved her.
• Last 30 minutes of the movie – the action sequence in the end is really good. I would probably watch just that many more times once it is on DVD.

Well, that was the good and the bad, well bad mostly.

Did you like it? Do you think the other Batman movies with Affleck will be better? Will be great to know your thoughts.

Freedom

He howled and he screamed

He tried breaking loose

Why had they tied him up?

What had he done?

He only wanted to roam with glee

With not a care in the world and be free

 

He even succeeded in standing up on his two

Like he saw other humans do

But foolish was he to think they would let him do

What he wanted to do most – roam with glee and be free.

Live Videos – Are They All That Great?

Live Videos

We have all heard about Facebook Live – it’s now available to all its 1.5 billion users and even on Android devices. Doing a live video is already becoming a new mode of communication. Videos have already overtaken most other forms of communications in an office setup. And Facebook is really cashing in on it. Social Bakers, which measures social marketing, found in their survey that Facebook videos have already caught up to YouTube. Even the interactions, which is what most businesses aim at, are much higher in Facebook.

There are many ways businesses can use the Live option. You just have to click on the record button and stream to an audience. You can even have a private, customized target. Though other players like Periscope and Meercat have already made live videos popular for businesses, Facebook has clear advantages. Its huge subscriber base and the option to archive the videos on your timeline are two main ones. There is also an existing audience which businesses can tap into and you don’t have to share it on other platforms.

So what can you use Facebook Live for. Here are some I can think of.

1. Events – Most companies attend and host corporate events. It is a great place to tap into the event audience and the people who have not been able to attend to let them know about it.
2. Product demos – It is sometimes difficult for businesses, especially smaller ones to make a good product demo – it is expensive and time consuming. But now product demos can be easily done, even real time for prospect customers.
3. Training – Ever had trouble trying to get a common time and multiple people across time zones to conduct a training? Well now it can be done anytime, anywhere – you only need access to the internet.
4. Q and A and live chats – Companies can use this feature for conducting Q and A and live chats. It could be with the leadership, or the new batch of interns who have joined or
5. Announcements – You can get important announcements out and connect better with employees and customers.

All this is good. But are we not taking into cognizance how video communication need not be all that great.  What are the downsides of it all?

1. Control – Live videos cannot be controlled. A disgruntled employee might do more damage in on video than all the good work that a company might have done. You have to be doubly sure of the topic and the messaging that a live video will have and plan really well to ward off any negative reactions and interactions.
2. Cyber bullying – There is a higher chance of getting trolled or bullied with this medium. One will have to have a plan on combating interactions that target one person or company and make sure such bullies are not encouraged.
3. Content deluge – We are already living in an age where more than half the content goes unnoticed. Technology is making it easier and easier to produce content but who is viewing it? Will not videos just add to the deluge?
4. Image – This is more personal and might not apply to a workplace but I have a feeling this will make many people more conscious of how they look and speak. People with not much confidence will shy away from this medium, and people who do it might get crushed because of people making fun of their image.

We will have to wait and watch if people remain gung-ho and as excited a few months down the line. I have a feeling they will not.