By Gokul Krishnamoorthy

This column will feature ads that caught the reviewer’s attention for the right reasons, released or live during the week gone by. The hunt is for real work that cuts through the clutter from a consumer perspective, work that breaks new ground, work that elevates communication in the category, with an admitted bias towards campaign-able ideas.

POND’S BB+ CREAM – #SEEWHATHAPPENS

This campaign kicked off with a young girl braving her injuries and hiding her boxing aspirations and attendant marks on her face from her mother. She went on to reveal the truth, egged on by the slogan (below). Pond’s has unleashed a new film under the theme ahead of Navratri. This one packs even more punch than the launch film.

Festivals and festive occasions, especially ones like the Navratri which involves dressing up and dancing in groups, are perhaps the worst times for young women who are conscious of their bodies. This film delves into the mind of one such young woman, who happens to be physically different from her peers and is extremely conscious of it. After a few moments in front of a mirror, comes that moment when she decides to #SeeWhatHappens. The film manages to carry the viewer from the protagonist’s introspective low to her confident high on the dance floor, making one feel for her and with her. And the joy of seeing what happens, stays.

THE TIMES OF INDIA – PHIREY ESHO KOLKATA

This column has a skew towards campaigns in Hindi and English, and that is unfortunate in this beautifully diverse nation. That said, it has featured work in Malayalam and Bengali before, and will continue to do so when the work has the ability to cut across languages. This piece of work by The Times of India strikes a universal chord by celebrating the ‘Daughters of the city’, whom it addresses as ‘Our real Durgas’ and inviting them back to Kolkata for Durga Puja. Resplendent imagery of the festival blends in with that heartfelt appeal. You don’t have to be a Bengali to relate to this campaign. No festival is complete without the daughter at home. The ‘Durga’ connect drives home this truth delightfully and in context.

SBI LIFE – REAL LIFE, REAL STORIES

We saw a glimpse of ‘Real Life, Real Stories’ in Main Se Hum last year, around Navratri. The latest film tells the story of Susanto Mahato and his troupe from Purulia, West Bengal, struggling to protect an 800 year-old dance form, Chhau (above).

Another (below) tells the tale of Mittal Patel who works with nomadic tribes to ensure they have an official identity, and the benefits that come with it. Her work in the Banaskantha district of Gujarat and the change she has ushered in, to the Fulvadee tribe, is picturised here.

This content series from SBI Life is rooted in a powerful core of ‘Real Life, Real Stories’. The last two films also touch upon issues which are highly relevant today. Some traditional art forms and even some languages need champions to protect them from extinction. The quest for an official identity is an ongoing one for several nomadic tribes across India. Through this content series SBI Life is telling real stories, about real issues.

MEN OF PLATINUM

In this column last week, the brand ’Men of Platinum’ from Platinum Guild International – India was named ‘Platinum for Men’. While the error is regretted, the bigger miss for me was not featuring this film from the campaign:

This and the film featured last week (below) are gentle reminders of the new social codes on what makes an ideal man today, in his mind and in the eyes of the world.

DSP MUTUAL FUND – DANCING UNCLE IS BACK, THANKS TO DAAFS

Until this one came along, the best attempt at leveraging viral sensation Dancing Uncle’s popularity seemed to be Google’s smart take (below). DSP Mutual Fund has taken some time, but not too long. Dancing Uncle still remains as popular as he was when he first arrived on the scene and the brand has created a nice back story to own the Dancing Uncle now. A category that can be utterly uninteresting seems to have discovered the scope for riding on engaging content to get its messages across.

TATA MUTUAL FUND – ISHQ BHI RISK BHI

https://www.aawaz.com/listen/ishq-bhi-risk-bhi/
Keeping with the category, Tata Mutual Fund has launched a fictional audio series on Awaaz.com. I listened to just one of the stories. ‘Dilwali ya Officewali’ offered an interesting lead-in to the brand pitch. And the audio series attempt seems to be a first for the category.

REALME 5 PRO – FASTER IS BETTER

Simple manifestation of the proposition ‘Faster is Better’ with exaggerated humour. The film uses the young man’s rapid rubik’s cube solving and portraiture, among other things, to signify ‘The fast life’; aided of course by a faster processor and VOOC charging. Suspend disbelief and this one works.

TATA INTRA – BADLE SOCH BADLE ZINDAGI