Famous advertisements that can be better

Advertisements are stories that have to be told dramatically and many succeed. I still remember the classic advertisement of Dunlop. The advertisement features a single tyre rolling down the steps of a magnificent temple. And as it rolls down it picks up speed and starts to look big, menacing and dangerous. And it is in a collision course with a cute baby who is smilingly crawling into its path. The viewer is subconsciously holding his breath. There is mortar fear. Would the tyre crush the baby?

At the very last second the tyre screeches to a dead heat halt right in front of the baby. The baby looks square at the tyre and breaks into a beautifulsmile. The Voice over says “when your life depends on us”. What drama, what a cliff hanger and what a great message. But many advertisementsleave us with theexact opposite sense – why in the world did they make this advertisement in the first instance!

Limca – Kareena Kapoor advertisement

Marketing pundits have told us that instant gratification is the best thing. Consume the product the minute the urge hits. Instant need/want and instant gratification is the buzz word. Thus it is surprising to hear a husky Kareena Kapoor say “Tum na, Thodi Pyaas Badao” (You there – why don’t you increase your thirst)”and she takes the Limca bottle away from the cricket player in the latest Limca advertisement.

So is Limca only for the very thirsty people? Isn’t Limca missing a trick? I would rather have a product that I would consume many times a day rather than have a product that is only consumed when the urge becomes desperate. The point here is about the postponement of the gratification.

Olx advertisement

Olx is an online site that specializes in buying and selling of products in the second hand or used products segment. The advertisement opens with two teenagers talking about the old things that they have become obsolete, which they want to dispose off. They talk about the old desk top personal computer at their home.

They remark ‘it has become old’. Their father overhears the conversation and pipes in “When I become old tomorrow will you dispose me off too?” One of his sons shrugs his shoulder and says “Okay but the offer is Rs 6,500/-” The father says “Sell it” Of course we all know that they are talking about the computer. But I have a sneaky feeling that it looks very much like as if they want to dispose off their father! Not very clever I would say!

Sprite advertisement

Sprite prides itself as a no nonsense brand. Sprite advertisements are laced with the right amount of cynicism and smart alerkiness which the present youth simply love. The advertisement in contention is the one about the pretty girl waiting at a bus stand. A smart man (obviously) a Sprite drinker offers her a lift.

Before she can accept his offer a swanky car stops by and a voice hails “Hey baby want a lift?” The Sprite drinker does a quick retake and offers a lift to an old lady standing at the same bus stand. The pretty girl says to the old lady “You go in the car; I will take the motorcycle”. The advertisement ends with the pretty girl on the motor bike and the old lady in the car.

My contention is, the car would have accommodated both the old lady and the pretty girl. The Old lady could have got into the back seat of the car and the pretty girl could have sat in the front. That way the car owner could have had the cake and eat it too!

HAVELLS Geyser advertisement

The latest advertisement of HAVELLS geyser too is a harbinger. It has a man brushing his teeth in the bathroom. He looks at the geyser and gets annoyed. He chases his son out of the bathroom. The boy runs towards his mother. The annoyed man pulls both his wife and his son to the bathroom. He points out to the geyser.

His wife shrugs her shoulder and says “well it is off” Her husband says “that is the point - why is it not on”. The voice over booms “HAVELLS geyser - When it consumes only half a unit of electricity per day – why should it be off” This is the catch. We shout from the rooftops to save energy and here is an advertisement that is telling us to keep the geyser on for 24 hours. I don’t know what our electricity conservation societies and action groups have to say about this promotion. It makes the point but ½ a unit of electricity is still 15 units of power per month only for water heating. Real food for thought.

Panasonic Mobile phone T31 advertisement

The Hinglish version of the advertisement goes like this: Two young men are comparing their phones, one has a Panasonic T31 and the other has a popular Phone (S4 from Samsung?). The popular phone guy reels off the features of his phone and all the features are matched by his friend having the Panasonic phone.

The Panasonic guy says "your phone has something that my phone does not have" His friend is very happy and before he could preen himself the Panasonic guy says "EMI" and roars in laughter and adds "I can go to Goa and take Leena too". The idea by itself is brilliant, Panasonic is as good as any other and that is very reasonably priced and value for money at sub 7500/- rupees. We can get a phone that is comparable with a one costing 25,000/- (Samsung S4) the phone so costly that the buyer has to pay for it in installments (EMI).

But man proposes and god disposes. I saw the same version of the advertisement and this time it was in Telugu. To my surprise at the critical juncture of the EMI, the Panasonic guy says “Naa phone lo vokati undhi nee phone lo lenidi (Translated it means – My phone has something that your phone does not have) and adds “EMI”. The entire punch of the advertisement is lost. HE IS SAYING HIS PANASONIC PHONE HAS TO BE BOUGHT IN INSTALLMENTS whereas the central theme of the advertisement is exactly the reverse.

What is surprising is that it went under the radar of Panasonic and got telecast! The way out is to get the advertisement translated and show it to people who know all the three languages (English, Hindi and Telugu). Even better show it to a total stranger and he/she would have told Panasonic about the goof up.

These types of translation mistakes happen as most of these advertisements are made and dubbed in Mumbai and the dubbings are done in haste and by Mumbaites who might know a smattering of Telugu but are not totally proficient in the language. The words should have been “Nee phone lo vokati undhi naa phone lo lenidi” Very simple and very avoidable.

Pidilite Fevikwik advertisement

Wagah border in Punjab has beating of the retreat ceremony where the Indian and the Pakistani soldiers square off against each other. They march menacingly towards each other and show their machismo by getting their legs up as much as they can and thumping their feet down as fast, as furiously and as crispy as possible. All the time they keep glaring at each other.

I am told that this is the high light of the beating of the retreat. The advertisement depicts Indian and Pakistani soldiers at the Wagah border. It shows the foot raised high by the Pakistani soldier and his boot sole completely peeled off. Seeing the sheepish expression of the Pakistani soldier, the Indian soldier whips out a small Fevikwik tube and quickly patches up the Pakistani soldier’s loose shoe sole.

The point is which Indian soldier would like to touch the shoe of an enemy soldier. The advertisements is funny but is it not inappropriate for the Indian soldier to be shown in such poor light that too in Wagah border where many soldiers have reported to have suffered stress fractures due to the heavy landing of their feet. It is funny but does not cut ice. It is quite uncomfortable. May be Fevikwik got too excited about the India Pakistan cricket match in the world cup and got carried away with the sway of the emotions.

By:Dr M Anil Ramesh