From Royal Enfield’s film that touches upon various emotions and feelings attached to returning to one’s home to Asian Paints’ Royale Glitz spot that steals spotlight from Deepika Padukone and Dubai Tourism’s action flick ad featuring Jessica Alba and Zac Efron, here are the campaigns Ritwika Gupta enjoyed this week –

Brand: Royal Enfield

Royal Enfield has unveiled a 7-minute digital brand film, which follows a sole rider’s journey through Ladakh on the motorcycle. Titled ‘Home’, the film touches upon various emotions and feelings attached to returning to one’s safe haven- one’s home. The core idea of the film is to express that “going the distance” is not about how far away you will get, but from what length you’re willing to return. While the message is in itself beautiful, there are a few more things that stood out for me. Firstly, the choice of a female rider. The ad recognises women who love to ride a road bike for leisure, to commute, or simply as a convenient way to get around town. It is aspirational. Motorbikes portrayed in advertising has always been almost aimed exclusively at men, with women largely relegated to blatant objectification. Therefore, this comes as a breath of fresh air. Secondly, the focus on a community in a remote Ladakhi region. It’s good to see the region finding sustained visibility in a mainstream campaign. When more people recognize themselves in messages, marketing campaigns become more impactful. This also allowed the makers to shoot in a location little seen in national advertising. The film is visually stunning, showing the “hidden gems” of India, depicting the raw beauty of the Himalayans and perhaps inspiring young Indians to see more of the country. Add to that – the stunning cinematography, the poetic narration and moving soundtrack make the ad film soulful, memorable and charismatic.

Campaign: Home
Concept: Coconut Films

Brand: Asian Paints

Not many can boast of having stolen the spotlight from the gorgeous Deepika Padukone. But in Asian Paints’ latest ad, we get to see how a wall that is painted with Asian Paints’ Royale Glitz, overshadows the actress and leaves her bemused. She doesn’t seem to understand why everyone is so smitten by the wall! It’s funny. The ad opens with Deepika spotting elegant looks, posing for a fashion photo-shoot, with the song ‘Baar Baar Dekho’ playing in the background. With tongue-in-cheek humour, the ad goes on to show how the new paint has stolen the spotlight from Deepika. The ad’s funny and conveys the impact of the new luxury paint very cleverly. Paint that can steal Deepika Padukone’s spotlight will undoubtedly give your walls a stunning finish. The TVC is stylish, quirky and the concept is vey different.

Campaign: Royale Glitz – the Ultra Sheen paint
Agency: Contract India

Brand: Dubai Tourism

Glamour, sophistication, and non-stop action – that’s what Dubai is all about. Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has launched a new global campaign ‘Dubai Presents’, featuring Jessica Alba and Zac Efron. The campaign invites global travellers to appear in their very own cinematic adventure. In other words, it wants people from all over the world to visit Dubai’s breathtaking locations. The campaign will feature a total of six short trailer films across different genres, over a period of four months.  I’ve been a fan of Dubai Tourism’s ‘BeMyGuest’ campaign featuring Shah Rukh Khan, taking Dubai to the world in a dramatically unexpected, adventure-series. This time round, the look and feel of the campaign is similar to a trailer of a big-budget, spy-action flick. The ad gives a cinematic overview of the city’s locations, iconic skyscrapers and landmarks, majestic landscapes, inviting travellers to create their very own epic adventure. Whether or not the time is right for travel, the campaign’s movie-style marketing will draw attention. This one’s thrilling and entertaining. (It probably deserves to be a real movie!)

Campaign: Dubai Presents
Agency: Mother