Shan Food
The power of food, in this case, a delicious plate of biryani, has been used as a bonding tool in order to bridge a racial divide in this ad. It strikes a strong emotional chord towards the end when the Chinese lady is made to feel at home by her Pakistani neighbours. Using SHAN masala and with a bit of help from the internet, the lady manages to make a pot of biryani despite lacking expertise. Throughout the ad, however, I kept questioning why does a foreigner need to change the way she dresses or what she eats in order to fit into or impress a new society? Maybe she could have chosen to make a Chinese dish? Maybe her neighbours could have invited her over instead? The possibilities are endless but overall, a pleasant watch!
Sunfeast Mom’s Magic
Just like how you have a flash mob, the new TVC by SUNFEAST showcases a group of participants engaging in a “flash song” in an almost spontaneous fashion for their mothers. The TVC is sentimental and nostalgic but the soul of it lies in that one song — “Maa” and you can hardly go wrong with it. The first time I heard it in the movie “Taare Zameen Par”, the song immediately tugged at the heartstrings. And it was not any different this time round. Moreover, when you have the brilliant Shankar Mahadevan leading the vocals, a couple of real-life bytes and sentimental shots put together, you know you have a good recipe for a Mother’s day ad.
Discovery Kids India
When I first saw this ad, I found it uncannily similar to the Vicks #Touchofcare TVC that aired not too long back. Just like the Vicks ad, this one, too, has a voice-over leading the narrative — the voice of a young boy, talking about his relationship with his mother. We get to see how lovingly normal it all is until it is revealed that his mother is blind. The TVC looks contrived — trying too hard to make a sentimental campaign on Mother’s day, without much relevance to the brand itself. Considering the brand is a Kids TV channel, it is not clear who the target audience is.
Prega News #happymothersday
The month of May has been full of Mother’s Day TVCs. While most of the ads showcased the bonding of a child and his/her mother, this one refreshingly stands out for focusing on the to-be mother. A basic idea of how to make the workplace “a second home” for expecting moms has been sensitively projected in this TVC. There is a meaningful message and through this ad, the brand has attempted to reshape mindsets and empower motherhood.
Tata Tea Jaago Re
Lately, there has been a rising concern in India when it comes to youth suicides. Tata Tea’s new TVC demonstrates how parents can do their bit to prevent such tragedies. In this minute long film, the brand manages to raise awareness on the issue that encourages parents to make their kids believe that exams are not everything in life. The concept is simple and the message that comes along with it — “it’s okay to fail” is strong and clear.
PAYTM #Travelmeintwist
PAYTM intends to promote its travel booking services through this new TVC. The mother-son camaraderie in the ad is funny and the “twist” in the ad happens when the boy decides to book a flight immediately after seeing the photo of a pretty girl, instead of sticking to his original plan of taking a train back home. The TVC is crisp and cleverly interweaves the brand’s travel booking services ranging from bus, train, flight ticketing to even hotel bookings through a simple conversation.
Pepsi Catch
Pepsi’s new TVC is all about spontaneity, living in the moment and a lot of swag! The TVC opens with Virat Kohli fielding at the boundary and just when rival fans assume that he has dropped a catch, Virat is seen effortlessly balancing a ball on his shoe. The TVC is stylish and the concept of “Socha nahin ji gaya, Pepsi thi, bas pi gaya” is executed well.
Coca-Cola Lift the feeling
Two Coca Cola “taste the feeling” TVCs came out earlier this month — one featuring Deepika Padukone and this one stars Diljit Dosanjh. Both ads have the same concept, similar treatment and execution. The TVC shows how a celebrity and a fan can bond over coke and music when trapped in an elevator — a little farfetched but enjoyable nonetheless. The only reason why I like this ad a tad bit better is because of the Punjabi flavoured music. The overall vibe is effortless and entertaining!
Vodafone Super Cheer
I have always enjoyed Vodafone’s Zoozoos or the Zumi army ads. To commemorate 10 years of the brand’s association with IPL, Vodafone has come up with a series of Zumi ads that celebrate some of the best IPL moments. This one in particular celebrates 10 years of run-outs and clearly, no one does the super cheer dance better than the Zoozoos. This is a fun watch!
British Airways
The TVC showcases a young man’s journey from Chennai to London as he retraces his grandfather’s footsteps, and ends up crafting his own London story. The concept of “discovering London” is beautifully executed in this one and the production quality is top-notch. The TVC has a nostalgic tone and as you go deeper in the film, you realize it is less about discovering London and more about human relationships which British Airways has always focused on.
Vodafone #MakeMostOfNow
Anyone who has been watching the IPL matches would be familiar with this adorable elderly couple from Vodafone’s latest Supernet 4G ads. It is a 6 part ad series which features the couple going around Goa, uploading photos, live-feeding on social media and making video calls. The idea to tell a travel story of an old couple is refreshing and the brand has been able to also land the message of a strong data network through the ad. But what works the most for this TVC is the choice of actors who also happen to be a real-life couple. Padma Bushan recipients V.P. Dhanajayan and Shanta Dhanajayan have endearing chemistry and this is what makes the ads stand out.
JK Tyre
JK Tyre’s new TVC for its two-wheeler tyre, Blaze, is attempting to change the mindset of people from “any tyre is ok” to “it’s not ok”. It uses an ironic tone to raise an awareness about poor quality tyres which can lead to accidents, injuries and even death and yet, people still take it lightly. The concept is creative and the message in the ad is strong and clear.
MakeMyTrip
MakeMyTrip has released a number of Alia Bhatt-Ranveer Singh TVCs in the last few months and this one happens to be the latest one. The brand claims to offer the best deals in international flights and that is exactly what they tried showing us here. The concept is humorous – no matter where you pretend to be from or what accent you put on, when you see attractive “MMT” deals, you end up revealing your true colours! Alia and Ranveer were, once again, effortless in this one.
Volup Icecream
The new Volup ice-cream TVC projects the product as something irresistible and that you will do whatever it takes to get a bite. As such, the brand here claims that a bit of cheating is ok! The ad is aptly short and shows a guy secretly taking a bite from his friend’s ice-cream when he’s not looking. It is a tongue-in-cheek concept that will be liked by youngsters.
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times gives a tribute to Mumbai in a series of three films which celebrate Bollywood, cricket and Irani cafes that are prevalent in the city. This TVC on “Bollywood” is the first ad film which features a girl singing a song about the actors in the film industry. The ad fairly attempts to touch an emotional cord while keeping it entertaining for viewers. However, it does not really have a recall factor and the music does not seem catchy enough. It is a pretty superficial take on Mumbai, in my opinion.
FYND
When I started watching this ad, I had no clue that this was a fashion and clothing app TVC till the very end. While the ad starts off funny, it gets a bit eccentric and loud in its projection. In the end, the voice over says, ‘in two months everything can go out of fashion, from a boyfriend to fashion style’. While it is a quirky concept, I am not sure if it is a good idea to put fashion and relationship in the same bracket. I did not find it very relevant.
Tanishq Mirayah
Tanishq’s new TVC focuses on female friendship — a group of ladies in their 40s singing a song for their friend, taking her through her college years right up till marriage, kids and work will strike a chord with many women. The TVC is not too mushy and does not go overboard with emotions. It keeps the overall vibe simple and nostalgic. The message, “age is just a number” does come across.
Nivea Just Like Ma
Nivea’s Mother’s day TVC attempts to show that a mother’s love can come in many forms. The campaign stands out because it celebrates mother-like figures who have made a difference. The concept is simple and takes a progressive look at motherhood. The ad unfortunately has got not much to do with the brand or Nivea products really, but overall touches an emotional chord.
Google with Mrs Funnybones
I am not sure why the brand decided to get specifically Twinkle Khanna on board for this TVC because it does not leverage on her “funnybone” image. It just shows Khanna juggling daily chores and interests with Google Pixel by her side. While the ad is moderately engaging, it could have been any other celebrity endorsing the product. I expected the ad to be a little funnier considering they decided to pick Mrs Funnybone.
Milton Tiffin TVC
Milton’s new TVC depicts the daily journey of a tiffin from the time it is picked up from home all the way till it reaches the office. The concept is clever and the brand’s idea to show the effectiveness of their “leak lock steel tiffin” is demonstrated well here. This is perhaps the first ad shot using an iPhone in India and the look and feel of the TVC stands out for being raw and real. The focus on the product is very prominent but that does not take away from the engagement value. The first two lines of the iconic “Hum Tum Ek Kamre” track is smartly used as the background song in this TVC.
