Ahaa.. after almost a month, it is great to write again. Thanx to all those who encouraged me (coaxed me :) ) to write more. Glad you read my posts, kip zat up :P
Well , I hope the title of my post might have aroused a pinch of curiousity in your mind , wondering what this script is all about.
Hmm..to answer that , I may have to rewind and take you with me to my childhood.....
Vrroooooom..!
There in the living room of an urban middle class family , the scene is set with the usual evening news on the T.V .The viewers comprise of the grand (grey:P) head of the family :Thatha , the wannabe head (already to his wife ;)) : Appa , the wisest man on the planet (in the eyes of his lil. sister ) : Anna and ofcourse me (the 5 year old gal ).
The newsreader is a well dressed woman ( sari clad ) with a very impressive command over the language (so claims thatha..) and a very distinctive voice ( louder than my teacher !) . She has the family in rapt attention to her speech or dialogue delivery ( i didnt know there existed a tele-prompter then...). I envied her , for she could grab the attention of the family for 30 minutes every evening (which i never could .) So I carried on playing with my toys making the loudest noise possible (trying to capture some notice..failing miserably).
Vanakkam....
With that the news ends and the scene changes. Now it is the turn of paati and amma to join the club.Yess..it is the daily soap. That never used to interest me much either , I could neither comprehend their weird accent nor keep the story track (which always remained dormant ) on my mind . The entire family (sans me ) is all set to watch the next programme , "Ahh! not again" screams paati. Mom and dad are disappointed as well , anna gets up to attend the nature's call in the interim. Thatha beckons me for only he understands my excitement , I run with enthusiasm to him screaming "ADI-MISS"...yep you must have got it by now, I was attracted to advertisements but could never pronounce it right!
There were these beautiful doe eyed women wearing crisp white cotton saris and flashing their best smile . In the background there was the familiar music..now the lead female would come forward and show her well manicured fingers showing the number three..yess..i would hum along "sottu neelam hoi..Regal.." , how much those 3 drops of whitener meant to me then.The next would be "washing powder :Nirma ", with beautiful teenage girls dancing ; inducing me to dance along holding up my frock like them, I was truly fascinated. Those few moments before the idot box were precious.My loyalty to brands were entirely based on their "ADI-MISS" and I would fight with mom so that she would "understand" my sentiments during our trip to the super market. It was important for me to enlighten my folks to the various benefits of the different products that were on market (on T.V rather)..I felt it was my duty to guide them (cos. f their inaptitude for ADI-MISS)... soo began my fascination for AD's.
As I grew up , I started admiring the creativity of the ad's on print and on bill boards as well.It is always heartening to come across a particulary effective tagline that can keep you thinking or a refreshingly new tune you can humm along...Say the Nescafe jingle.."taste that gets you started and taste that gets you moving on..." Though I am not a caffeine person..this jingle does gets me moving on a lazy day..YEA..it creates a magic moment, stirring you up!
Out of the recent ad's I have a few favourites. The Mastercard ad, being the master of all. Be it the one where the elderly couple go on their anniversary to lake palace or the one were the son smiles (sooo cute :)) seeing his parents' thrilled on a fun ride..it elucidates their tagline "Some things money cannot buy , for everything else there is master card "..wow..what moments they create..
The next one would be the Havell's cable ad , where the mum is struggling to make rotis on the side walk and her son comes up with a cable shaped into a tong replace her metal one. This is heights of creativity , not only does it illustrate the cable's tenacity to withstand heat but also captures hearts with the child's understading of his mother's woes. Amazing stuff!
The Citibank ad, showing the little kid taking his piggy bank to deposit in a real bank is cute as well. I loved their subtle depiction of their :
1. Simple banking solutions (showin that even a kid can !) 2.The importance of saving (even a piggy bank matters on a rainy day). The bonding between the 'dhadhu' and the kid is one to watch out for !
The Airtel ads have always been special , be it the scintillating music by A.R , on the back drop showing the various emotions of people or the recent one with the sizzling chemistry between Vidya and Maddy showing them as inseparable newly weds to the one where she does easy recharge through credit banking are ones were you and me(am vidya too :P) can identify ourselves with them and feel closer to the brand itself.
Many more hilarious ads have tickled my humour as well, like the reynolds permanent marker ad, where the husband (pathi dev) makes a bindi for his wife with a red marker and hence he is saved from death as her permanent ink could never be erased (noww thts sumthng ! ). The fevii quick ad , where the guy fishes by adding glue (read fevi quick) and catches fishes in a jiffy. The kurkure ad in which Juhi takes an old man to show flowers is hilarious as well..yet leaves me wondering what that has got to do with the product till the end.
The celeb ads however get stereotypical and gets to your nerves at times but again it is a MAD , MAD AD WORLD..The consumer is only confused to make a choice unless the ads are self explanatory and meaningful...
Here are a few pictures of ads that caught my eye on various places ..hope u see the intented message ..I am not degrading their wonderful portrayal by leaving any comments..enjoy them yourself..see it the way you perceive it ..that's what ad-making is all about!
Hope you liked my photography..the last ad..is my message to you..CHILL!
ADIEU.
