Formality Hatao, Coke Pilao

I had been approached by Afaqs on the new campaign created for Coke India, by McCann Erickson. Coca Cola moves ahead of it's "open happiness" proposition and positions itself as the perfect drink for social gatherings.

I am of the opinion that there is nothing earth-shattering about the ad and it uses the old concept of family occasion or social gathering. It is just one more execution of the core theme of Coca-Cola on happiness, family, occasions and togetherness.

The old couple carrying a bottle of Coke is more like a 'Gift' or the joy of giving Coke. This isn't Coke trying to enter the tea/coffee space and I dont think they could make a dent there either.

You can read all my thoughts on the campaign and coke's over all strategy in this piece in Afaqs here.

How Dare They?

Do you remember the Fair and Lovely air-hostess commercial? 

It was a commercial that hit complexion-conscious India in the gut as it also attacked the Indian predilection for a male child. Having grown up entirely in an environment where the colour of one’s skin was paramount, I could certainly relate to it. It did wonders for the brand and yet it raised the hackles of the educated, affluent Indian elite who had no use for the product.

“How dare they?” thundered the elite in their cocktail circuits. When I asked Balki (whose agency had created it), about the ad, he smilingly said “Pedder Road does not seem to like it”. I remember showing this to a delegation of international students and explained how the ad ran the risk of being banned because it had tackled sensitive issues head on. The global audience was really impressed as they believed controversy helped any ad and brand gain visibility by leaps and bounds.

Many of them were envious of the ad’s ability to evoke such strong reactions. “In the UK, if an ad is banned it is phenomenal, we would give an arm and leg for that,” said one very excitedly. I remembered this when I saw the new Airtel TV commercial.

Is the ad sexist?

 To my mind it is a needless controversy and probably an engineered one.

Why do I say this? I strongly believe in the communication principle “Either love me or hate me but for God’s sake don’t ignore me.” Today, with a smart social media strategy it is possible to ensure that an ad is not ignored. You can certainly pick up certain elements in the communication and create a controversy around it.

How can the wife be the boss? Why should she rush home to cook? Why are bosses like Hitler? We can certainly pick up enough angles and create a storm around a TV commercial, making even those who have not seen it go to YouTube to check it out.

Mobile ads set the tone

Having said all that, I still need to give credit where it is due. When I first entered advertising it was so long ago that I can’t even remember when cola advertising was the ‘hot’ category. Creative types yearned to work on Coke or Pepsi.

Today, mobile services are the colas of yesterday. Brands like Airtel, Vodafone and Tata Docomo keep us entertained with their charming, witty and, on occasion, controversial commercials. I am not complaining as often these commercials are a lot more interesting to watch than the programmes in which they are featured. But shouldn’t these companies that spend millions on advertising worry about their basic offering? Or is that asking for too much?

You can read the entire piece on the Hindu Business Line.

Lessons from the Narendra Modi Campaign

As the dust settles on a historic election with an unambiguous result after almost three decades, its time to look at the campaign that did it all, and what we can learn with regards to marketing and management.

Was it just a matter of being in the right place at the right time?

Or was it changing the rules of the game, to reposition people's voting decision as a choice between one PM candidate and the other? Almost akin to the Presidential election in the United States.

Modi was given the same prominence by the BJP as Sachin Tendulkar was by the Indian cricket team in one of its more troubling phases.

Remember this ad?

They got the right team in place with a mix of heavy weights and enthusiastic rookies, with "Abki Baar, Modi Sarkar" being coined by Piyush Pandey for the same campaign that witnessed Lawyers, Engineers etc quitting their jobs in Bangalore or Singapore and pitching in.

There are many learnings from the campaign for marketers, and you can read my full piece in The Hindu Business Line, here.

VIP Skybags and their attack on black

You must have noticed the new ad campaign for VIP skybags featuring John Abraham to mark its foray into the Backpack segment. I was asked to weigh in on the campaign and the segment.

The new Skybags campaign

I believe that categories like watches, vehicles, clothes and women's bags have all undergone change and have become products that are used to make a statement, and backpacks are no different, as I mentioned in a campaign profile on Afaqs.

You can read the whole article and my other thoughts on the segment here.  

My opinion on Jayalalitha as shown on NewsX

My opinion on Jayalalitha and the "Amma" brand that she has built with her initiatives as shown on the NewsX channel

MTR vs Maiyas: Bangalore and Beyond

As a true blue Bangalorean, this is a market share battle that is close to my heart (possibly in the stomach region!)

An interesting piece in Business Today, on the Maiya's brand and how it will compete with the MTR foods business that it started and sold. Although the market is big enough to accommodate the two and more, I feel distribution and other factors will play a deciding role.

Datsun In India

India is a "have to be present in" market for most brands and Datsun is now being launched here as well.

Given its global story and the negative perception of its products, my two cents in this Business Standard article on what it will need to do to gain Market Share and consumers in India.