Saturday, October 28, 2006

The Fun Gun...

This is the life... .....

God created the donkey and said to him."You will be a donkey. You will work un-tiringly from sunrise to sunsetcarrying burdens on your back. You will eat grass,you will have no intelligence and you will live 50 years."The donkey answered:"I will be a donkey, but to live 50 years is much. Give me only 20 years"God granted his wish.

.....................................................................

God created the dog and said to him:"You will guard the house of man. You will be his best Friend.You will eat the scraps that he gives you and you will live 30 years.You will be a dog. " The dog answered:"Sir, to live 30 years is too much,give me only 15 years. " God granted his wish.

.........................................................................

God created the monkeyand said to him:"You will be a monkey. You will swing from branch to branch doing tricks. You will be amusing and you will live 20 years. " The monkey answered:"To live 20years is too much, give me only 10 years."God granted his wish.

..........................................................................

Finally God created man and said to him:"You will be man, the only rational creature on the face of the earth.You will use your intelligence to become master over all the animals. You will dominate the world and you will live 20 years."Man responded:"Sir, I will be a man but to live only 20 years is very little,give me the 30years that the donkey refused, the 15 years that the dog did not want and the10 years the monkey refused." God granted man's wish....

........................................................................

And since then, man lives 20 years as a man,marries and spends 30 years like a donkey,working and carrying all the burdens on his back.Then when his children are grown, he lives 15 years like a dog taking care of the houseand eating whatever is given to him,so that when he is old,he can retire and live 10 years like a monkey,going from house to house and from one son or daughter to another doing tricks to amuse his grandchildren.

That's Life.Is'nt it?

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Friday, October 27, 2006

The pill worked....

Tom had this problem of getting up late in the morning and was always late for work. His boss was mad at him and threatened to fire him if he didn't do something about it.

So Tom went to his doctor who gave him a pill and told him to take it before he went to bed. Tom slept well and in fact beat the alarm in the morning by almost two hours. He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.

"Boss", he said, " The pill actually worked!"

"That's all fine" said the boss, " But where were you yesterday?"

Did you laugh?

I am sure you did, because humour is one best way to communicate messages, even to a non receptive audience ( I have experienced this as a teacher). Communicating message is what advertising is about and the use of humour as a platform to do it, with precision has been a proven formula. Light and subtle humour ,works like magic, in communicating and recall of the brand, which is the ultimate objective of advertising.

Some creatives 9for want of choice?)go overboard with the use,over use and abuse of excessive humour,which may crack among the TG and make them go haywire but the brand may get lost in the laughter. But that, some say ,is any way better than being serious all the way, and making no curves in the face of the TG and stricking no chords- They dont' loose' any humour because they never hadnt had any..

"...in the case of humorous ads, ad and brand recognition seems to be influenced by ad-evoked feelings. On the contrary, in the case of warm ads the degree of ad-evoked feelings does not influence ad and brand recognition"....argues researchers- M. Geuens & P. De Pelsmacker in their work" Feelings Evoked by Warm, Erotic, Humorous or Non-Emotional Print Advertisements for Alcoholic Beverage" in the Academy of Marketing Sciences Review..While all that high funda research stuff rest there , my common sense tells me that humour probably is the most executable of execution platforms and the most appealing of appeals...

There is a disease called entertainment that is infecting our business, said Sir David Ogilvy who also is credited to have said that People do not buy from jokers, who apparently had a disdain for any attempt to entertain the TG....

Make them laugh? No he was against it ....You have to sell and if it isnt selling it isnt creative ..Very true...

But if it is selling but in the process also entertaining..? No ..I dont find the Father of modern advertising having said something about that , anywhere...

Today a significant percent of the TG , likes to be entertained and if it is done theymay buy. Kids for instance likes humour in ads , even more than sports and film celebrity appearing in ads, as per a research done by Turner International Asia Pacific as seen in agencyfaqs recently. Isnt it an eye opener?
Well... for me... yes... I would have got carried away with the popular belief that kids could be fooled by a display of a hero -a Sachin or a Shahrukh..but this piece makes me think....

Humour makes brands, no matter what Sir Ogilvy's verdict on the matter is ,it is a fact..Even O&M recognises this..Close your eyes and line up ten ads that have clean bowled you, in the past....

How many of them are packs of laughter?

How many of them are from O&M..?

For me atleast 5 are from O&M.. the Fevicol series... the Village bus ad... the chicken and the egg ad..the pakade rahna chodna nahin...the train ad..the Cadbury's series...again a train ad...then the Amaron series- the Kumbakarna-the politician...and more...

Fevicol,in its long association with humour has bagged many an award, the latest being a silver at the Singapore Outdoor Advertising Awards for the Best Poster/Large Billboard category.

Humour has always been the hallmark of Fevicol's advertising. The brand has always stood out from the rest, and this has helped us to reap awards by the bagful at international competitions for so many years...who says so..? none other than- Fevicol senior VP marketing B.O.Mehta ...Now that is the fact...Tickling the bone, is a gambit that is worth taking..that is if you know when to make people laugh and to what extent and in the process make sure that the brand is build..

Is the product category a stumble? High involvement vs low involvement and such stuff? My research says it cannot be..Across product categories humour has made a mark- from gums to chocolates to batteries to paints to..you name it ,laughter works ....
If a funny story is built around a good core idea, then it can work, irrespective of the category and the testimony is the brands that smile in victory, they who used humour as their platform to make us laugh...
The only difference, as I see it, in usage of humour across the two broad product categories (low involvement and high involvement) ,is that in low involvement you can outrightly be humorous and make them buy in that impulse--Centershock them...and in high involvement, like for instance the Tata Indica V2 ads which really made us laugh but got the idea "more car per car" into our cluttered heads.....but it is easier said than done..the balance between being funny and being obnoxious is often delicate.
Outright, exaggerated, subtle.... it can be seen and executed in different ways but if the purpose of advertising is to build what Marketing gurus call as Brand salience- ( the brand remaining or coming to ones top of the mind recall once the category is mentioned) -then humour is also a way and a better way....

Remember Aamir Khan and his oscillations from a Jat to a Pahadi tourist guide to a gregarious Babu Moshai ,which could make us giggle...
Remember also the Sikh boy who amused us and then made us smile in the Kitply ads and the Maruthi ads..

Even across geography( and the regional differences are a big headache for advertisers), it could be made to work, provided it is thought about when it is conceived... Asian paints and the Sunil babu ads for instance-"badiya hai" in Hindi became "pramadam" in the Tamil spot ...This has to be a matter of serious ramifications in a country like India with vivid and varied cultures...Different things will be funny to different people and what is funny to me may not be funny to you...a commercial that may leave one person gripping their sides from laughter ,may leave bad taste in another persons mouth..

And one negative side of depending on humour..it can become stale pretty fast ....
"The first time the ad is funny, the second time it is acceptable and third time it is a bore”, and humorous campaigns are expensive , for the same reason...Old jokes seldom make people laugh and needless to say, sell new products to them.....

It is not easy as practitioners would vouch, Arm chair critics and academic researchers ( including me) can indulge "do this and do that " advises but there arent many takers when it comes to putting things into practice. There is always two opinion about anything in advertising and humour is not something to be left behind..

see this sample...
"What u say is more important than how you say it..”said-Ogilvy
“Execution can become the content.It can be just as important as what u say”-said Bill Bern Bach .....

Now you decide...!!!!

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an ad a day..


Humour in print!!!
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006

an ad a day..


use ur heads.. anything can be communicating..
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an ad a day..


“A single idea / the sudden flash of a thought / may be worth a million dollars.”
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Did you KNOW?

Did you know what on earth is RSCG as in Euro RSCG?

Euro RSCG was born from the merger of Eurocom S.A with RSCG. Each letter in RSCG corresponds to the name of each of their founders: Bernard Roux, Jacques Séguéla ,Alain Cayzac and Jean-Michel Goudard - Roux, Séguela, Cayzac, and Goudard or RSCG...

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Saturday, October 21, 2006

The Fun Gun...

Funny wedding ads...

1) Hello To Viewvers My Name is Somesha , I am single i dont have Famale, If any one whant to marrie to me u can visite to my home. I am not a good education but i working all field in bangalroe.. if u like me u welcome to my heart... when ever u whant to meet pls viset my resident or send u letter.. Thanks yours Regards Somesha

2) i want very simple girl. from brahmin educated family from orissa state he is also know about RAMAYAN, GEETA, BHAGABATA, and other homework(Homework?)Wants a woman who knows me better and can adjust with me forever. She may never create any difficulties in my life or her life by which the entire life can run smoothly. thank you(The principle of running life smoothly was never so easy!)

3) She should be good looking and should have a service. She Shoulsd have one brother and one sister. She should be educated. (ain't it unique !! 1 brother 1 sister criteria !)I am a happy-go-lucky kind of person. Enjoys every moments of life. I love to make friendship. Becauese friendship is a first step of love. I am looking for my dreamgirl who will love me more than i. Because i love myself a lot. If u think that is u then why to late come on.......hold my hand forever !!!(The dilwale dulhaniya effect)

4) i am simple boy.I have lot ofproblem in mylife because of my lucknow i am looking one girl she careme and loveme lot lot lot(I don't know why but this is one of my favorites)My wife should be as 'Parwati' as in Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki and as Tulsi as in KSBKBT......(Ok I haven't seen these soaps but I am sure he must be demanding too much, ain't he?)i want a girl with no drinks if she wants she can wear jeans in house but while steping out of house she should give recpect to our cast (by not wearing her jeans? ahem...)

5) HYE I AM A GOOD LOKING GUY,WHO HAS THE CAPABILITY TO MAKE ANY BODY TO LOUGH.I BELIEVE IN GOD AND ACCORDING TO ME FRIENDS ARE THE REAL MESSENGER OF GOD. THE 3 THINGS I AM LOOKING FROM A GIRL ,THEY ARE 1.THEY MUST BELIEVE IN GOD.2. THEY HAVE TO LIKE MY PROFFESION AND THEY SHOULD NOT GET BORED WITH ME WHEN I WILL TRY TO MAKE THEM LOUGH.(all of us are loughing)

6) whatever she may be but she should feel that she is going to be someone bride and she must think of the future life if she is toolike this shewould bde called the lady of the lamp(I am clueless, I feel so lost. Can anyone tell me what this guy wants) i love my patner i marriage the patner ok i search my patner and i love the patner ok thik hai the patner has a graduate ok(I am again clueless but I liked the use of "ok". The person is suffering from "Ok-syndrome")

7) HI IAM VERY COOL NUATHER OK MY HOBBY IS SEE T.V AND NEWS OK I HAVE 1CAR AND 1 BONWL OK MY MOTHER ALSO GOOD OK MY FARUET WORLD IS OK(the "ok syndrome" again)

8) iam pradip my family histoy my two brother two sister and fater&mothersister complity marred(somebody please explain in comments section how to get married'completely'?)

9) iam very simpel and hanest. i have three sister one brother and parent.i am doing postal sarvice and tailor master. my original resdence at kalahandi diste naw iam staing at rayagada dist.(actually what is this guy doing? Postal service or tailor.??)

10) my name is farhan and i am unmarried. pleaes you marrige me pleaes pleaes pleaes pleaes pleaes pleaes pleaes (height of desperation! )

11) I want one girl who love me or my mother. she love me heartly or shehavea frank she's skin colour 'normal'not a black or not a whitey.IThink the main think is heart if your heart is beautiful then you are beautiful. but iam not a handsome person or not a good looking. but myMom say that Iam a good person. My father already expired . iam''AEKLAUTA''. THE CHOICE IS YOUR. bye bye.(uttama purush???)

12) iam kanan. i do owo businas.one sistar.he was marred.(No comments!!!)I AM LITTLE FAIR INDIAN COLOUR. I DON'T HAVE ANY HABIT.(maybe the poor guy meant BAD habits) hello i am a good charactarised man. i want to run my life happily. i divorced my first wife.her charactor is not good'. i expect the goodminded and clean habits girl who may be in the same caste or othercaste accepted ...(but credit cards not accepted..???)my colour is black,but my heart is white.i like social service(Zebra..???)

13) i'm looking out for who lives in bombay, girl simple who trust me lot should be roman catholic, LOVE ME ONLY. (Now that criterion is a must, isn't it?)to be married on jan-2005. working woman perferable(this guy has fixed the marriage date too! But he is yet to find abride. I wish him best luck on behalf of all of us. I am sure he will get one soon.) i would like a beautyfull girl. and i do not want her any treasure.because girl is the mahalakshmi.(Now she is going to be a lucky girl! Any takers?)

14) Boy ssc failed three times and worked with privated ltd company which not paying salary at present.(Any takers again?)

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Happy Diwali & Ramzan to all my readers , co bloggers and every one out there!!!! and no blogging for the next two days....

Friday, October 20, 2006

Hold your breath.....



ha ha u thought it is a fan ad..?



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an ad a day..
















infinite variety.....
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Thursday, October 19, 2006

Boys dont Cry....

So long as there's a jingle in your head, television isn't free-Jason Love


Last day after a long time I got to know that the emotional animal in me is still awake...I watch with my family ( like many many other Malayali Families ) a reality music show christened Superstar in one of the youngest of Malayalam TV channels by the name Amritha TV. For the uninitiated, the final five stage is here, where they have choosen a group of Five ( one girl and the rest boys)..last week, one had to get out and thus making it final four ( I would have ,if given a choice, named it the fabulous four)....

A young lad named Ajay, a NRK from Mumbai, after having sung a beautiful song, which requires tremendous potential and professional calibre to render, broke down, crying bitterly like a kid...It was heart moving, atleast for me...

Amritha Tv is a new entity in the hugely competitive Malayalam TV channel Industry and yet the new wave of innovative programmes, lead by the above said superstar is making people flock to their Tv sets and the proof....? Just see the commercial breaks and the duration..the length of the commercial breaks being longer than the actual programme is the first symptom......

Reality shows and such novel thoughts have redefined the way TV as a medium is perceived, world over. India is no exception... They come in every form.. every conceivable and implausible formats....celeb reality shows..court room reality shows..dating and reality shows...Hidden camera reality shows...law reality shows..sports reality..real life mystery shows and misery shows...

30 days show- a show that follows what happens when people spend 30 days living in someone else's shoes, Ghost hunting shows..mmmm... beware ad guys.!!!!!...Xtreme show and fear factor...Amazing Asia race..what not to wear... who wants to be a super hero ....wife swap....Treasure hunters..tiara girls show....survivor and survival of the richest...sexual healing and skating with celebrities...queer eye for the straight guy...making the band...count down to lock down..dancing with the stars...cow boy u...family jewels...filty rich..I wanna b a soap star...how to get the guy..king of cars..it goes on and on and on......

Mtv is probably the only one media vehicle which owns an entire generation with its name...its gutsy ,glamorous, no nonsense and materialistic attitude have made it the trusted ally of millions of people ,particularly youngsters, world wide.In India Mtv is celebrating its 25 th anniversary and real shows and rocking stuff has mesmerised the crowd here as well. For instance the Mtv show roadies is " stunt,pasion,exitement,enjoyment,makes them a great reality show" as per a fan writing in their website...
"It is all about MBA" ..says another yoyo kid.."Money, Bikes and Adventure"...
another ardent fan writes .."welll roadies is wonderful..adventurous...exciting.rash...tuff...gr8...goal oriented yet fun..spirited..n many more stuff... its superb,mindblowing,hip -hop...nce overall..gr8 2 watch n fantastic 2 participate......KEEP IT UP GUYS...I WANT ROADIEZZ 100 TH EPISODE SOOONN" ......

Not that it is all bouqets and smiles...Mtv and controversy are co brothers..see this piece....
"All people who are selected in roadies are mentally degenerate.. thats the success mantra for this godamn show... if you put all the m_________s of the world in 1 room, somethings gonna give and mtv cashes in on that. in other words mtv makes a lotta money seliing people's apathy to all the sick b_____s".......ooofffff.......THAT is along breath of fowl air..

Still Mtv leads..... not just in the genre where they belong to, but also in the entire Tv media.....No doubt, across genres, the reality shows revolution is happening and the credit to a large extend goes to Mtv.

Abhijeet sawant and Amit sana became national sensations overnight, thanks to Indian Idol ,and even before Sunil Pal won the The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, people knew him and all the finalists. Not to mention KBC and KBC 2..all the mee too KBC's...Sona Khazana's and
Thanga vettai's ,Bangaram Meekosam's and Swarna mazhai's...

And all those disparagement and critisim about people (participants) plummeting themselves to the level of goods for sale , seems to be factual but it still attracts people to herd and congregate before such programmes......

Talents beseeching and pleading -please... please... vote for me seems to be true but it also looks like it is what the average viewer wants, if one goes by the number of SMS's that criss cross our poor nation........

Mediocrity creeping in, over time -like in the case of Fame Gurukul, initially when the show failed to draw audience, the makers resorting to cheap gimmicks and attention-grabbers and yet the shows draw better response from the TG than the Saas- Bahu Kyonkis'....

The parent shows like American Idol (Indian idol is a poor imitation, they accuse... ) still generate a lot of viewership even in India.The latest in this wave of adaption seems to be the Sony reality show-‘ purest form of drama’-Bigg Boss’ which will feature 13 celebrities living in a house for 100 days without access to the outside world and under the vigilance of cameras, which will expose them to viewers 24x7 ...sounds familiar? errr. no prizes for guessing...it is the desi version of the ‘Big Brother’....If the show is packaged well, and manage to attract good talent, it can gather and sustain popularity. But alas, the saturated human minds,in their quest to 'Indianise' the shows the Indian reality guys off late have started to look like...you know what...?.
See this examples....Last year's Lakme Fashion House -- the Star One reality series, where contestants got a chance to show their design sense and the winner bagging a crash course at the House of Versace ,has not had a second season yet.Fame Gurukul, which made Quazi and Ruprekha Banerjee touch the stars,by being one, too is yet to announce a second season.

Who but, in the end is making the fortune...?

With millions of people participating in real life -rise and fall competitions, the advertisers are all-out to sponsor such programs, and in turn making billions ....mmmm .... bad news for traditional advertising.. good news for the newer ways of marketing communication......

With every SMS charging 3 times more than am ordinary call and the whole nation fighting to get their chance to vote what more would an AirTel, Hutch or Reliance would be praying for?

With our feeble minds ,crying ( I admit, I almost did that for Ajay ) when the participants fail, when we jump in joy when the judges promise to back the weeping and exiting competitor to be his playback singerlater? ( I admit, my joy knew no bounds when Deepak Dev ,the Judge of Super star promised a song to the poignant ,and exiting Nidheesh). With our happiness knowing no bounds ,when these judges and the competitors started fighting like wild cats on stage(Fame Gurukul almost took it to ridiculous proportions) live...what else could be the optionto the producers, but more and more shows to the seemingly never satiated audience....

Reality shows galore...it is a plethora of fun, fear, frustration, fantasy, frantic search for money and even fanatisism....But let us not redefine the way the TG wants to be..Let us ponder over the way, marketer uses such shows as tools of communicating....

Remember Khul ja sim sim and the way products were paraded?

"The show was woven around product placement and so much effort and undue time had gone into it but it fell out because there were no set parameters...It was an excellent platform for brand placement but bigger clients like auto manufacturers were reluctant to place their products as prizes.... They preferred to stick to the commercial breaks"..... thus goes India television .com (for more
http://india.indiantelevision.com/mam/special/y2k4/brandplacement.htm)....


The message, I guess is clear... Let the idiots sit there, glued on to their own boxes....let us make hay while the sun is out....

And Ajay, never mind what they say....Boys dont cry.....

I have just send an sms to SS Ajay.....


Tail piece:-

"Monica Lewinsky is hosting a new reality show for Fox . The show is called 'Mr. Personality,' where a woman will try to choose between 20 men who all have masks on and Monica Lewinsky offers dating advice".

"Well, who better to offer advice on choosing a guy without seeing his face than Monica Lewinsky." —Jay Leno

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an ad a day..


Impudence is the word..
or you have something worse?
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Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Adidas = Magic ?



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Did you Know?

Did you know what TBW & A as in TBWA stands for?...


TRAGOS , BONNANGE , WIESENDANGER and AJROLDI ....the name of its founders...

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Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Now see this..



Dont judge too quickly...ahaaaa...
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Now see this..



Excellent concept...matching execution...
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an ad a day..

















Fantastic work done for Volvo in Sweden....

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Monday, October 16, 2006

an ad a day..

Thats what they call as thinking outside the box...


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The world is flat...

A deplorable work according to some critics, and done by JWT....

see this link for more...http://www.presstrust.com/article442335.html



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Saturday, October 14, 2006

The Fun Gun...

Last month, a world-wide survey was conducted by the UN....

The only question asked was:

"Would you please give your honest opinion
about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"


The survey was a huge failure because...:

In Africa they didn't know what " food " means....

In Eastern Europe they didn't know what " honest " means.....

In Western Europe they didn't know what "shortage " means.....

In China they didn't know What " opinion " means.....

In the Middle East they didn't know what " solution" means. .....

In South America they didn't know what " please " means......

In the USA they didn't know what " the rest of the world " means......


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Friday, October 13, 2006

Now see this..

Now see this..

Condom protects you....

A man is out shopping and discovers a new brand: 'Olympic Condoms.'Impressed, he buys a pack.

Upon arriving home he announces to his wife the purchase he just made.

'Olympic condoms?' she blurts. 'What makes them so special? '

'They're in three colors,' he replies, 'gold, silver, and bronze.'

'What color are you planning on wearing tonight?' she asks cheekily.

'Why, gold, of course,' says the man proudly.

'Really?' she responds. 'Why don't you wear the silver tonight? It'd be nice if you came second for a change.' ......

Oops....let me warn you that this mind speak of mine is going to be a little over the line, especially for fragile hearts and those ethically enlightened, chaste and untainted souls..

It is a case of ethical impasse....

Last day I was driving down through the city of Cochin with my wife and kid and a friend and his family- his wife and his 7 year old son....

A truck appears, in which it is written in glowing large fonts " condom protects you", and condom is good ,ostensibly some campaign sponsored by the Government, in an anti Aids effort. I have been seeing this slogan for quite some time now in a case of intended 360 degree communication (A hopeless Government campaign)...

The friends son suddenly asks- Daddy is it some kind of a medicine?....

Need less to say that we all laughed to glory, and my friend had a tough time to convince the little lad..he is too young to be told the physics and chemistry of condoms and its usage, too old to be hoodwinked by cock and bull stories either....

For the pleasure of sensual living,Kamasutra or KS, revolutionised the way people perceived condoms and bought them. Moods also, no doubt, in India did the trick and asked men not to be embarrassed...( remember the 'Moods please'advertising..?) This is one product that has long been the source of unease and discomfiture,everywhere( not only in India), but is also consistently cited as one of the most effective methods of preventing pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

Condoms off late have started giving a 'Feel Good , Play Safe' feeling -the recent Moods advertising for instance..... with the RD Burman classic, Ye kya hua on air ,in a classy campaign which they call 'my man' which for the first time talks to women and addressing their sexual satisfaction.....mmmm....( am I right?).......the ads captures that emotions of a woman who has been fully sexually satiated, and her frame of mind the morning after . But it wasnt that easy for this particular section of Marketers.

History is ridden with cases of disgust and opposition to condom manufacturing and advertising- In an interesting piece of unison both the communists and the catholics were/are united when it comes to condom advertising.

For a country that officially bars couples from having more than one children, you might think that China would promote contraception measures such as condoms. You are mistaken. Believe it or not, the Chinese authorities have banned advertising for condoms since 1989 under regulations that prohibit "any products meant to cure sexual dysfunction or help improve people's sex life."

And the Catholics- Condoms have been provided free by the International Olympic Committee at every Olympics since 1992, with athletes exhausting a supply of more than 70,000(my God..it seems "IT"was an event there.......) at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. At the Salt Lake City Olympics, health groups handed out a record 1,00,000 “safer sex kits” that included condoms at both official Olympic venues and non-Olympic sites such as nightclubs. Original plans called for distribution of 250,000 condoms, protests by Christian religious groups led to a decision to scale back the program....

That was two instances of different groups opposing the marketing and advertising of condoms on different pretexts.... In my research, I got some tit bits on the history of condoms which goes like this..

The earliest mentions of condoms are the stuff of legend, with an illustration of an ancient Egyptian man using a condom—for sexual or ritual reasons or both—dating back more than 3,000 years. The oldest condoms date back to about 1640 A.D. and were discovered in Dudley Castle near Birmingham, England. Made of fish and animal intestine, they were likely used to prevent transmission of STDs. In the 18th century, the legendary lover Casanova used condoms made of linen, which he referred to as his “English riding coat.” With the invention of rubber vulcanization in 1839, a U.S. contraceptive industry soon emerged, producing condoms, intrauterine devices (IUDs), vaginal sponges, and diaphragms.

Several types of male condoms are available. While some condoms are still made of plastic or animal tissue, latex condoms are the most effective against viruses such as HIV. Some condoms are lubricated and some contain spermicides........

Gyan ...gyan ....gyan.....All that information not withstanding, people still refuse to accept it as some product which they can buy without fear or frustration,and confusion and loss of composure...

Marketers find it tough to deliver and communicate.......Protection from STD's have been one reason for the sales figures of condoms going up off late after a slump in the late 80's and earlier 90's...Condoms seel on this as their platform.....like Joy condoms of Brazil which said..the safest love and Jontex which claims to be the safest is clearly aiming to harp in on the safety feeling. and to see some serious stuff, click ......http://www.nlm.nih.gov/exhibition/visualculture/safesex.html

But not all of them focus on this selling idea..

Fun and promiscuity have been a selling point for many a condom marketer and this ,no doubt have landed them in controversies.. See the example of Jimmie Hatz Condoms which dared to claim to be the The Official Condom Of The Hip Hop Kulture and Durex condoms which amused us by saying- "Durex Condoms" For a hundred million reasons .... and also Better Shape, Better Sex ..Once you try it you would never do without it ..... and Good news for your sex life, bad news for beds ....

Some bring in the Man and the Manly imagery...Jiffi Australian Condoms for instance is the The thinking man's condom and Real men do it in a Jiffi ...oh yeh?

ONE HOUR long love condoms are made in Korea contains a climax control cream inside which helps to prolong sexual act longer than usual. Now that is the cream,,right?

Try something new tonight! is what some one exhorted while another one( Manix..the renowned French condoms)...claims that it isThe world's thinnest condom and also that Less latex, is more sex ...It is a claim , I guess ,which is yet to be testified..and yet the advertiser could make a marked difference in the attitudes of people towards 'thin and thick' issues of condoms..

Sex, more sex, more fun in more sex, protection,protection and sex.....the selling platforms seem to be vivid and varied... Even colours...Red ,green blue,yellow..you name it they have it..even textures and makes..thin ,thick,ribs,dots..things which you could never imagine...

See this sample list which I gathered from an advertising material- Fire - Lubricated ribbed condom for great feeling and pleasure Light ..... Superthin but strong, lubricated condom for sensual pleasure ..... Exotic - Lubricated and flavoured condoms: Banana, strawberry, vanilla..... Power - Dotted lubricated condoms for extreme pleasure and feeling.... Extra -Spermicidally lubricated condom for extra sureness.... Exclusive - Ultrathin spermicidally lubricated condom for safety and invisible presence.... Standard - High quality condom lubricated for natural feeling.... Chic - Lubricated black-coloured condom for special events..... Orgazm - New spiral shape condom. Men describe it as the only condom they fell free in and one that kills no piece of the pleasure....flavours that were never there before, which didnt matter for sex before...(dirty minds..dirty minds..wake up...)

Angeljamu condom from Malaysia/Indonesia is lubricated with manjakani herbs. manjakani is an indonesian herb known for decades to possess a unique astringency and has an anti-inflammatory factor - it helps to rebuild vaginal cells resulting in the toning of vagina tissues. Especially beneficial for use after child-birth to regain vagina health.It restores suppleness and rejuvenates the nerves in the vagina hence having a tighter feel and better sensation. Regular use helps eliminate yellow & white discharge and its accompanying odor.
Now Gynaecology Doctors beware ..you are soon gonna be Jobless....

Vibrating condoms...they are....well let me not explain it further....

My oh my....now that is what you call segmentation,targeting ,positioning..whatever...but for me this is enlightenment....but ofcourse the dilemma continues...

Should condoms be made and sold... If the answer is an emphatic yes ( I guess it is ,because the good factors clearly outshines the bad ones) then should they be advertised....?

I have no clear answer, I know one thing but for sure...

There cannot be any business without communicating to the TG..not necessarily advertising as we know it but some form of communicating is a must...

And sex need not be there always...It being a product for sex, doesnot mean that you cant sell condoms without sex being enacted...

Let me qoute two instances which comes to my mind.. One is the Durex campaign which ran in Europe and which said ''Durex- for a hundred million reasons"..(see the ad in my next "Now see this"..) The second ad is the one where the Man and the son going to the super market and the boy creating a fuss there and the caption saying "use condoms"....

No sex at all... and yet it amazed and flabbergasted a large group of people..particularly so when now condoms are also for safe sex and prevention of STD's........An Estonian ad comes to my mind which used cartoon charectors , and still did an outstanding job. (Again ,see that ad in the next issue of "Now see this")...

It is a category which clearly has to set some standards of self regulation...It is true that Alyque padamsee could shake us by the KS ads where Mark robinson and Pooja bedi rocked....blatant ,overt and audacious use of sex...Today it is no longer startling and astonishing ... It is about reaching out with the message....and sex ,no surety attached, that it will take the message to the TG's mindset...

A recent Ad which is now on air done by McCann-Erickson (India) for Kohinoor extra time condoms shall be quoted here..I dont call it an amazing and astounding piece of creativity but it is interesting and yes, dirty but subtle...evoking curiosity and oddity...

This is how www.agencyfaqs.com describes the ad......

Shot of an ancient 'haveli' on a dark night.Strange creaking sounds in the night wake up the caretaker of the place.Picking up his lantern, he goes hunting for the source of the sound.Unable to sleep due to this eerie sound, the caretaker decides to sit up....As the morning dawns a newly wed couple steps out of a room and leave, waving goodbye to the old man.With the room empty, the old man enters it and as he sits on the bed it gives out the same creaking sound.On the bed he finds something and picks it up with great curiosity.

MVO: "Kohinoor Xtra Time condom. Is raat ki subah hi nahin."

Did you ..any one of you felt offended? If you think it is offending, well.... don't think it....

Condom advertising is here to stay...safety, fun, pleasure,extended duration , extended pleasure...it is gonna be here...


Remember.. No glove, no love.....


Tail piece...

If ever POLO makes condoms, what would be the USP & punchline?
Condom with a hole...?
















Thursday, October 12, 2006

Now see this..

Now see this..

an ad a day..



amazing is the word..
or do you have
something better?

again a technical snag

sorry all...again a technical snag has upset my daily blogging...now i guess i have won it over...so once again........here i am

Monday, October 09, 2006

an ad a day..
















Amazing ambient work...

Shhhhh..the CEO is speaking.....







An angel of truth and a dream of fiction,
A woman is a bundle of contradiction,
She's afraid of a wasp, will scream at a mouse,
But will tackle a stranger alone in the house.
Sour as vinegar, sweet as a rose,
She'll kiss you one minute, then turn up her nose,
She'll win you in rage, enchant you in silk ,
She'll be stronger than brandy, milder than milk,
At times she'll be vengeful, merry and sad,
She'll hate you like poison, and love you like mad......




Corporates are like women.. their behaviour so unpredictable, their tantrums so unique, their reactions so impulsive, their moods so erratic and their attitudes capricious....

The point, I guess is well taken... Corporates are like women..

Pepsi and coke after the pesticide conundrum decided or just happened to be whimsical in their reaction patterns ..it is not just about pesticides but reacting to any controversyit seems is the case...

Indra nooyi and her middle finger landed the company in deep grime and filth ,which is still stuck on the brands reputation... It is the classic case of how a CEO speak, with good intentions ostensibly landing the a corporate in a virtual quagmire...

This analogy of the five fingers as the five major continents leaves the long, middle finger for North America, and, in particular, The United States. As the longest of the fingers, it really stands out. The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all the fingers working together efficiently and effectively. This is a really good thing, and has given the U.S. a leg-up in global business since the end of World War 1...
This land we call home is a most-loving, and ever-giving nation -a 'promised land' that we love dearly in return. And it represents a true force that - if used for good - can steady the hand - along with global economies and cultures. ....


That is what Indra seems to have said and the controversy mongers (lead by Bloggers....mmmm...) celebrated....well enough is already said, discussed, e- mailed, smsed, written, printed and blogged about Indra nooyi and her middle finger.

It seems to be a case of living together with sin and blissfully so, as far as pepsi is concerned....In India, the CSE exposure of pesticides and the knee jerk reaction of cola majors are part of marketing and marketing communications history by now ( see my blog on August 8 -2006)..I was wondering what will happen as time passes by....

And my expectation was not simply belied ... The cola guys has come up with bold initiatives of communication ... to tell the world that they are indeed pure and clean and all the accusations to the contrary is just humbug. The reaction patterns eventhough quite predictable and living up to conventions ,I am sure has made many of us give back a soft glance to the contour bottles.

Worth mentioning is the attempt by Coke who used none other than their long time ally and celebrity entertainer cum endorser- Aamir Khan to do the job, this time without any jesting and slapstick. To drive home the point ( that the soft drink is safe and pure) the star gulps a bottle and by god, it is COMMUNICATING..... some kind of communication on the lines of the Cadburys stuff using Amitabh batchan...

Pepsi didnt take any stars to do the job, instead bestowed the honours on the CEO of their Indian division - Rajiv Bakshi... How meritorious was this Ad?? To be honest ,the attempt while deserves some admiration, the execution of the Ad ,to me did not do any wonders.. At the end of it, I was left wondering what was he trying to say? Simply by showing a Lab and scientists, and claiming that Pepsi is safe for your children and my children , will it become safe?.. Will the message be communicated like the Coke one? I doubt...

The proof of the pudding is in the eating.... Coke triumphs with Aamir himself gulping down a Coke . Much more inviting and beleivable than the plain declaration by Mr Bakshi talking big stuff with an open bottle but not daring to sip it ,even once .For me it is case of broken promises....



No ...I am not talking about the case of 50000 jobs which they promised Punjab , way back in the 80's when pepsi was established and till date failing to reach nowhere near the figure...


No ..I am not talking about the change in the brand name Lehar Pepsi to Pepsi which they say was a breach of commitment...


No..I am not talking about the Pepsi stake in Futura polymers, in Chennai and the environmental quandary that they are allegedly into...

Not that I am not bothered about the above said stuff, but I am more bothered , as someone in the business of marketing communication , by the erroneous conception by which they could think that Rajiv bakshi could be another Lee Iacocca and save the sinking ship as the grand old man did save Daimler Chrysler from bankruptcy by appearing in almost 60 commercials for the car manufacturer. That magic conceived by Kenyon & Eckhardt , is part of Advertising history. Not every CEO could be a Lee Iaocca, not even Lee could repeat the magic when he returned to advertise for Chrysler recently. (For more on that come back see this link http://www.adrants.com/2005/07/new-iacocca-chrysler-commercial-not-a.php)



When in trouble, why is Pepsi reacting the way they are?


Communication from companies should be convincing, compelling and credible, to be specific and this CEO speak from Pepsi simple fails and my question is still unanswered...


Let me take it from the ad itself.. Pepsi ke bare mein sawaal hain…Kaun dega jawaab?”

Like the young man in the ad let me ask -“Meri Pepsi wapas milegi?








The world is flat...

For lovers of Print ads...

http://adsoftheworld.com/node?from=30

Saturday, October 07, 2006

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