Ads that make you go hmmm... WHAT??

Alright, so lets recount the traits of a good ad: it has to be relevant to its target audience in that it relates to them in a meaningful way; especially in terms of character portrayal & product usage conditions & behavior. In other words, your message should resonate with your target audience. It has to be attention-grabbing, interesting, original, memorable and make the desired impact on your target audience. That, coupled with great execution & production quality, as well as a well thought-out media strategy, makes for a pretty promising campaign. 

Now, I am sure most of you have already come across Sooper Biscuit's latest TV commercial titled 'Maza Karle... Dil Bhar Ke'. Here: watch it again before you read any further:

This TV commercial is all over Pakistani TV channels these days (like the Mezan Cooking Oil launch TV commercial that should have been titled 'I like to move eat move eat!' - click HERE to view). It has been brilliantly executed, great production quality, good choice of models (who aren't just pretty, but can dance impressively too). The jingle has a pretty catchy tune, though I haven't been able to by-heart the lyrics yet.

But... who the hell eats 'egg & milk' biscuits at a dance party?? And... the way they are enjoying those 'Biscuits', BYOB might take on a completely new meaning! I mean, this is a BISCUIT ad. A BISCUIT. Alright, the cafeteria scene, acceptable. The mehendi scene, errrm... okay. But the party?? It is completely out of place! It would be more 'appropriate' if it were an ad for a carbonated beverage or even chips (chips & dip at parties are common). Some of the older people I know (like those in their 50s & 60s) think it is ridiculous & irrelevant to feature song & dance in a biscuit ad; but I don't mind. I like jingles. I like dance too. But do I like song & disco dance with Sooper? No. Thanks. And... the portrayal of 'pleasure' (in slo-mo) derived when the models bite into the biscuit - very incongruent with the product type - reminds me of the Kashmir Premium Gold Cooking Oil TV commercial featuring the sultry Iman Ali in all her sultriness as she tries to seduce her husband (and the audience) while frying fish & cutting celery. Click HERE to watch the ad.

I am sure there are other creative ways to capture the youth's attention. But... I am not complaining. It's not too bad really - esp. as a reminder ad (and it's pretty). At least it is still way better overall than the cheesy-looking me-too 'Chaye ka Chaska' campaign!

Then there's this consumer promotion by Stone Age - 50% off - have a look at this one:

This one says "Stone Age offers 50% off! Come make an ass out of yourself!" I mean, WHY the donkey?? What purpose does it serve? I am not sure what a 'donkey' symbolizes in other cultures or countries, but in Pakistan, a donkey is a beast of burden, and a 'ghada' is literally and figuratively an 'ass'. What target market did they have in mind? Were they trying to say 'Prices so low, even a donkey can afford it'? - like the Geico 'so easy even a caveman could do it' campaign? - and if you've noticed, the woman behind the donkey has her bags packed already - she is in no mood to shop alongside asses and mules. I am hoping there exists some brand association between this image and the brand in the minds of its existing customers; perhaps some sort of a brand icon used on their women's clothing line; something that one can use to rationalize the use of this image in this ad. Otherwise, I would rate it a 9/10 on the ridiculousness scale.

Geico  (Auto Insurance Company)

Another ad with a cheesy image:

I don't know. Maybe I am being too critical - but the way she is staring at him (the 'eyes wide shut bharosa' look) is just so artificial. It makes the ad look a little silly. She is saying "Mein to pehle hi inki zahanat se mutasir thi.." - I guess a marriage with a huge generation gap; seems like she married her chemistry professor. Anyway, I will cut it some slack - perhaps it works for the target audience of geeky looking middle-aged middle-class men who are looking for new ways to impress their young trophy wives.

Last but certainly not the least, here is a classic by Dawn Bread:

Back at the agency, we called it the 'Kacha Bacha' ad. Of course, it is a badly executed ripoff of some foreign print ad the client saw on one of his trips abroad. The baby is so 'soft' & 'raw' - like a skinny fragile  'teetar-batair' - perhaps designed by someone with scary cannibalistic instincts. I would have given them some points for creativity if I hadn't known it is in fact a ripoff. Anyway, it wasn't published in a lot of publications. Last I remember, they took down the lone Sherpao Bridge (Lahore) billboard within a week of putting it up. And yes, the client & the agency were quite embarrassed about the whole deal. At least that's some consolation.