MUMBAI: The advertising sector has undergone an evolution over the years. The storytelling has matured, creatives have changed, and brands are experimenting with fresher and innovative ways to connect with their audience — on television, social media and digital.
A recent phenomenon is the ability of ads to get a product to sell while conveying bold, social messages. Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad, Google’s reunion or the recent Vicks transgender ad spearheaded the trend and managed to not only create an instant connect with the audience but also delivered powerful social messages as they created brand awareness subtly.
While Indians all over the world celebrated Diwali last week with much fanfare and glee, the creative minds at agencies had a hard task ahead of the celebration to create Diwali-targetted campaigns for their clients that are ‘out-of-the-box’ yet resonate with the brand’s identity.
This year, too, saw some striking ads. Some brands urged audiences to spend quality time with their family and loved ones while some stuck to social messages. Even though cynics cast aside these efforts terming them as duplicitous sales techniques, brands need praise for the human touch.
We have listed some of the best Diwali advertisements this year that went beyond the cliched lights, fireworks and sweets.
Lenovo: #GiftThemAFuture this Diwali
In a heartwarming campaign created by Lenovo India, ‘Gift them a future’ is a story about a retired banker who is struggling to keep himself busy by going to his office every day after retirement. His son, who is back home for Diwali gifts him a Lenovo notebook to start his entrepreneurial venture.
Nokia: #UniteForLove
Nokia mobile rolled out its first big cross-platform campaign ahead of the festive season. It stays true to its global brand philosophy of #UniteFor, and rises to the occasion, telling a very touching story. To everyone consumed by technology, it puts human relationships above everything else on occasions when it matters. The campaign created by Dentsu One India proposed that for a day, people spend quality time with their loved ones uninterrupted by phones. Put your phone in a gift box and give it to someone or just keep it aside as a gesture of committing your time—and you—to someone else, stressing on the philosophy of #UniteForLove
Ghadi Detergent: Is Diwali #SaareMaelDhoDaalo
Humans tend to fit strangers into stereotypical boxes that exist in our minds. Continuing with its “saare mael dho daalo” (let’s get rid of the dirty things) proposition, Ghadi detergent’s Diwali campaign urges us to look at everyone afresh without resorting to our biases. The film highlights how the appearance of a policeman in our homes brings doubts of many kinds. It makes us uncomfortable and we tend to get nervous and unsettled. Created by advertising agency ADK Fortune, the TVC shows a policeman visiting a family who are selling their electronic goods online and his interest in buying them.
Amazon prime video: Kahaaniyon wali Diwali
This ad asks the audiences to soak in the joy of storytelling with their loved ones. Storytelling is as old as civilisation. Some stories entertain while others stir up something inside you. This one is a sort of retelling of a conventional happy story — keeping the sweetness and warmth of a father and son’s relationship intact. It not only celebrates the art of weaving a tale, it also turns a simple exchange between a father and a son into a larger than life, wholesome experience; and brings it alive in a magical way.
Dainik Bhaskar: Sarthak Diwali
In its latest campaign for Diwali, Dainik Bhaskar urges people to give respect along with goods to those less privileged and our house help. The TVC shows a house maker handing out diyas, clothes, sweets and firecrackers to her house help on the day of Diwali. Later in the night, she visits her house help’s home to wish her a happy Diwali and hug her. The ad emphasises on a very important point that just giving gifts and sweets to them is not enough and we must also give them equal and enough love and respect.
