Praise for My Books


"Manreet Sodhi Someshwar is a gifted writer of great promise. I have a gut feeling we have a new star rising in Punjab's literary horizon. She has an excellent command of English and a sly sense of humour."
- Khushwant Singh on The Long Walk Home

"An enjoyable tale of a sassy girl's headlong race up the corporate ladder."
- India Today on Earning the Laundry Stripes


Thursday 22 September 2011

Poochne Mein Kya Jaata Hai? Or how to make life jingalala!

Recently I saw an ad that made me smile and shake my head, the way you do when you encounter something familiar in a refreshing new setting. More importantly, I remembered the name of the brand and spent the next few minutes explaining to my perplexed daughter why I was grinning so much. My daughter is growing up in Hong Kong, and like most NRI kids has a novice's grasp of Hindi-Punjabi; which means that nuances escape her :)

The people who made the ad - both the company and the advertising team - can reward themselves with a congratulatory pat on the back. I should know - I have worked in advertising - and this particular ad had delivered on several effectiveness parameters:

- Brand recall (I remembered the brand distinctly)

- Positive image (The ad used humour, which always engages)

- Eagerness to buy (Well, I was keen to see the other ads in the series, which means I was primed for more communication from the advertiser, which means I was getting there ...)

Best of all, for me, as an ex-advertising executive, the ad was built on consumer insight. The best ads always are, for that is how they worm their message into us without us even being aware of it. So, here, watch the ads below, enjoy, and let's see whether you've as much fun as I did!








Didja?!

Pooch dala toh life jingalala ... The ads are built on the simple premise of "ask, why not?", a rather Indian trait which is increasingly being rendered sterile in the new retail space opening up in India : shiny counters, spiffy salesmen, packaged deals, and fixed price?

Over summer in India I was trying to get a pre-paid card and checked several shops, each of which disappointed because the salesman sullenly dished out pre-paid cards, neatly wrapped up in their shiny cartons, and I'd to figure out for myself whether any of them answered my specific need.

In such a scenario the good ol' Desi habit/custom/practice of asking questions and always looking for a bargain is under threat.  Tata Sky and its advertising team at Ogilvy have done a fab job with leveraging off this consumer insight and putting it at the forefront of its campaign. In fact, they have ratified the old Indian practice of negotiating-when-purchasing and issued a summons to go forth boldly: Poochne mein kya jaata hai?

Wadja think?

Indian ads are usually entertaining - so much so that whenever we return from an India trip my daughter knows several that she rattles off with glee! Any ads you liked lately - please share. After all, Poochne mein kya jaata hai?

6 comments:

  1. Great piece! I liked the Lava mobile phone ad where the phone is sued to convey what's in the heart
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC6ARHdMpcU

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  2. yes, i too totally loved the new Tata sky ad. And i thought coming up with something really gripping after the series of campaigns featuring Aamir was a tall feat in itself. They succeeded in bettering the best!

    I'd watched the interview by a top executive of Tata Sky where he said they wanted to break the mindset that premium is expensive & beyond one's reach. And the ad propelled the message that you'd still get great quality, service,brand, product at 'reasonable price'. Just ask!

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  3. I loved the surf ad the most! The one in which the baby sister cries and the bro plays in the mud...

    *Daag achhe hain*

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  4. I loved the Tata Sky ad too.

    A friend of mine has recently moved to the US of A and within a week was desperately tweeting about how America has to learn how to make ads from India. She said that they were all lacking in imagination and creativity. Without exception

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  5. I too loved these new Tata Sky ads... Very creative and bring a smile to the face instantaneously!
    Have a fabulous sunday.I too loved these new Tata Sky ads... Very creative and bring a smile to the face instantaneously!
    Have a fabulous sunday.

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