Think beyond refrigerators, says new Godrej Appliances TVC

With the festive season on in full swing, a "range" commercial from an electronics brand doesn't come as a surprise. However, according to Ramesh Chembath, head of marketing at Godrej Appliances, the latest one for the brand Eon communicates a much-needed message. 

"Over the last decade, we've increased our range from refrigerators to microwaves, washing machines and air conditioners. Yet, our huge heritage in refrigerators overshadowed everything else we did," he said. "Hence, we wanted to make a lighthearted and direct piece of communication for the entire range. Since 'Designed by curiosity' means our products are developed from consumer insights and they needed a lot of exposure, we were not looking at any brand ambassador [after Preity Zinta]."

True to the brief, the new commercial features an older man saying, "When it comes to refrigerators, Godrej is quite simply the best." However, as opposed to his indication, his two younger (and enthusiastic) helpers bring an airconditioner into the frame. The older man clears his throat and dismisses them, and continues to promote the line of refrigerators. However, he gets cut short by the helpers carrying in a microwave and a washing machine. Finally, the older man walks off the frame in frustration and the viewer sees he was standing in front of the refrigerator the whole while. The voiceover then says, "Quite simply, there's more to us than just refrigerators". The ad ends with the "Designed by curiosity" positioning of the brand.

The ad has been created by Vistasp Hodiwala (popularly known as Vispy) and Debu Pukayastha, both of whom are vice presidents and senior creative directors at JWT. Hodiwala explained, "This isn't a straightforward film at all; it's a clever way to showcase all the products and was developed after many iterations of the brief. The tone and manner of the communication is confident: the good thing about Godrej is that its range can now be compared to that of an LG or Samsung and there's no reason to be shy or to hide behind fuzzy communication."

Purkayastha added, "In the last two years, Godrej has gone through a change of imagery. They came up with the 'Designed by curiosity' theme, and the TVC was also meant to highlight that. We will also be using press as a medium during Diwali and some amount of radio activation as well."  

Watch the TVC

Agency: JWT India

Creative team:

Executive Creative Director: Tista Sen

Vice Presidents and Senior Creative Directors: Debu Purkayastha and Vistasp Hodiwala

Copy: Vistasp Hodiwala and Aayusha Shah

Art: Debu Purkayastha

Planning team:

VP and Strategic Planning Director: Shaziya Khan

Client Servicing team: Dipika Narayan and Gautam N Roy

Production House: OMG / Partizan

Director: Richard D’ Alessio