Youthful Ad Recall: 2011

We spoke to the youngsters across the ad frat about the three ad campaigns they were able to recall from 2011. Here are the top three campaigns that appeared to have got the most recall value among these ten creative adlanders.  

Kiran Aulakh
Senior copywriter, Euro RSCG India

KBC Koi bhi sawal chota nahin hota (Tum mujhe khoon do, Akbar ka baap) 
It’s easy to do slapstick comedy, but to craft humour in an intelligent manner is talent. This ad campaign had everything- a strong thought, a smart device, humour (everyone loves to laugh), fine detailing and characterisation....it’s just bang on!

Ceat Tyres The streets are full of idiots

I believe ideas based on insights make advertising very powerful. Picking on something that happens around us, something we experience every day, makes the communication easy to relate to. This advertising campaign utilizes it pretty well. Also, it displays a powerful combination of social message tied up to the product.

Levi’s Curves Chase Every Dream
I’m a woman and I got my curves. It’s just so beautiful - the visuals, the shots and the song. I’m sure every girl enjoys watching this whenever it’s on. Just goes to say that sometimes an idea is not everything. One should just understand the target and what they would like to see.

Pallavi Chakravarti
Group head, Grey Mumbai

Airtel Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai
It’s a universal truth that was waiting to be told. It’s young. It’s fun. It’s the return of the jingle. And Kanjoos Friend is one of the funniest films I’ve seen this year.

Flipkart No Kidding. No Worries
Finally, children in advertising get their due. These kids steal the show and make their point about Flipkart’s efficiency and superiority and so on.  Beautifully written, beautifully made. Truly, “That’s a classic!”

Bharti AXA Critical Illness
A refreshing and bold take in a category which normally only sees serious or emotional advertising. It also cleverly points out what customers have to go through when it comes to claiming medical insurance.

Aditya Iyengar
Creative group head, Draftfcb+ Ulka

Airtel Har ek friend…
Must have seen the ad
at least a gazillion times on TV. And heard the jingle hummed by about thrice that number of people.  A catchy tune and some sharp editing lifted it way beyond the blind-spot limbo that most high-exposure ads generally fall into.

Tata Indigo Manza  Tanuka San
It’s so hard to make an ad that can communicate multiple unrelated features, have a story line and a long product section that doesn’t compel the audience into assaulting the remote control. This one manages to tick all the above-mentioned boxes and entertains the viewer without going easy on the hard-sell.

Asian Paints ‘Happy Painting’ Deewar
Brilliant characters who get better with every film.
It’s amazing how much the audience learns about
them and the kind of relationship they share in just
50 odd seconds. And wonder of wonders, a signature line that has nothing to do with the product - ‘Nahi Bhaiyya aisa nahi hai.’ Already looking forward to the next one.

Sujay Rachh
Associate vice president, Lowe Lintas

Ceat Tyres The streets are full of idiots
Just love the insight. Walking in the middle of the roads is almost the birth-right of every Indian. Unattended/unmarked manholes, breaking traffic rules, parking cars in the middle of the roads and what not. And the best part is that I have done some of these myself. This campaign is a tight slap on the face of all such idiots and at the same time brings out the product story fantastically. Online engagement is definitely a plus. Love the route, love the executions, love the thought.

Fox Crime  Photographs Case
A digital initiative talking about Fox Crime and the shows on the channel – Love this piece for what can be done with the medium. It was probably engagement on the digital medium in the true sense. Making a detective out of the viewers and staying with them throughout the engagement was really credible. Very few pieces of communication on the digital medium in India have been able to create this kind of fan base that was so excited to solve the case

Suzlon – P.A.L.S.  Pure Air Lovers Society
What was interesting in this campaign was the way it dealt with the environment problem, without instilling a fear about losing the planet. Spoke to the youth; made the initiative far more personal and gave every-day-life suggestions to make a contribution towards better air to breathe. This also positioned Suzlon as a more responsible corporate entity in the business of wind energy.
Loved it.

Huzefa Kapadia
Senior creative partner, Creativeland Asia

Vodafone Borrow
I like this ad because it is a
simple yet powerful insight that has been captured brilliantly. I hate this ad because my neighbours called asking me to return their stuff.

Audi A8  Advanced State of Mind
Since I can’t really afford an Audi A8 yet, this is the closest I can get to experiencing the car. What better than creating a 3D experiencethat puts you in the rear seat of the car. The detailed execution does justice to the aspirational insight of ‘Advanced state of mind.’

Union Bank of India Your dreams are not just yours
The idea of having not-really-celebrities for a not-really-typical banker ad is not-really-bad. Seriously, it’s a fresh approach for the financial sector.

Riti Hamlai
Copywriter, Bates Asia

Airtel Har ek friend zaroori hota hai
Loved the whole campaign, right from the main ‘cult’ ad to the hilarious extensions. Beautifully shot and brilliantly written, this campaign is the ‘kolaveri di’ of the advertising world. Hummed by all, forgotten by none. It makes the classic format of jingle advertising the winner yet again.

Ceat Tyres The streets are full of idiots
Based on a strong insight, the ad is a winner right from inception. The whole realness of the campaign delivers the thought to the point. Best example of how a simply shot ad based on a strong insight can sell any product.

Tata Sky Poochne main kya jaata hai
This campaign has picked up a very popular Indian insight of ‘poochne main kya jaata hai’ which makes it very easy for the consumer to relate to. The one in the bank is definitely my pick. The best thing about the campaign is the way the call for action is woven into the idea.

 

  

Abhinav Tripathi
Senior creative director, McCann Erickson

Dairy Milk Meethe Mein Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye
Because it gets even more charming every time you see it, with some really nice characters and a family everyone wants to be a part of. I often wonder if they’d be open to adoption.

Greenlam Dil Toh Karega Hi
Because it’s bold enough to leave a lasting impression. A provocative take on a sensitive topic takes courage, and in this case it pays off. Plus the quirkiness of the song and the story is very hard to ignore or forget.

Airtel Har ek friend zaroori hota hai
Because of a catchy tune, some very insightful takes on friendship and the crowd favourite add-on:  “Missed call diya hai, call karenge”.

 

  

Louella Rebello
Senior creative director, Ogilvy & Mather

Vodafone Blue
The first ad that comes to mind for me is Vodafone Blue ‘He’s always on Facebook’. Why? Because it’s fantastic. It broke the mould completely, has fabulous production value; the track is such a treat and all of it together blew me away.

SBI Life Future Guaranteed
This one is second for being so simple and real and bringing home the concept of security in such a fresh way. It’s touching without being mushy.

Airtel  Har ek friend zaroori hota hai
Because it’s a great idea and is so relatable and has legs. Everybody has the kanjoos friend, the funny friend, the sarcastic one, the flirt...and yes, they are all zaroori.

 

Axon Alex
Digital planner, Tribal DDB India

Pepsi Change the Game
This campaign used music superbly and brought out the ‘so good I wish I thought of it’ insight of cricket for the next generation.

Ra One

Good, bad or overkill, you couldnt ignore Ra One’s promotional campaign. They experimented with different digital mediums including Youtube, Games and Google+ which will surely paved the way for more movie marketers to give digital a serious rethink.

Airtel Har ek friend zaroori hota hai
In an era of too many Facebook friends, Twitter followers and Google circles, Airtel expressed the insight beautifully. There are all kinds of friends and every one of them has a role to play. The jingle was an icing on the cake.

 

Wayne Fernandes
Copywriter, Taproot India

Airtel Har ek friend zaroori hota hain
An insight that made everyone step back, look at their friends and laugh in agreement. Backed by a hummable tune and an entertaining montage. Which agency made this again?

Ceat Tyres  The streets are full of idiots

Short, simple and completely to the point. Everyone who drives will have a story like this to tell. An idea based completely in reality.

Flipkart  No kidding. No worries
The execution, art and casting of this TVC made this campaign completely laugh-worthy,  all of this while being hard-working and driving home the USP of Flipkart.