I wasn’t intending to write on this one, but after seeing a slew of reviews on this topic, I thought it would be nice to pen in my views on the same as well. I would agree partially with what most of the reviewers have written here, but what I feel has been missed out is that most of the people have either praised it or lambasted it without going into the merits or demerits of the ad per se, or for that matter trying to go into the briefing which the media company had prior to the ad. I hope my review would fill the gap, which I perceived is there.
The company which makes Rajnigandha pan masala needs no introduction what with its wide range of well known products like Baba zarda , catch clear water , paas paas, it’s the Dharampal Satyapal Group based out of Noida. They have had tremendous success in the tobacco and non-tobacco mouth fresheners’ domain.
Delhi based media company Rediffusion has created the adverts. Lets just go a little behind the scene and try to see what exactly was going in the minds of the ad creators when they came up with such an ad concept. I need to talk about this all the more because most of the people who have written the reviews or commented on the reviews on this topic have singled out the poor ad creators and blasted them on all corners. Let me say one thing they don’t create something out of thin air, they make ads just as their clients want them to make, so no matter what ever goes in their mind they always have to stick to the brief that has been given to them by their clients, so why blame them single handedly?
The briefing was very clear and precise for the Rediffusion team. Despite being a volume-leader and a popular brand in the premium segment, getting a top-of-mind recall among target customers somehow eluded the Rajnigandha brand. The parent company was keen to achieve a thought leadership for their flagship non-tobacco brand. They wanted their ads to have a high recall value and instant resonance to the brand name. Thus the idea was very clear to have an ad that did not just harp about being the world’s largest selling pan masala and the preferred choice of millions and all that jargon. What was required was a well thought out ad campaign that stood out from the clutter. An ad which would be talked about and debated, I feel the moment an ad is able to do it, even if it is good or bad, it doesn’t matter, as the end result is to have the consumers talking about it and that’s precisely what they are doing in the case of Rajnigandha.
The idea of the ad stem from this desire to do something different and unique and something as sure to sell as the tickets of an India Pakistan cricket match, and what better idea then to stoke up the jingoistic flavor, something which has been done prior to this also with wonderful recalls for the brands they promoted. Can one ever forget the “buland bharat ki buland tasveer, hamara bajaj ads or for that matter or amul, the taste of india or how about hero Honda, desh ki dhadkan, or some of the insipid ads like tata namak, desh ka namak. If I were to go by the same criticism that has been brandied for the Rajnigandha ads, all these ads should not have been liked at all and should not have been able to do anything good for the respective brands. But then truth happens to be contrary to this, doesn’t it?
The advertising world is waking up to a new portrayal of India, an India, which is not timid and insipid any more, but one that is resurgent and proud. Its suddenly cool to be Indian and flaunt it, what with the Indian IT moguls making the world sit up and notice and the LN Mittals and what have you marching astride with the rest of the world. Top notch companies are eyeing the Indian market and the abundant Indian talent pool, FII’S are pumping money into the Indian economy like never before, Indian technocrats are ruling the world, NASA runs on Indian brains, Indians happen to be the richest expatriate community in USA and probably UK as well. India never had it so good on the international forum. I am not trying to stoke up the jingoistic emotion here, but I am just stating the ground reality and this was the inspiration behind the adverts as well.
Just a case in point, the once-mighty British East India Company is actually owned by an Indian now. ZEE group chairman Subhash Chandra had purchased this defunct company in the mid-’90s. The media team denies any connection or inspiration from the Chandra episode, but then we can all make out where the ads are pointing. The advert apart from stoking up the Indian feel also underlines the point that how an Indian businessman is not apologetic of eating pan masala and infact offering it to his counterparts. Now let me clarify a misconception that lot of my fellow Msians have expressed to this one. If after signing a deal popping a bottle of champagne can be chick then why not try something like a pan masala. I know most top-notch businessmen wont do it, but hey that’s the idea, to portray the brand in such a manner that it looks classy as well as elegant. We have hundreds of products that are promoted or shown to be used out of place and out of context but then we don’t make a hue and cry about it, then why single out the Rajnigandha?
I am not making a case for the Rajnigandha pan masala per se, if someone mistook me for that. All I am trying to do is to discuss the merits and demerits of the advert in question. I agree that the ad is a little skewed, but then I feel it makes a lot of sense given the changing ground realities and perceptions of the Indian businessman around the world. The ads would be followed by more on the same lines in the days to come, which will further endorse the changing imageries associated with India, lets see how they come on.
I haven’t discussed the ads per se as we all know about it, just wanted to do a little background analysis of the ads, I hope it is of use, do let me know your feedback.