I’m a non-believer in the theory of good and bad. According to me (and according to Physics, as my opposite pole is popularly known as), just like there’s no absolute rest or motion, there’s no absolute good or bad either. If something doesn’t suit me or my tastes, that’ just because it’s not my type, and am I the yardstick of judging the good and the bad? Are you? Is anybody else?
Nothing or no one qualifies as bad to me as long as it/he/she isn’t causing any harm to others. And that is the sole yardstick I’m using to judge this ad, that has found much disapproval among many people. Guess I’m being fair.
The Ad
For those who don’t get or haven’t caught this ad yet, well, this is kinda the foolish type you get on MTV and the likes. It shows this very geeky looking dude (who has obviously brushed with Close Up) going around the place, as he makes fools out of smart hunks, wise oldies and such, grabbing the attention of the chicks in the process of course – armed with his Close Up breath and confidence that comes free with it. He is accompanied by this utterly ridiculous-sounding nasal jingle, “Aap Close Up kyon nahi karte haa-a-a-y….?” that apparently translates to “Why don’t you do Close Up….?”
It’s this very stupid jingle that’s the main attraction of the ad, and the main cause of annoyance for the annoyed people too.
Description done with, let’s dissect this ad and find out what’s really annoying in it.
According to me, there’s nothing.
It’s not one of those totally rude and offensive ads of fairness creams that still remain proudly on air – ads trying to make girls believe that their dark skin is the only cause behind their failures in every field, ranging from getting a good rishta to even getting a job.
It isn’t vulgar in content or meaning.
It doesn’t plagiarize other ads like the extremely annoying ads of Sprite – I find them very disturbing in moral. You don’t have to blemish your competitors to prove your worthiness.
Then what’s really wrong?
I think this ad has just been wrongly placed.
There are different channels and programmes to cater to different tastes, and then there are different ads too. This ad doesn’t have that universal appeal like the Airtel ad or the Asian Paints (the ‘Har ghar kuch kehta hai’ one) ad. It is essentially aimed at the MTV-watching yuppie crowd, and should have ideally been placed in those channels only. But these days we find it being aired in between primetime family soaps, cricket matches and such – leaving it open to the criticism of a lot of people it isn’t actually intended to at all.
So back to the people …
Some people, mostly the serious ones, still find this ad annoying. I’d just like them to start accepting others’ choices more openly.
People’s likes and dislikes aren’t yardsticks of judging the good from the bad. It never was. Think rock music. In the begone decades when rock was really big, it was appreciated by teens and the younger generation – and the older generation, who were the decision-makers, always dumped it as trash. But look today – as those same teens have turned into the older generation and subsequently the decision-makers, rock music is today a glorified art form, especially the 60s and 70s rock. That’s what the decision-makers grew up with. That’s what they felt from their heart. And that’s why old is always gold.
Perhaps a decade or two down the line, as today’s silly and headless teenage collegegoer becomes a decision-maker, this ad that made them fall off their chairs laughing will reach that cult status too.
Till then, let’s just stick to that simple rule of Physics.
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