Flashback to the times when I was still a free-man read bachelor, when I cared a damn about anything in this world, read I was just out of college and when I had loads of things to do, read I had moolah in my pocket which I could spend just according to my whims and fancies. Ah now those were times, times when the Good old man of Indian politics ‘yeh acchi baat nahi’ Vajpai was suddenly finding everything ‘accha’ for he was back in power after that infamous 13 days episode, when the seriously getting senile matron ‘Sushma Swaraj’ was the I&B minister and she was calling the shots like anybody’s business, banning and pulling down things from public domain left right and center so much so that at one point in time people started fearing she would demolish all portraits and statues of the venerable ‘ bapu’ for he hardly cared for even covering himself (sic).
Today I am going to talk about one such ad that dared to air just during those ‘you show what I want you to show’ era, an ad which had doses of oomph, style and had a sprinkling of double meaning with its arguable positioning and montage. The ad in question is for the Pepsi flagship mango drink brand Slice and the positioning went with the tagline Dabaa ke piyo. The ad featured the sultry seductress Sheetal Malhar who was genuinely hot during that point in time. Pepsi wanted an ad, which could break free of the clutter and ensure very high visibility for their mango drink, which I am sure the advert did.
Storyboard of the ad has four figures walking towards the camera in slow mo against a parched sun scorched backdrop, as they move towards a water bin placed in the middle of nowhere. Next frame has the guys peeling off their shirts, as Sheetal picks one of the shirts and tucks it into her shirt making an apron out of it. Hands plunge into the water bin and out come the bottles of Slice, which they are shown devouring without, abstain. The next few frames show them enjoying their drink just as unabashedly we enjoy the pleasure of sucking into a succulent ripe mango till we have squeezed out the last drop of juice out of it. The last shot has Sheetal chucking her twisted out of shape bottle over her shoulder as the voiceover goes dabaa ke piyo.
This is one of the finest examples of non-assumptive advert so to speak of, for not until the 13th frame does slice make an appearance and the stylization, clothes, theme and music in the backdrop all mingle together to give the audience an impression that probably it is an ad for a clothes or lifestyle company or probably another cigarette or hard drink ad. But once slice makes an appearance that’s the one, which occupies center stage from there on. The ad is cool and has loads of attitude splashed all over it giving it a montage feel and appeal.
The agency and media team for this ad explain the concept behind this ad, eating mango is a very passionate and intimate moment and one does not like to be seen or disturbed while he/ she is enjoying the delicacy, hence the deliberate attempt to shoot the ad outdoors for there is a level of acceptability and freedom in the open as compared to the confines of the home or in company. ’’People may eat mangoes with knives and forks, but they really enjoy it only when they can roll up their sleeves and suck on the gutli, ’’ Hoon smiles. ’’Eating mangoes is an extremely passionate and involving experience. And we’re saying the way to drink Slice is the way you eat a mango - dabaa ke.’’ And in North India, the phrase ‘dabaa ke piyo’ - like its sibling ‘jamm ke khao’ - connotes a shedding of inhibitions vis-à-vis eatable and drinkables. ’’It suggests lavishness and a giving into greed, ’’ says Hoon
Eating mango is a very involved moment where one does not care much for the surroundings and the ambience and that’s the theme for this ad as well. Each of the models is shown totally engrossed in their own bit and there is a certain element of naughtiness to the entire ad what with the chuckle or rather seductive smiles of Sheetal as she sucks on to her bottle as if sucking a mango. The double entendre comes across rather tastefully as Sheetal is shown engrossed in a act of privacy (sic)! Now we all know what that connotes to, don’t we!
Ad makers have always employed the subtle usage of double meanings and sex in their ads for it does guarantee a decent opening for the ad, so to speak of. The latter has been used out of context in many ads while in some ads it just looks the part; remember the Kwality Walls ad with the guy eating his candy and the girl lapping him up or the rather steaming coffee ads with love making scenes in the backdrop? This slice ad also has that element to it and no wonder it did give a much needed fillip to the product as well. Especially since a rather colorful and catchy ad was required for Slice for it was trying to make ground for itself amongst the glitter of the colas and the frooti’s of the market and this ad did just that for the former.
The fling of ads with naughty concept will always continue and I am sure the savvy ad makers will always keep finding a way to disguise the same to sell their products for after all that’s what they call sell smart!
Questions
What do you make of ads, which have double meanings, or sex disguised themes? Which is your favorite ad in this genre and why?
Do you think it makes for smart marketing to use a selling commodity like a hot model or a naughty theme to sell something, which has no relation with the former?
Which to your mind has been the most far-fetched ad as far as the link between the product and theme is concerned, for theme read sex?