The romantic in me starts working overtime the moment I see things, which appeal to the lover in me. Be it a romantic novel or a movie or for that matter any gesture of love which is expressed beautifully and aesthetically. I feel love is an eternal experience, it knows no languages and it knows no barriers. When you are in love everything sounds like a sonnet, everything looks Eden and what ever you do, you are always lost in that mist of feelings, a namesake of a mirage which conjures images of fascinating hews and shapes. Love is a joyous state of mind one which has to be experienced, it is something which can not be expressed with mere words and to listen to a lover can at times be the most enchanting moments of your life because he makes you believe in the inherent goodness in everything and he makes you feel like a dreamer and an achiever all in once.
Now to capture a state of mind and to use that in ads is indeed a tough ask and if someone has been able to do that then more often then not he has a winner up his sleeves. If you see all the ads which have a certain moment of life in them, a moment which we all want to live again and again, have been success stories and those are the ads which have come close to our hearts. Remember the kuch khaas hai zindagi mei ads of Cadbury’s which captured the spirit of celebration or the spirit of unity of buland bharat ki buland tasveer hamara Bajaj or the spirit of friendship which the Hutch ads have brought out so beautifully. These are ads and imageries, which would remain, etched on our minds for a long time to come ensuring a brand recall and appeal unmarred and unfazed with times.
After having talked so much about love and ads, which capture the essence of a state of mind, let me come to the ad which is close to my heart for reasons more then one. Long since people have said diamonds are a lady’s best friends and the ideal gift no matter what the occasion or moment be. Diamonds over the years have come to be associated with a certain romanticism and intimacy between the lovers. When you gift someone a diamond you tell her that your love for her is as luminescent and pure as that diamond and you care for her more then anything else in the world. You tell her that she is the most precious thing of your life much as the diamond is the most precious possession of mother earth. It is both an adorable gift and a profound statement of love that diamond is.
The ad in question is for Sangini Diamonds and has been shot keeping in mind the young just married businessmen and executives. The ad shows a young wife is waiting on the airport for her husband imagining how her husband would have forgotten she is coming back and then would have suddenly realized he is supposed to go to the airport to receive her. Then he would be struggling to find parking, then after parking the car somehow would come running to her. And the subsequent shots shows just how correct her thinking was, and then the husband comes hurriedly to her, gives her an expression of ‘you know how I am’ and then hands her a small box, which the wife opens excitedly only to find a diamond ring. In that moment all her complains vanish and what is left is her love for her husband, who despite of being a harried man does not forget to get her a gift.
The message of the ad is a wonderful one; it extols the spirit of love and the emotional bondage that a marriage entails for the couple. It shows the understanding and affectionate love of the wife for her husband while it also highlights the care and doting zeal of the husband for his wife despite of leading a busy life. It is an ad which celebrates the triumph of love and that’s what makes this a very special ad. The expression of joy, satisfaction, securities are all brought in beautifully in one odd minute of reel life and the audience is transported to a different feel all together. It shows how a small gesture of appreciation and thanks could make so much difference to the relationship. Women have always been the calming influence on our lives and this ad is an ode to this spirit of women hood and in ways more then one cajoles us to pay it back in some way or the other. And what better way to do that then a diamond ring as a token of love and warmth.
Positioning and segmentation of this ad has been spot on with the way the clients would have wanted it to be. The buyer is steadily getting younger what with the economy offering great opportunities to make a good fortune at a young age and these 20 something just married and earning a handsome money are shopping happy as well. Gone are the days when the conservative saving mentality used to prevail, where people used to insure their futures at the cost of their present, these days people want to live their lives without getting bogged down by what would happen tomorrow. More of it has to do with the lifestyle, job patterns and change in societal setup and all of this has been used to perfection in the ad. The ad targets the romantic husband who is more then happy to buy his wife a diamond ring to make her happy and ensure she doesn’t complain.
Human feelings will always find a special place in the ads and if the same has been used with panache it is bound to strike a chord with the audiences coaxing them to buy the product being advertised and the same could be the case with the Sangini Diamond ads also. For instance even the Alto ad is one that specifically talks to the young guns and it has gone down well with the audiences as well. The other diamond ads like De Beers and Asmi have been placed and positioned in a different manner and it would make for an interesting article to compare the various diamond ads.
Off late the market for lifestyle products has grown by leaps and bounds, people have woken up to the iconic and societal value of luxury products. The booming economy and bulging salary slips have only fuelled that compelling urge to buy and lavish on luxury items, which till not long ago were within reach of the privileged few. Suddenly we have splashy cars, jazzy designer wear, trendy accessories and the ilk in increased demand and acceptance in our day-to-day lifestyle.
Let me know your take on the ad and the sudden realization for the ad makers that love and emotions could be the starting point to making some long lasting ads which would reap fortunes for the clients.
Questions
What is it about diamonds that endears them to the ladies and when is the best time to gift her diamond ring or a diamond pendant?
Which of the current lot of emotion laced ads meant for the young couples appeals most to you and why?
Do you think that the ad makers are forgetting the Indian ethos when they make such ads or is India growing and shining really and figuratively?