I just saw a review on the topic. I had no idea that this topic even existed. I have always been a keen watcher of advertisements, and not or the product information, but only for the sheer creativity that can be showcased by the admen. In fact I have a habit which irritates everyone, I refuse to change the channel during the commercial breaks and just sit there and watch ads(sometimes I just sit and read during the show and watch just the ads and not the show) Here I will list my favorite TV as well as print and outdoor ads, and the reason for my affinity.
Now the list.
1.Ericcson Mobile phone - One black coffee please- This is a really old one. Released when the mobile phone services were just launched in India(around 96). If anyone remembers this ad, it emphasizes on the small size of the phone. It shows a woman sitting an a restaurant, and a man siting on a the table besides hers. She is apparently speaking to him, inviting for an evening out. He has no idea who the woman is, but is enticed. He gets up and starts to go towards the woman. She removes the phone as she sees him and says the classic dialog “ one black coffee please”. I used to laugh every time I saw the ad. My favorite part is, just after the dialog there is a sound of a glass breaking. How appropriate. The ad succeeds in pointing out the USP of the phone, that is its size and does so in style.
2.Fevicol Truck ad- in this ad an old battered truck, full of people( I mean really full) is running on a really bad rural road. The whole truck and its contents are swaying from left to right and top to bottom. But no one is perturbed. In fact everyone is sitting there in a calm manner as if bored.(the way the truck is going and the way it is full of people, if seems some of the people should surely fall out). Then there is a classic punchline. “Fevicol ka jod hai.tutega nahi. “ Brilliant.
3.Anti Smoking Print ad - This is one of my all time favorite print ads. Here a total west American scene is shown, complete with a desert. A cowboy is standing besides a horse which is dead. The cowboy is seemingly perplexed. And it is written “Second hand smoke kills”. What a way to send a message to the public. Here not only the smoker, but also the public is warned. They are made aware of the dangers of second hand smoke. I have no idea which agency made this ad, but it has kudos from my side. Again amazing.
4.Economic Times Knowledge is power ad.- Times of India group in my view remains on the best advertisers in the country. The ad I am talking about is a rare gem. I have seen this one only once on a Chennai Hoarding and I had to stop the car and admire it. Here a ferocious looking dog is tied on a leash which is totally stretched. The dog is is barking ferociously. Just out of reach of the dog is a cat. The cat is sitting there in a calm manner totally unnerved. And down there it is written “Knowledge is Power” . Absolutely amazing. I mean who can think of such concepts. These admen are really amazing people.
5.Honda Accord ad- this is not an Indian ad and I am therefore not sure if anyone has seen it at all or not. Here all the parts of an Honda Accord are laid out in a room. The ad starts by a nut rolling. This leads to a chain reaction with a series of events happening, like a viper moving etc. all the events are involving the parts of the car. This goes on for a while and in the end a shining new Accord rolls out, due to an event unflapping a door. The most amazing thing here is that no computer graphics is used and the whole sequence is shot in one take. ie without any break at all. It is said that the ad took 583 tries before it could be shot perfectly.
6.Mastercard priceless Series- a very famous one. There have been countless ads in the series and also countless spoofs. But the original idea remains brilliant. The best thing about this ad is its universal emotional appeal, and variants of the ad have been shown in every country where mastercard operates. The basic theme of the ad goes like this. A camera - Rs. 2000, a Film roll- Rs. 150, a new dress - Rs. 5000, Three generations in a photograph - Priceless. There are some things money cant buy, for every thing else there is Mastercard. There have been many such ads and this is just an example. I have a whole collection of priceless ads and spoofs from various countries around the world.
These were some of the favorites. While there are a lot many more very good commercials that come to my mind now and some of them are
1.Hutch pug dog commercials
2.Videocon “Why did you turn it off. it was so good” commercial.
3.Cadbury’s dancing woman. And a host of others from Cadbury.
And a host of others which I cant seem to remember.
There was a serial which used to be aired during the DD days called “The Dream Merchants” hosted by Pritish Nandi. This was a show where ads were analyzed. They showed a plethora of foreign ads, and they were a treat, because some of them were really good and were it not for the show I would never have had a chance to see them.
Economic Times’ Brand Equity is also a great place to read about ads. In fact BE is one of my favorite supplements across all the newspapers. A must read. Every week it has a section which shows the best, and the worst ads of the week. Another great place to learn about new ads.
Thanks for reading my gibberish. If anyone remembers anymore good ads can please comment and let me know.
Nikunj