During IPL Season 3, I came across a bizarre TV commercial which showed a hangman responsible for executing death penalties announced by the court. The ad depicted this hangman pulling down a lever and executing death warrants, whenever he was instructed to do so by his senior. At the end of the day and after being responsible for several deaths, this hangman is shown going back to his home as a frustrated man. Quite a story, I felt. No one has thought from the view point of an executionist. I was sure that this would end with a corporate social message. Perhaps an NGO which is fighting death penalties. The production values of the ad were also quite impressive.
The hangman, after a hard day of deaths, then enters his home and switches on his lights and fan. He looks upto the fan, and for a moment I thought that he was planning to hang himself too. It then ended in a VO in Hindi which said that you have committed many sins in your life and now you have an opportunity to redeem yourself - use an energy saving fan from Havells!!
By saving energy, you can earn some brownie points and trade in your sins of killing people! I was speechless and honestly, quite mortified to be a part of this advertising/marketing fraternity. How insensible can an ad get? Where is the sensitivity? How can a brand equate a serious subject as a death penalty to saving energy? And in any case, who is the brand talking to? Is it talking to executionists and murderers? I am still at a loss of words. Any adjective cannot aptly describe the ridiculous nature of this TVC.
Havells have always tried to create some ‘out-of-the-box’ advertising. Their creative of ‘shock-laga’ is still memorable. But this time, they’ve gone too far by making a mockery of a serious subject and rendering it frivolous. While an agency has the tendency of going berserk at times, the advertiser must know where to draw the line. I am still stunned about the fact that something like this actually hit the screens. Honestly, the only thing I feel like doing after seeing this is hanging myself! Perhaps, with a Havells fan!
The hangman, after a hard day of deaths, then enters his home and switches on his lights and fan. He looks upto the fan, and for a moment I thought that he was planning to hang himself too. It then ended in a VO in Hindi which said that you have committed many sins in your life and now you have an opportunity to redeem yourself - use an energy saving fan from Havells!!
By saving energy, you can earn some brownie points and trade in your sins of killing people! I was speechless and honestly, quite mortified to be a part of this advertising/marketing fraternity. How insensible can an ad get? Where is the sensitivity? How can a brand equate a serious subject as a death penalty to saving energy? And in any case, who is the brand talking to? Is it talking to executionists and murderers? I am still at a loss of words. Any adjective cannot aptly describe the ridiculous nature of this TVC.
Havells have always tried to create some ‘out-of-the-box’ advertising. Their creative of ‘shock-laga’ is still memorable. But this time, they’ve gone too far by making a mockery of a serious subject and rendering it frivolous. While an agency has the tendency of going berserk at times, the advertiser must know where to draw the line. I am still stunned about the fact that something like this actually hit the screens. Honestly, the only thing I feel like doing after seeing this is hanging myself! Perhaps, with a Havells fan!
No comments:
Post a Comment