IPL Season 3 came to an end finally on April 26, 2010. And as Lalit Modi, the now suspended Chairman of IPL, was giving his Mark Antony-akin speech quoting sholkas from the Bhagvad Gita, I was reflecting on the Rs 800 crore odd that TV advertisers had spent on the live telecast of the 56 matches on SET Max.
There were several campaigns that were launched during this season and I thought it prudent to dedicate this posting to the best and worst of IPL Season 3.
I must admit that the quality of the ads from most brands were far below their normal potential. I have always believed that for an ad to be successful, it should be relevant, communicate the brand values and above all entertain the audience. If an ad can’t bring a smile or a wow from the viewers, it has made no difference to the brand. I suspect that most ads were unsuccessful in doing that.
I was quite disappointed with the Idea Oongli Campaign, though it did have an element of humour. My concern is the brand’s digression from its socially relevant messaging. The Godrej ‘Go Jiyo’ campaign was completely senseless. What were the animated characters communicating? And what was Vidya Balan trying to achieve by spraying Good Knight on some enemies in the animated space? If you’ve successfully decoded the Godrej campaign, do fill me in. I have already decimated the Havells Hangman campaign, though the shock laga ad of the pati, patni and the maid on a hair dryer did force a smile. The Pepsi campaign was bizarre. Some strange SMS options were flashed on the screen. And Ranbir Kapoor declaring to the villain that ‘Pepsi bhi gayi and sexy bhi gayi’ was the last nail in the coffin of this ridiculously stupid campaign. The customer centric ICICI Bank Khayal Aapka ad was quite absurd too. I wonder if a bank executive needs be so patient with an irritating customer. Where’s his productivity if he’s spending all afternoon with an old lady! The Hyundai i20 and i10 campaigns were so-so; and so were the campaigns of Indian mobile players like Maxx and Spice. nothing great. The Samsung corporate campaign was quite striking, though not clutter-breaking.
And now for the honours. I think that the three major telecom players took the cake. The Airtel campaign featuring Sharman Joshi was relevant, communicated the brand features well and did entertain. Especially, when he scares his girlfriend’s brother to study for next day’s exam or is trying to extract more pocket money from his dad. Extremely impressive. So was the Docomo campaign – sophisticated, premium and is giving Vodafone a real run for its money in the premium brand perception space. The ads of the tattoo on a lady from a traditional South Indian family or the loser getting a job were quite innovative. And finally, my heart goes out to the Zoozoos. I had spoken about their end of innocence in an earlier post and the fact that they have not been able to create a furore like last year. But I completely agree that the ads were highly creative, intelligent and I give the O&M team an absolute thumbs up to take the zoozoos to the next level.
The way its going, not sure if IPL Season 4 will happen at all. Quite a few advertisers like Samsung and Godrej have expressed their concern on being associated with a sport that may not be clean. Though, from an advertiser’s perspective, IPL has been a dream-come-true; as long as one has the money. The reach and visibility for a brand is tremendous and can translate into an enormous competitive advantage. IPL has been, perhaps, the biggest reality show of all times!
There were several campaigns that were launched during this season and I thought it prudent to dedicate this posting to the best and worst of IPL Season 3.
I must admit that the quality of the ads from most brands were far below their normal potential. I have always believed that for an ad to be successful, it should be relevant, communicate the brand values and above all entertain the audience. If an ad can’t bring a smile or a wow from the viewers, it has made no difference to the brand. I suspect that most ads were unsuccessful in doing that.
I was quite disappointed with the Idea Oongli Campaign, though it did have an element of humour. My concern is the brand’s digression from its socially relevant messaging. The Godrej ‘Go Jiyo’ campaign was completely senseless. What were the animated characters communicating? And what was Vidya Balan trying to achieve by spraying Good Knight on some enemies in the animated space? If you’ve successfully decoded the Godrej campaign, do fill me in. I have already decimated the Havells Hangman campaign, though the shock laga ad of the pati, patni and the maid on a hair dryer did force a smile. The Pepsi campaign was bizarre. Some strange SMS options were flashed on the screen. And Ranbir Kapoor declaring to the villain that ‘Pepsi bhi gayi and sexy bhi gayi’ was the last nail in the coffin of this ridiculously stupid campaign. The customer centric ICICI Bank Khayal Aapka ad was quite absurd too. I wonder if a bank executive needs be so patient with an irritating customer. Where’s his productivity if he’s spending all afternoon with an old lady! The Hyundai i20 and i10 campaigns were so-so; and so were the campaigns of Indian mobile players like Maxx and Spice. nothing great. The Samsung corporate campaign was quite striking, though not clutter-breaking.
And now for the honours. I think that the three major telecom players took the cake. The Airtel campaign featuring Sharman Joshi was relevant, communicated the brand features well and did entertain. Especially, when he scares his girlfriend’s brother to study for next day’s exam or is trying to extract more pocket money from his dad. Extremely impressive. So was the Docomo campaign – sophisticated, premium and is giving Vodafone a real run for its money in the premium brand perception space. The ads of the tattoo on a lady from a traditional South Indian family or the loser getting a job were quite innovative. And finally, my heart goes out to the Zoozoos. I had spoken about their end of innocence in an earlier post and the fact that they have not been able to create a furore like last year. But I completely agree that the ads were highly creative, intelligent and I give the O&M team an absolute thumbs up to take the zoozoos to the next level.
The way its going, not sure if IPL Season 4 will happen at all. Quite a few advertisers like Samsung and Godrej have expressed their concern on being associated with a sport that may not be clean. Though, from an advertiser’s perspective, IPL has been a dream-come-true; as long as one has the money. The reach and visibility for a brand is tremendous and can translate into an enormous competitive advantage. IPL has been, perhaps, the biggest reality show of all times!
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