Ad Review: Honda – More a ‘Hero’ ad than a ‘Honda’ one
Honda has launched its first India focused corporate campaign post its split with Hero. Industry experts feel the campaign lacks impact

If ‘A Day in the Life of India’ showed you all the crazy things that happen every day in our Mother Nation, Honda has launched its first independent India campaign featuring Akshay Kumar, taking you through ‘Gali and Chaubaras’ of Bharat or the real India that rises everyday to chase a dream.
Honda is attempting to act as a crusader for bridging the gap between your dreams and reality by giving speed. The 90-second TVC takes a slice from every Indian’s life – belonging to different class and creed – to depict each and every human being has to travel a long journey before reaching his ultimate destination.
Brand: Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India, Corporate
Medium: Television
Agency: Dentsu Marcom
The brief
“2012 is a significant year for Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India (HMSI),” said Yadvinder S Guleria, Vice President – Sales and Marketing, HMSI, pointing out the importance of the timing of the campaign.
“Honda, which is respected globally for innovation and technology, is embarking on an independent journey in India. Our ambition in India is to give mobility to every citizen. Thus, the brief was to have a common subject which appeals to a larger audience and have a face that personifies the journey from struggle to success,” he added.
The brief has been translated into ‘Sach Kar Denge Sapne’ with Akshay Kumar shouting the slogan aloud.
Commenting on the creative idea behind the concept, Titus Upputuru, National Creative Director, Dentsu Marcom shared, “All of us have dreams that we nurture since childhood. One of the first questions we are asked in India is – What do you want to become? The creative idea takes a leap from here and shows an India that is in a hurry, to make its dreams come true. Today everyone wants to become a star overnight. ‘Sach Kar Denge Sapne’ talks about the determination that all of us have, that come what may we will make our dreams come true. The campaign communicates that Honda is here to give power to the dreams of the entire nation.”
Execution
The campaign banks on star power of Akshay Kumar, who epitomises perfect rags to riches story. Lines narrated by him in his quintessential baritone, captures everyday story of the ‘aam aadmi’ waking up each morning trying to get one step closer to his dreams and aspirations.
Industry speak
KV Sridhar aka Pops, National Creative Director, Leo Burnett, still in a hangover of Hero-Honda finds it difficult to differentiate the ad. He said, “Well produced and well crafted, the basic idea of connecting with Indian restless youth is a relevant one. However, it ends up looking and feeling like a ‘Hero’ ad than a ‘Honda’ one. While the global idea of Power of Dreams is great, the Indianisation lacks innovation or inspiration. The montage/narrative style makes it far less inspiring than its intention. Honda power lies in humanising technology. Hope the brand finds its voice soon.”
Dheeraj Sinha, Author, Consumer India and Former Regional Planning Director, Bates likes the spot but is sceptical of it getting lost in the clutter. He said, “It's a nice, feel-good spot with some well written poetic lines. Images like breakfast on the bike are quite fresh. However, what makes the spot endearing and warm may also come in its way of impact. Firstly, a montage of warm images strung together by a celebrity narration has a very strong chance of getting lost in today's media clutter. Moreover, the whole space of 'dreams' and 'getting there faster' has been done quite a few times in the last decade. I feel this space is too big and diffused to give any brand a sharp positioning. The spot leaves you with a good feeling but nothing specific to remember. Will it get the brand noticed and remembered? A lot depends on the media weight now.”
Naresh Gupta, Co-Founder, Bang in the Middle doesn’t dislike the ad but has also not fallen in love with it. “This is like Hamara Bajaj of old meets Hamara Honda of today, and nothing
seems to have changed in between,” he said. Commenting on the novelty of thought he added, “A very good reality of our times is hiding under the thought that we as a nation are in a hurry. This could have been a really big story. Powered by a Japanese brand – could have been even bigger. But the way it is executed currently, it is fairly uni-dimensional. Strategically this is Honda's transition to the heartland India. Heartland comes through, but Honda remains a bit muted in this.”
Credits
National Creative Director: Titus Upputuru
Senior Creative Directors: Vishal Mittal, Jitendra Kaushik
Creative team: Titus Upputuru, Vishal Mittal, Jitendra Kaushik, Brijesh Bharadwaj, Vivek Dev
Director: Amit Sharma
Production House: Chrome Pictures
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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