Does Schmitten's 'bold and bare' digital ad hit the sweet spot?
This is the first creative work from McCann, after the premium chocolate brand moved over from Publicis

Rajhans Group owned premium chocolate brand, Schmitten donned a bold look in its latest digital advertisement. It stars Bollywood actor Kunal Roy Kapoor and is the first creative work from McCann, after the brand changed agencies at the start of this year. According to sources, the brand was not satisfied with their previous agency Publicis South Asia’s work.
The digital video shows the actor getting accidently locked outside his hotel room wearing nothing but a pair of socks. Stuck in a hallway sans clothes he tries desperately to avoid being spotted by other guests in his state of undress. At this point he spots a tray of Schmitten and soon sets aside his dilemma in order to enjoy the rich chocolate.
Watch the ad here:
In 2014, Schmitten launched with Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra featuring in a TVC. The communication was conceptualised by Publicis South Asia and revolved around the idea that Schmitten is not meant to be shared with anyone. While Chopra looked sensuous, the commercial along with the jingle, was a little complex to comprehend and didn’t go down well with viewers.
Watch the ad here:
The advertising industry is in two minds about the new ad film. While some are relieved that McCann has not gone the way of Publicis, others aren’t convinced it’s a good enough effort.
KV Sridhar, Chief Creative Office, Sapient Nitro said, “One should have a look at the ads done by Hamlet Cigars during 1960’s to see what good creative work looks like. They have been done so beautifully and there is intelligence in each and every piece of work. I felt Schmitten’s new ad went a little overboard and therefore, it killed the humour of somebody getting locked out. Also, it is not a fresh take, getting lost while having the chocolate is not new- it was déjà vu for me. But yes, for the content, it might grab a few eyeballs, but probably not the required ones.”
According to him, chocolate advertising is a wonderful category and one can explore different things with it while keeping the personality of the brand intact. However, for this brand, it has not been the case. Priyanka Chopra’s ad looked populist, feel-good, likeable and approachable. On the other hand, the new ad is of different taste. It has an exaggerated feel and is not meant for a universal audience. There is no one uniform personality, like that of Dairy Milk, which maintains the same optimism, celebration and enjoyability in all its communications.
Keshav Naidu, co-founder, Naidu and Panjabi feels the new ad is a step in the right direction. “It is much better than the previous one, which had some comprehension issues. The new video is fun and also the best thing about showing a naked male body is that no one will take any offence. However, they could have pegged it a bit differently; instead of using the phrase ‘There is a sweeter side’ they could have used something more prominent to define the real taste of the chocolates, because sweetness usually doesn’t come to mind when you talk about luxury chocolates,” he said.
Speaking on the same lines, Subhadeep Dawn, Senior Art Director, Bates CHI and Partners commented, “The Priyanka Chopra Schmitten ad was not impressive because few things went missing from it. There was lack of human insight and mass appeal. It had a retro feel but it didn’t work. For example, The Ramesh-Suresh campaign of Cadbury 5-Star also uses a retro look, but there was always a human insight. On the other hand, I felt the new ad has the intensity and a stay-on factor. According to many research studies, people tend to forget the product, but the communication effect stays much longer.”
Commenting on the bold subject of the video, Khushboo Rai, Group Senior Manager - Media and Communications, Rajhans Group said, “The idea was not specifically to create anything ‘bold’ but we wanted to create a moment for Schmitten, a moment that the brand could own. The storyline was about depicting that no matter how bad a situation, Schmitten can always sweeten it.”
She further added, “Schmitten is a young brand and we wanted to find newer ways to engage with our target audience. The entire idea was to increase relevance among youth by placing the brand in their universe. For the new campaign, we wanted to take a positioning, which we believed would resonate with this audience. And since we were creating content for the digital medium, we wanted to explore a storyline that had the potential to get shared and become talk-worthy.”
The brand went on to clarify that Priyanka Chopra continues to remain the face of both their chocolate brands- Schmitten and Hoppits. “The brand has benefitted from her association and it has helped to create a certain aura and memorability. So this association is very much in place. Priyanka Chopra will continue to lead brand campaigns for us. Kunal Roy Kapoor was signed specifically for this campaign because we believe that he brings a lot to the campaign’s memorability. We are working with McCann in developing new thematic work for Schmitten with Priyanka Chopra. This, we are hoping, will help to build the luxury codes for the brand,” she cited.
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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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