Quikr’s ‘Bob Biswas’ ad misses the plot
There is no ‘kahaani’ in the TVC, say creative heads, who feel that though the build-up is fine, the ad soon disintegrates into the bizarre zone

Online classifieds site Quikr has unveiled a new TVC to highlight its missed call feature. Conceptualised by Scarecrow Communications, the ad uses the ‘Bob Biswas’ character enacted by Saswata Chatterjee in the film ‘Kahaani’ to spread the message.
The previous campaign for Quikr featured a series of three disruptive 10-seconders with the proposition that the website helps in buying and selling in minimum time. Through the latest campaign, Quikr aims to reach out to a much wider audience, including those who are not active users of the internet.
The proposition is based on the insight that sellers (especially of cars and homes) can go to any extent to get the best value from the sale. Chatterjee is depicted as one such desperate seller, who is trying hard to find a reliable tenant for his flat.
The film opens with ‘Biswas’ seated in a cafe, where he observes people for some time and then starts stripping his clothes. He stands on the table to get everyone’s attention and announces that he has an apartment and goes on to list its features. When he asks if anyone would be interested in renting it, a man replies, ‘Quikr ko missed call maar na’. The ad then goes on to state how instead of logging on to the website, one can make a missed call to the toll free number and the call centre will respond, providing the relevant information in minimal time. The ad ends with Biswas surrounded by many people interested in renting his apartment once he makes that missed call.
Aparna Mahesh, Brand Head, Quikr elaborated, “We are trying to make it easier for people, because research showed us that for many people in India, the act of posting an ad online is perceived as time-consuming. With that in mind, we launched the missed call service. We have used Saswata because he is a cult figure and everyone is curious to know more about him.”
Social media focus
She further said, “We are a very social media focused brand and we wanted to create a high- level of engagement around the social media platforms.”
The campaign was unveiled after a high engagement teaser phase on social media with five short teaser videos on YouTube and Facebook. Several conversations began about what Bob is possibly up to, a hash tag #WhatisBobUpto was also promoted on Twitter. The hash tag was also around the new ad where all the people who had seen the viral ad went on to see the complete ad. There was a short quiz and people gave their feedback on the new TVC.
Raghu Bhatt, Founder Director, Scarecrow Communications said, “The objective is to dramatise the new innovation in this category, which is missed call, and communicate the message in the same manner. Due to the previous campaign, Quikr has created a high brand recall and hence, it was important to leverage that and build on the main value of Quikr, which is reducing the transaction time.”
“The main challenge was to communicate the disruption of missed calls in an equally disruptive manner that is also fresh. In this genre, everything is very category-led, so we had to effectively mention the category as well,” he added.
On using the Bob Biswas character, Bhatt said, “We needed someone who could communicate the value of quirkiness very cleverly. We thought of Boman Irani, Paresh Rawal and then we thought why not Saswata (Bob Biswas), because he had captured the imagination of the country through ‘Kahaani’.”
The campaign will be on air for at least three weeks.
‘The ad misses the spot completely’
Commenting on the ad, Vipul Thakkar, Executive Creative Director, DDB Mudra South said, “You have an OLX doing a fantastic job of communicating the insight so clearly in this category. This ad doesn’t make sense at all when you see a man trying to draw attention by standing on the table and taking off his clothes. It tries to be funny, but misses the spot completely.”
He further said, “Advertising has moved to a completely different zone if online is considered, and if you see the eBay and Flipkart ads, they have done some phenomenal work. The earlier short films of Quikr were even tolerable.”
Commenting on the usage of Bob Biswas, he asked, “How many people know Bob? How many people have seen ‘Kahaani’? If you are talking to the East and the Bengalis, then it is a different thing. He is just a one-film wonder. You are not using Boman Irani or Paresh Rawal; you are not using someone who is an icon as far as humour is concerned.” He feels that the commercial is not working at any level.
On the other hand, Chetan Sharma, Creative Director, What the Hell?, said that overall it is an “okay film”. “It has a nice build up, where we see Bob in the typical ‘Kahaani’ style. After that it falls into a bizarre zone. The script does not have anything strong to support the sudden change of Bob’s character into a funny man and getting people’s attention,” he added.
Sharma believes that the film doesn’t have any good insight or ground for Quikr’s proposition of giving them a missed call and buy/ rent/ sell things quickly.
However, according to him, “Using Bob gives viewers an instant connect, and he/she ends up seeing the entire commercial. But, he could have been used better.”
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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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