Rewind 2015: Traditional brands break taboos and prefer unconventional themes

Brands like Red Label, Wagh Bakri, Titan Raga, Dabur Vatika, Lux, Havells and Ariel increasingly challenged the deep rooted social taboos in their ad campaigns during 2015

e4m by Sarmistha Neogy
Published: Dec 21, 2015 9:08 AM  | 4 min read
Rewind 2015: Traditional brands break taboos and prefer unconventional themes

As we move towards the end of the year, we take a closer look at some ad campaigns that stood out of the clutter. One of the trends witnessed was traditional brands lapping up to bolder ad content. Age old brands broke their inhibitions and spoke about topics, which are closer to today’s generation. Tea brands like Red Label highlighted live-in-relationships and Wagh Bakri spoke about the growing gap between a husband and a wife owing to busy work life. Katrina Kaif in the Titan Raga commercial told women not to get married till they find the one who deserves their time.

Marriage portal Shaadi.com rolled out their ‘Right to Choose’ TVC, which celebrated the modern women. Lux in their campaign ‘Discover the power of fragrances’, captured Katrina Kaif through the lens of the visually challenged Mumbai-based photographer.  While Dabur Vatika in its campaign-- ‘Brave and Beautiful’, saluted the spirit of female cancer survivors.

The year 2015 saw brands not getting deterred from highlighting controversial and unconventional topics as part of their communication.

Expert comment:

Commenting on the trend seen this year, Manish Bhatt, Founder Director at Scarecrow Communications said, “It has a lot to do with the changes in social and the digital media. Brands want to create buzz and be in the news and having a social perspective helps them to get talked about in this space. Brands have identified this, as a result of which advertisers are also putting their money on these ideas.”

Pravin Thakur, Digital Media Consultant, ibrand elaborated, “These brands are trying to target the middle and upper-middle consumer segments. The ads have been made, not with an intension to drive sales, but to create strong brand recall. It is like a nudge to this segment of audience, to remind them that traditions are bygones and things are changing today, so it is very important to keep changing with time.”

According to Simha Rajamanoor, Creative Director, Campaigns and Content, Asymmetrique, “Majority of these brands in their attempt to be different have come across as fake. The brand connect is sometimes very tenuous and it is not a natural one, copy writers have to really struggle to bring out one. There is so much of content on the social media space that it is difficult to recall one particular brand today. Unless the ad is really cutting edge, I won’t remember it because it is just an ad. It has to go beyond it.”

Below are few examples of traditional brands using unconventional subjects in their ads:

Lux:

In Lux’s ‘Discover the power of fragrances’ campaign, JWT released a digital film this year featuring Katrina Kaif. The actress was captured through the lens of a visually challenged photographer, who describes what real beauty is all about. For a brand which has always been about celebrity, this particular ad stood out because it was not just the surface level beauty, but something deeper that it attempted to address.

Havells:

In an attempt to take forward the brand’s Hawa Badlegi’ (Winds of change) proposition. The campaigns were built around issues rampant in our society and highlighted how simple changes in the mindset can make a big difference.

Ariel:

Its ‘Share the Load’ campaign asked viewers that- is laundry only a woman’s job? The detergent brand from P&G attempted to raise awareness around this issue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L1cHHNHrYg

Red Label:

After the success of the ‘Hindu-Muslim’ unity ad, the tea brand from the house of Brooke Bond touched the subject of live-in relationships.

 

 

Wagh Bakri Tea:

The 122-year old brand Wagh Bakri created a long format ad conceptualised by Scarecrow Communication. It looked at mending relationships at a time when we all are so absorbed in our work lives and went on to win the ‘Best ad film’ title at the 5th Dada Saheb Phalke Awards.

Dabur Vatika:

In the ‘Brave and Beautiful’ campaign by the hair-care brand, it highlighted the message that ‘some people don’t need hair to look beautiful’. The campaign saluted the spirit of cancer survivors and was appreciated for its unconventional narrative.

Nature Fresh Sampoorna Atta:

The brand’s latest campaign salutes the spirit of women who refuse to bow down to traditional role play. It highlights the aspirations of the new age woman who believe in making their own destiny.

 

Titan Raga:

In the campaign ‘When is the right time to get married?’ Katrina Kaif speaks about the undue pressure which is imposed on girls in order to get married. The ad conceptualised by Ogilvy & Mather highlighted the essence of not giving in to traditions just for the sake of it.

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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

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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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'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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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 by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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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

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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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

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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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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