Mast & Meh: Britannia, Parachute, Hitachi, Adani Group, Airtel

Advertisements have always been a great way for brands to market their products and services. However, it has always been a hit or miss situation. Not all brands come up with great advertisements. Some have positive lasting impacts and some we would just love to forget. Storyboard18’s weekly ad reviews filter through the past weeks ads, letting you know which ones were the best and which ones weren’t quite up to mark. We provide you with completely unbiased and unfiltered opinions that are fun to read and paint a clear picture. Read on to find out which ads were in our professional opinions, MAST and which were MEH in this week’s Mast & Meh.

MAST

Brand - JK Lakshmi Cement

Agency - BC Web Wise

A short, simple and sweet ad. We have seen adoption of orphan children in commercials, but, this one was fresh and used a different concept. This spot is a Mast for sticking to what it preaches 'Índia Ab Soch Karo Buland’.

MEH

Brand - Britannia 50-50 cracker

Agency - Lowe Lintas

The brand had set the bar pretty high with its work. Especially this series of humorous ads featuring Ravi Shastri. But this one doesn’t quite hit a sixer for us. It’s a 4 for now. Here’s hoping for another six next time.

MAST

Brand - Suta 

Agency - In-house 

Homegrown ethnic apparel brand Suta's Pride Month campaign is a visual delight that celebrates individuality. The video features  influencers from the LGBTQiA+ community – Gentleman Gaga, Ashish Dey (aka Deysi Rawmen), Souman (aka Goddess Gagged), Glorious Luna, Mx Siaan (aka Mx Stallion), Zeesh and Harshavardhan Rai (aka Rai-OTT) who is also a design lead at Suta and has designed the special collection. The stunning designs, accessories and unique looks adds to the charm of the campaign. Very colourful indeed.

MEH

Brand - Springwel Mattress 

Agency - Enormous 

While the insight behind the campaign is quite well placed, this new set of ads by Springwel Mattresses seem too stretched on product benefits. The addition of Boman Irani is refreshing but the ad spots missed leveraging his comic timing in the storyline. 

MAST

Brand – Airtel

Agency – Fundamental

We spotted a refreshing telecom commercial after a really long time. It features a slice of life scene. The storyline is of two roommates and their fun chemistry. They make you chuckle. They make the film relatable. They make it a mast watch too. The other good part of the film is that the brand kept the sales pitch subtle yet sharp. A very well rounded commercial. Thumbs up.

MEH

Brand – Parachute Advansed

Agency –  Team WPP

This an over-the-top film (particularly the music score) that’s trying to be preachy for no particular reason. The spot promotes the idea of self-confidence but also endorses shiny hair. Ironic, right? Between figuring out the brand’s purpose and the product’s salient features we were lost in the plot. The script needed a lot more thought.

MAST

Brand - The Adani Group

Agency - Ogilvy, India

The Adani Group’s new campaign “Hum mushkilo ki nahi sunte, karke dikhate hai" narrates a story of resilience. The 100 second TVC has some great product shots that talk more about the overall brand and not any individual product. The spot also has a nice voiceover that adds an extra charm to the ‘made in India over the years’ vibe. It’s one of those traditional ads. Not old fashioned, just traditional. Overall it is a good attempt at creating solid brand recall. ’Twas a good one.

MEH

Brand - Hitachi

Agency - GroupM 

The problem with ads that are aimed to be funny is that they often end up being slapstick. Unfortunately, the time for slapstick comedy has passed. Hitachi’s ‘Coolest Third Umpire’ campaign is a series of spots with a good cast but a poor script. The ads make it seem like the brand is trying too hard to be funny.