Mast & Meh: Coca-Cola, Amazon, Mountain Dew, Stayfree, Country Delight

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- Coca-Cola

Agency- Ogilvy India

F&B ads that successfully make your mouth water and crave for the product are usually considered good ads. Aren't they? This new spot from Coca-Cola is quick to grab attention and stirs an emotional response. By the end of the ad, you'll find yourself yearning for a swig of Coca-Cola. The ad stars Tiger Shroff who has been on board as the youth icon for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. Shroff does his part well. The icing on the cake however is the background score from 90s Bollywood. “Hotho bas tera naam hai” adds nostalgia and some extra fizz to the spot.

MEH

Brand- SKINN By Titan

Agency- Supari Studios

The new spot from Skinn by Titan promoting their latest range, Skinn Noura, is not necessarily a bad ad, but it lacks novelty. The campaign aims to highlight how the right perfume can elevate everyday experiences to the extraordinary. But the visual representation of flowers in a perfume ad is an overdone concept. While the new range of perfumes is inspired by flowers, the ad fails to bring a fresh perspective to the table. Additionally, the background score is not catchy enough for retention and pales in comparison to the iconic Titan melody that has survived decades, generating great brand recall.

MAST

Brand- Amazon.in | Aaj kya Khareeda?

Agency- OgIivy India

The new campaign from e-commerce giant Amazon India scores high on relatability. The brand's push to make consumers aware that they can find all their daily needs on its platform couldn't have been done better. Amazon establishes its product offerings clearly yet not in a commercial-y way. It's a light-hearted and simple script that hits the right spot. It checks all the boxes to be a Mast ad.

MEH

Brand- Mountain Dew | ‘Darr ke Aage Jeet hai’

Agency- Studio Simple

Apart from the iconic tagline, everything about this commercial was meh. It felt like the brand rehashed an old script. A macho hero, a flying bike, an aeroplane, over-the-top stunts, haven't we all seen these action sequences multiple times before? The tagline can be re-visualised in keeping with modern times, adding more value to the brand. Do the new.

MAST

Brand- Country Delight

Agency- In-house

The latest Country Delight ad campaign takes an emotional route to connect with consumers. The spot features a young man preparing tea, recalling how his mother would always claim to love black tea when he was young. The reality however was that she prioritised letting her children consume milk during their growing up years over enjoying a cup of milk tea. Now that the son has grown up and secured a good job, he wants to give his mother the best milk tea that he can afford. Here the brand's promise of best milk comes in while also promoting the brand's VIP membership. This one tugs at the heartstrings.

MEH

Brand- Stayfree

Agency- DDB Mudra Group

The Stayfree ad plays to the category codes therefore there are no surprises here except a fresh celebrity face (Kiara Advani). The ad shows Advani choosing to deliver bakery orders herself despite being on her period as the delivery boy bails on her. Her colleague points this out but she seems confident and secure because of the Stayfree napkin. We have seen many iterations of sanitary napkin advertising where the protagonist seizes the day despite being on her period and this latest one goes in that list. Nothing new and clutter or stereotype breaking.

MAST

Brand- HK Vitals

A celebrity endorsement which goes beyond the act of ‘show and tell’, explaining the product’s benefits with the help of a decent script is definitely worth the watch. HK Vitals’ recent campaign is one among them. The ad features Yami Gautam Dhar, who does a great job in playing her part. What scores the ad film a Mast is scenarios which gel well with her explanations heard in voiceover. This one’s a good watch.

MEH

Brand- Mamaearth

Another example of a lazy script that fully banks on celebrity endorsement. Shilpa Shetty’s presence in the commercial was of no real value except her face value. Moreover, the very act of Shetty introducing the product and signifying its benefits reduces the ad to just being a mere ‘show and tell’ exercise. The ad scores a Meh for us.

MAST

Brand- TOEFL

Every kid wants to exceed their parents expectations and make them proud. But that doesn’t always happen. Does it? TOEFL’s latest ad highlights this in a very comical way. A father is seen showing his son the photo frames of his ancestors with their test band scores written below it. The score gradually increase every generation, indicating that the son would finally fulfil everyone's dream of going abroad. But, his score ends up being lower than all others’. This is a nice and refreshing take on an educational spot. It gets a Mast from us.