need a date??? lets innovate!!!

Clearly someone went out of their way and proved that print as a medium is neither dead nor dull… we still drive cars, from the first car built by Karl Benz to the Mercedes SLS AMG of today, what has changed, still 4 wheels, but yes INNOVATION is the name of the game now.

Similarly, all our mediums PRINT/OUTDOOR/AMBIENT/ONLINE etc etc… are here to stay. Yes they might eventually die, but atleast for the next 10 years no one is going anywhere.

More Brands = More Advertising = More Clutter, and still the challenge will remain the same – to create a dent in the consumers mind – a spec for your brand.

And the million dollar question : So what should we do???? and the most overused word in the advertising industry is – INNOVATE!

How do you define innovation??? Doing things differently/unconventionally or being an eccentric?

Problem : Management/Region Heads/National Heads for whom CHANGE is predominantly a major issue. They would award mediocre success and punish excellent failures rather than doing a vice-versa.

In my career, 5 1/2 years in the Advertising industry seldom have I come across people who appreciate or even care to understand the term called being creative or innovation. But yes, something I shall practice later in life, managers under me to run wild, live dangerously and get hurt. Their MOTTO : Fail faster & Succeed sooner…

HULK is Hurt : so Band-Aid

Now that’s Kick-ass stuff, so f**king smart… Band-Aid with flexible fabric. So 2 Objectives achieved:

1. Even the HULK needs a Band-Aid
2. And the Flexible Fabric  – since the hulk is so big, therefore he needs the same…

Beat that!!!!!

BTL TWEAK

Hulk is a well-known brand in India, using the below displayed inflatable, the same concept can be comfortably adapted across malls and multiples, Ground Inflatable ( Dabur Lal pic ) can be placed at high traffic junction points, creating the necessary WOW factor and generating a successful WOM thread.

CYCLE Agarbatti – what do we have next??? Rickshaw / Bike Airlines

Advertising Agency: Mudra, Mumbai, India
Creative Directors: Bobby Pawar, Rajesh Sonawane, Mahendra Bheda, Varun Mehta
Art Directors: Girish Wadisherla, Vivek Jadhav, Vijayanand
Copywriters: Varun Mehta, Deepa Rao
Photographer: Mietsh Popat
Digital: Sudhir Gautam
Published: December 2007

WOW!!! This is a Mudra Creation, hard to believe, but yet it is so very true. Cycle Agarbatti??? Hello !!! what went wrong??? Except for the MD’s wife insisting on this name, probably because she had a crush on the cyclewala… who else could name an Agarbatti brand as CYCLE.  To top that, bilmey, just look at that creative – Lord Shiva on a cycle.

First of all, a name has to be close to the product, Like a Jai Santoshi Maa Agarabatti, atleast a consumer can relate to the same. Veritably, no consumer can relate to the fact that a name CYCLE stands for agarbatti. So, right after committing this horrible crime, you appoint an agency, that makes you feel on the top of the world. I guess, that’s always been our job profile, never tell the client “he is wrong”, just hustle him and move on for the next kill.

Secondly, the company is doing great, so why not rectify the mistake??? Ya right!! So easy in the corporate world to step down from your Himalayan ego’s and say I am sorry.

Well, its not long before some other brand manages to sell some equity, come out with a brand that consumers can easily identify, and replace CYCLE agarbatti from their current leadership position.

In case, you wish to check out http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/07/13/stories/2006071302461900.htmthis is when the went national

*Note : The same are my views and in no way correspond or relate to the company I work for!

Movies on the go…

Phew, absolutely stunning, an ad that is certain to create a long lasting impression and the word of mouth clatter amongst its TG. The Beauty of the ad clearly lies in the creative adaptation of the brand psyche.

Full marks to the agency Advertising Agency: Scholz & Friends NRW, Duesseldorf, Germany for executing the concept with such brilliance.