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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
The year 2011 was good in terms of creativity in advertising. Some ads made us laugh. Some made us emotional. Some made us put on our thinking hats.
The flavour for this year was – Musicals. Apart from the usual suspects, some unusual product categories like fans (consumer durables) and industry bodies like World Gold Council managed to surprise us with some interesting concepts.
Here, we bring you the best TV commercials of 2011.
This list is entirely subjective (in NO particular order) and is based on what was interesting, creative, entertaining and successful in terms of sending out a clear message.
So, click NEXT to read on and let us know if you agree with us...
Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Airtel
Tagline: Har ek friend zaroori hota hai
Creative Agency: Taproot India
This is probably one of the best creatives from Airtel in a long time. The ad beautifully captures the spirit of today's youth.
The friendship campaign has managed to bring back Airtel at par with Vodafone's ZooZoo and Idea Mobile's What an Idea, Sirji campaigns, which have been in the limelight for a long time.
The idea behind the Airtel campaign was to keep the communication in line with the company's new international brand identity and to carry forward the youthful connect.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Even the follow-up campaigns have managed to keep up the interest levels. Now, who doesn't love the "kanjoos friend" ad?
Apart from the lyrics and the catchy music, what makes this ad special is that it presents the reality as is. It shows depth, without being superficial.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Ceat Tyres
Tagline: Streets are filled with idiots
Creative Agency: Ogilvy, India
How true! – is what one would say after watching this Ceat ad. All the ads in this series are simple and they successfully manage to drive home the product features, while taking a dig at reckless pedestrians and drivers on the road.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
This series was first launched in 2010. And, this year they have re-launched the campaign with new situations.
However, the thought behind the TVCs remain the same - to educate users about the chaos on the Indian roads.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
HTC Explorer
Tagline: Let the fingers do the talking
Creative Agency: Meridian Communications (Delhi)
Fingers are the hero of this ad. That's right. HTC's new ads show fingers doing all the walking and talking in an attempt to highlight the one-touch feature of the phone. The creators wanted to break in the already hyped touch-phone market in India by connecting with the youth.
So, what better way to attract the youth by showing them a easy way to stay connected with their friends and peers through social media, chats and emails. To convey this message HTC decided to bring forth "magic of fingers". Thus, if that was the idea then the painted fingers work well for HTC.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The concept of using fingers as the lead is fairly new on Indian TV. This combined with a catchy song (Tere maafi ko mai waiting waiting...) and beautiful locales of Bangkok, makes the ad an interesting watch.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Amul
Creative Agency: Draftfcb Ulka (Mumbai)
Production House: Nebula Films
Relive the old Amul Manthan ad -- Mero gaam Katha parey -- with this new commercial. The new ad from Amul maintains the core village theme, but at the same time it tries to draw a connection with 'Modern India'.
The original ad that was released 10 years ago told the story of Amul model in the backdrop of the title song of national award winning film Manthan.
Now, the ad shows rural woman walking shoulder to shoulder with her urban counterpart. They are shown using technology -- from handling automatic milking equipment to using computers and mobile phones. In the new commercial, the recreated song is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
This latest commercial of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation is by far their most extensive campaigns. It is reported that the ad will be aired with over 4,000 spots (of 60 seconds each), and it will be featured across 40 television channels, 1,000 cinema halls, along with six million impressions in digital media, even the jingle will be played on 60 radio stations.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Fanta
Tagline: Orangey Wonderful
Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
What makes this ad so different? First, the animation – created by Psyop, a New Yok-based agency – is cute and inflicts mischief on screen.
Next, it's the music. It is one of the most memorable jingles of recent times. It's original and catchy. And, let's not forget the "fun" lyrics. The creators have managed to seamlessly blend the folksy male voice with urban characters.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Overall, the music compiled by Amit Trivedi and the lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya gives a welcome break from the earlier Fanta ads.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Titan HTSE
Tagline: Runs on Light
Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Production House: Footcandles
This Titan ad is inspired by Lord of the Rings' Galadriel's vial of light. Here, it highlights the HTSE (High Tech Self Energised) technology, which features watches that can be charged by any light source.
Aamir Khan, who features in this ad, communicates this message seamlessly. He is shown stealing light from various sources -- a lamp, mobile phone, car -- only to pour the light into a box containing his HTSE watch, symbolising his invention.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Also, the ad is beautifully shot and the background music – 'If I go Mad because I can't stop thinking about you' suits the mood perfectly well.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Reliance Communication
Tagline: Reliance mobile pe connect at one go
Creative Agency: Grey Group
Production House: Rising Sun
Reliance Mobile has definitely got it right by roping in Anushka Sharma and Ranvijay Singh for their latest series of ads. Both of them make a lovely couple and that is exactly what makes the product break away from the clutter.
The campaign aims to establish the network quality of Reliance Communications in both GSM and CDMA services, along with other value-added features like unlimited talk time and so on.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The TVCs successfully manage to take real-life situations to convey the benefits of RCom.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Flipkart
Tagline: No Kidding, No Worries
Creative Agency: Happy Creative Services, Bangalore
In this latest series of ads, Filpkart (an online retail company) is trying to clear all doubts attached with online shopping. To keep it different and cool, the agency tires to convey the message through children. Here children are not behaving like I-know-everything-and-I-can-advice adults; in fact they are shown as adults!
The storyboard features kids in adult-like situations (context to adult voiceovers) engaged in adult-like conversations -- at a beauty parlour, cafe and an office. The 'hinglish' is the heart of No Kidding, No Worries advertisement series.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The ad does manage to catch some eyeballs with its new problem and solution concept, but we wonder how many people will take the conversation between two kids seriously!
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Pepsi World Cup Commercial
Tagline: Change the game
Creative Agency: Taproot India
Amongst many ads that were released during the World Cup, the Pepsi commercial successfully managed to get a high recall value.
The commercial features cricketers like Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Kevin Pietersen, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, discovering some shots and making them a part of their game.
Some terms like the Helicopter shot, the Upper Cut, the Doosra were an instant hit with the audience.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
In fact, when Dhoni hit his trademark square cut all the way beyond the fence in the World Cup final, the commentator remarked; "that's the helicopter shot."
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Tata DoCoMo
Tagline: No getting away
Creative Agency: Draftfcb Ulka
Production House: Equinox Films
Consumers either love these tongue-in-cheek ads or simple dislike it. But, whatever it is Tata DoCoMo has managed to grab attention with this commercial.
Each ad showcases a funny situation, in which there is no way to get away from the mobile company because it has excellent network coverage.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The story was weaved around real-life, stereotype situations. Thus, when every mobile service operator talks about the geographic reach of their network, DoCoMo tried to break the clutter by communicating with the audience in a different manner.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Nescafe
Tagline: It's time you started – the new Nescafe my first cup
Creative Agency: McCann Erickson
The new guy to join the trio - Purab-Deepika-Karan - is Vir Das, the stand-up comedian. So, naturally you can expect some cheeky humour.
However, the new commercial lacks the freshness of the earlier ads. Still, it manages to send out the right cue asking the audience to join their coffee club.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Also, despite the celebrity parade, the advertisers manage to make a nice connect with the brand. This is what helps them generate a high recall value.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Reliance 3G
Creative Agency: Grey Group
Production House: Tubelight Films
This is a simple and an absolutely no-nonsense ad. In these ads, the agency tries to show the consumers how Reliance 3G is distinguished and superior compared to other 3G offerings in the market.
To do this, the agency decided to stick to the simplest, cleanest and most direct form of communication via an execution element of a 'Just 3G'and 'Reliance 3G' on either side of a split screen. To show this the creative team has used two main features of browsing – pixel and buffer.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
This commercial certainly brings a breath of fresh air without attacking the competition directly. These set of films have been shot in a graphic and simple manner, they are warm and endearing.
The film ends with the message - only Reliance 3G's superior IP Network ensures you can watch uninterrupted videos on your cell phone.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Allen Solly
Tagline: Adios Stressing. Hello Friday Dressing
Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather (Bangalore)
Prodution House: Nomad Films
Allen Solly has been promoting the concept of 'Friday Dressing' from the 1990s. By early 2000s, this notion became the signature for the brand.
In its new avatar, Allen Solly tries to ease out the stress at work through its line of clothing. The core message of the ad is summed up in its tagline - 'Adios stressing, hello Friday Dressing'.
The commercial is shot in the form of a musical, and is directed by New York-based director Marc Wilkins. The concept behind the ad was to establish the Allen Solly brand value of being relaxed at work.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Thus, the story is basically of a happy office where everyone dresses every day like it is a Friday.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Limca
Tagline: Do Pal Taazgi
Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
The new ad continues to maintain Limca's positioning as a 'Freshness' drink. This time round, the brand has changed its tagline from 'Doobo Taazgi Mein' to 'Do Pal Taazgi'.
Still, the new idea successfully manages to take the story forward from the old one. The 2011 commercial takes a fresh look at the emotional rejuvenation platform, which is relevant for young adults, encouraging one to break away from the dullness of life and enjoy a few moments of freshness.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Just like its earlier ads, Limca manages to charm the audience with its new background score.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Indigo
Tagline: We are going international
Creative Agency: Wieden+Kennedy
Production House: Hello Robot
IndiGo Airlines has done it again. After its successful 'On Time' commercial, it has managed to capture the attention with its larger-than-life 'We are going international' ad.
The TVC is set in a Broadway style. And, throughout the TVC the tempo of the script is maintained in a poetic rhythm characteristic of a musical. The TVC was produced in Los Angeles. The idea was to highlight every aspect of the IndiGo experience.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The film is indeed a great piece of entertainment.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
DHL
Tagline: Excellence. Simply delivered
Creative Agency: 180 Amsterdam (Netherlands)
The new global ad campaign for DHL reinforces its expertise in handling international deliveries. Yes, the ad does clearly talk about how one can rely on DHL's services for whom there is - "ain't no mountain high enough." (DHL's theme songs, which was first song used in 1991).
The television commercial highlights the company's role as background support provider for every business, big or small. It also brings forth its brand colour -- yellow -- to establish that DHL serves at the speed of light. The TVC takes the viewers into a journey across the globe and even outer space.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The ad was shot in Paris, New York, Shanghai, Alaska and Mumbai.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Vodafone
Tagline: Everyone is on Facebook
Cretaive Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Production House: Nirvana Films
Yet, another musical that managed to impress the audience. The ad was engaging and executed really well. But, we wonder if it was apt for the product? Considering its price and target audience, there might just be a mismatch between the two.
However, solely from the entertainment perspective Vodafone Blue was a winner. The TVC was shot in a giant-sized studio in Cape Town, South Africa.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The ad depicts the life of a boy symbolising today's youth, who spends his every waking moment on Facebook by indulging in activities like status update, posting comments and playing games.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Birla Sunlife Solutions
Tagline: Can you afford to leave your dreams to chance?
Creative Agency: JWT
This TVC for Birla Sun Life Insurance Protection Solutions makes us sit up and think! It is proactive and makes us want to look at the importance of getting an insurance policy.
The commercial successfully manages to break the clutter with its interesting visuals, storyline and of course the message.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
What is even better, just like every story it ends on a positive note. Also, everything about the ad is as real as it can get -- the couple, the situation and the accident-like incident.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Dairy Milk
Tagline: Khane ke baad meethe mein kuchh meetha ho jaye
Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Production House: Footcandles
All the ads in this series are an interesting watch. Unlike earlier the campaigns, this ad titled "Khane ke baad meethe mein kuchh meetha ho jaye" proved to be more real in nature and aimed to encourage people to carry on the Indian tradition to have something sweet post dinner.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Interestingly enough, all the films in this series have successfully managed to get the audience attention with its simple storyline and brilliant direction.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Idea 3G
Tagline: Get Idea 3G for faster downloads
Creative Agency: Lowe Lintas
Keeping in mind the earlier Idea campaigns, the 3G ads weren't that impressive. However, it did manage to break the clutter by adding some humour and sticking to its social message theme communication (population control ads).
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The mood of the 3G ads is lighter than any of Idea's previous ads. Other thing that is different in the population ads is that the film is an out-and-out musical, unlike the earlier ads in which the plots bore a more elaborate set-up of the social problem in question.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
World Gold Council
Tagline: Invest in Gold
Creative Agency: BBH, India
It's funny and well-balanced. World Gold Council is promoting jewellery as a long lasting gift through this advertising campaign. The campaign challenges the current trend of excessive spending on durables and lifestyle purchases during festive season.
The ad features a conversation between mother and daughter-in-law. Here, the mother-in-law says she would like to pass on a gift to her daughter-in-law as part of the family tradition.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
That's the punch line of the ad. Instead of a nice expensive gift the daughter-in-law inherits an old television set. The ad takes on the popular saas-bahu saga, which is the backbone of many TV soaps.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Windows 7
Tagline: It's great time to be a family
Creative Agency: Crispin Porter & Bogusky
This a global commercial which aims to demonstrate Microsoft's broad product portfolio and the integration across Windows, Windows Phone and Office.
The first 30 second spots were aired across the globe at the same time. It features various ads like "Keep Shopping" commercial featuring a dad out shopping with a grocery list. The other one is about tech-no dad and so on. The commercials are funny and simple.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Globally, the advertisements didn't receive a positive response at the time of release. However, as more number of ads were released in these series, it slowly started gaining momentum. All we can say is that the ads are creative and entertaining.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Tata Sky HD
Tagline: ...People see what others can't see
Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Tata Sky has managed to keep the humour element alive in these ads. The two films released in this series are entertaining and have enough punch in the storyline.
The ad cleverly tells the product features -- clarity of image. Tata Sky attempts to break the clutter with these ads, when every product in the market is bragging about its HD clarity.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Even without the star -- Aamir Khan -- Tata Sky has managed to put up a good combination in these series.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Coco-Cola Diwali campaign
Tagline: Do diye aur jalao
Creative Agency: McCann Erickson
Production House: Equinox Films
Coco-Cola once again hits the emotional pulse with this campaign – Toh iss Diwali aap kisko khush karenge?
Celebrating the joy of sharing, Coca-Cola tried to build the brand on the values of spreading and extending happiness.
The campaign shows a group of friends set out to brighten up spaces that are most dear to them with diyas, thereby spreading happiness. The soulful background score further adds to the positive and celebratory spirit.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Further, the TVC was supported by a strong digital media campaign that aimed to amplify the concept of sharing happiness through the act of lighting diyas.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Blackberry
Tagline: Welcome to the BlackBerry Family
Creative Agency: BBDO, India
This is a nice, feel good ad. The new BlackBerry greetings commercial shows a guy who just bought a new BlackBerry phone, and is greeted everywhere by other BlackBerry users.
And in the end, the same guy is seen welcoming another new member in Blackberry Family. The ad looks fresh and is shot well. The background score also blends well with the mood.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The ad talks about the four new smartphones by Blackberry. Instead of bragging about the features of their new products, the commercial takes a slightly thematic bend and completes it with emotions. Overall it's a nice attempt.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Havell's Fan
Tagline: Hawa Chahiye? Havell's Fan Lagaye!
Creative Agency: Lowe, India
Havell's fan commercial is indeed a refreshing idea for one of the most mundane products. What makes this ad even more interesting is that it manages to create a shock value in the backdrop of the most common situations.
The basis of the ad is that people tend to make use of any resources available at their hands to beat the heat. Here, a scenario such as a teacher using the answer sheets or someone in an office using a newspaper is shown to get some relief from the scorching heat.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The twist is that students and newspaper staff come with a humble request not to waste their sincere efforts as make-shift fans, instead use Havells fans.
Thus, the campaign utilises typical twisted word-play humour of Indian life and beautifully blends it with the product.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Seagram's Imperial Blue
Tagline: Men will be Men
Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
The concept is not really new. But, the humour in these ads is well appreciated. As Government of India has banned the liquor and tobacco ads, the companies turn to such surrogate campaigns.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Though, there is no relation between the plots and the products, the whole situation and the treatment of the ads makes it an interesting watch. And, who doesn't appreciate good piece of humour?
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Vodafone 3G ZooZoo
Tagline: Faster. Smarter. Better
Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather
Well, all the ads in the 3G Superhero series are simply brilliant. Enough is said and wirtten about these egg-shaped characters. We are sure, you couldn't agree more!
The new avatar was loved by all and the advertisements were very catchy.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
The 3G superhero avatar was revealed during the India v/s England World Cup match. The Zoozoo's 3G character resembles that of Superman and RajniKanth. The background score perfectly blends with the theme of the ads.
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Rewind: Some Best Ads of 2011
Volkswagen
Tagline: Think Blue
Creative Agency: DDB Mudra in India
Volkswagen's global marketing campaign is based on the theme of 'Think Blue', an innovation that has been designed to showcase the brand's key corporate objective of sustainability.
The TVC was launched during the India-Pakistan semifinal World Cup match. The Think Blue campaign was first launched in India with Volkswagen Passat. The idea was to promote its BlueMotion Technologies.
To see the video of this ad Click Here
Now, the company is running its follow-up global campaign in India showcasing its 'technology being responsible towards the environment' concept.