2016 Review: Advertising Hits and Misses
The last year saw some very interesting campaigns. While some succeeded in generating positive conversations about their brands on social media platforms, there were others who rubbed their audience the wrong way. Here is our compilation of the most interesting and not so interesting ad campaigns of 2016:
1- Make Love Not Scars- Beauty Tips By Reshma
Make Love Not Scars, an NGO organisation that
works towards providing opportunities to acid attack survivors released a
series of three advertisements on social media. The campaign was conceptualised
by The Ogilvy and Mather in which a real acid attack survivor shares beauty
tips and urges people to sign a petition for enforcing a ban on the
over-the-counter sale of acid in India. The video campaign triggered global
conversation and support for the cause, and more than 300,000 people have
signed the petition addressed to the Prime Minister of India.
2- Indian Association of Palliative Care - Last Words
This video campaign was an effort to build awareness about palliative (end-of-days) care through digital and social media. The campaign was helmed by Medulla Communications for the Indian Association of Palliative Care. People usually do not like talking about the inevitability of death and dying, especially for patients with serious illness. It often happens that their ‘last words’ are heard by nurses rather than their family members. This emotional video features eight nurses who share the last words of their dying patients in a campaign that leaves a lump in the throat.
3- Bajaj V- Sons of Vikrant
An emotional video tribute to INS Vikrant by Bajaj Motorcycles and media house Leo Burnett , Sons of Vikrant is stirring documentary that evokes nostalgia about the legendary warship. The video brings together stories shared by war veterans who served aboard INS Vikrant. Bajaj Motorcycles had bought some parts of the metal from INS Vikrant when the ship was commissioned for scrapping and moulded it into the bodies of their new motorcycle model, 'Bajaj V, The Invincible’.
4- Y- Films- 6 Pack Band
Backed by Hindustan Unilever and launched
by Y-films, this video campaign is breaking some well-established industry
norms while battling prejudice and discrimination against the transgender
community. Asha Jagtap, Bhavika Patel, Chandni Suvarnakar, Fida Khan, Komal
Jagtap, and Ravina Jagtap are members of India’s first transgender pop music
band, whose campaign is making quite an impact with its extraordinary outreach.
5- Jack n Jones- Don’t Hold Back
Ranveer Singh’s image took a severe beating
after a Jack & Jones advertisement showed him picking up a miniskirt-clad
girl on his shoulders with the tagline ‘Take you work home’. The ad was slammed
by many on social networking sites for being sexist.
On 19 November 2016, users on Twitter started posting the pictures of billboard accusing the brand of being utterly sexist and objectionable. The ad was also reported to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the advertising industry watchdog. The company eventually withdrew the ad on 21 November and individually tweeted to the complainants apologizing for causing distress.
6- Pan Bahar- Class never goes out of style
Pierce Brosnan, better known as the famous James Bond, shocked everyone when one fine morning, all newspapers flashed his picture holding a box of Pan Bahar instead of a gun! This was followed by an ad featuring him ooze charm fighting over the villains while holding his pack of Pan Bahar. In response the social media got flooded with trolls and jokes around the advertisement as the man who once defined style using his charm had now taken to Pan Bahar to look cool. Another interesting thing was that people still confused the ad with Pan Parag.
In October 2016 the ad has been banned from national and satellite television by none other than Central Board Of Film Certification Chief Pahlaj Nihalani.