Mast & Meh: Kotak Mahindra, Spotify, ITC, Britannia, Maruti, Porter, Hero and more

MAST

Britannia Good Day - #ItsAGoodDay

Agency: McCann Worldgroup

The entire series of ads is delightful and shows us that simplicity in storytelling sure goes a long way. A tight script that goes to the heart of the brand’s positioning and puts a smile on your face. What more can one ask for? Don’t miss these TikTok-size ads. Yes, these films are no more than 15-seconds long, perfect for an attention-deficit age of viewers hungry for video content. See more here.

MAST

Spotify India - Feels Like A Party

Agency: Leo Burnett India

Music is powerful and that's what Spotify is singing to its listeners through its new ad campaign. This spot in particular is on point. Two women are conscious of the fact that they know no one at a party. Seconds later they break into a dance because nobody at the party knows them. The song is the right fit for the mood. However, here's the MEH part. While the Hindi film hit the right notes, the regional films felt like a Google Translate of the script. Not just that, an app claiming that it has over 8 crore plus songs, could have picked the right regional songs to sync with. It's time to reshuffle the regional playlist.

MEH

Tata Play - Hindi Super Value Pack

It is odd to see real-life couple Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan play what we think is two much-younger people in a karate class. Khan is seen sporting glasses which makes Kapoor wonder how he can afford them. Khan says that he saved some money that his “mummy” gave him to recharge the Tata Play pack, which now has “sasta' packages”. It’s a short film and that’s the only thing we’re glad for.

MAST

ITC - #AzadikaAmritMahotsav

Agency: Ogilvy India

As India celebrated its 75th year of Independence, ITC Ltd’s campaign paid a tribute to heroes of the country's freedom struggle. The spot opens with shots of young children dressed in the avatar of icons such as Bhagat Singh, Rani Laxmibai, Ashfaqulla Khan, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Lala Lajpat Rai and Subhash Chandra Rai. The powerful juxtaposition of the freedom struggle’s heroes and the next generation of flag bearers who will take the country's independence to the next level is beautifully brought alive through an impactful background narration. The campaign fills you with a warm feeling of patriotism, hope and motivation to honour the sacrifices made by our forefathers and build on it to make our country proud.

MEH

Maruti - The Grand Vitara

Agency: Hakuhodo Percept

It’s 2022 and companies are still making ads featuring women as props to sell cars. In this ad we see a young, attractive woman who is not at the wheel but is seen admiring the car. She ends up adding no value to the product proposition and becomes just a pretty young thing in an auto ad. We thought we were way past the era when auto brands used women as showpieces to make the car look better. Perhaps what the brand and agency need is not a car but a time machine to transport them back to the present.

MAST

BL Agro Bail Kolhu - Pyaar Ki Bharni

Agency: Leads Brand Connect

Bail Kolhu’s latest ad ‘Pyaar Ki Bharni’ tugs at our heartstrings. It’s a sweet story of a brother’s love for his sister and the bond of siblings. The makers got the casting spot on. Good for them because at almost 3-minutes long and with a script with no dramatic twists or great writing, they could have easily lost us at the one-minute mark.

MEH

4700BC - Mr. BC’s Gatecrashing Chronicles

It’s hard to tell what this film is and where it’s headed. So, dear reader, tell us what you think of it. All we can say is we hope the popcorn is better than this video. Because we will need several tubs to ease the boredom.

MAST

Porter - Delivery Hai? Ho Jayega

Agency: 22feet Tribal Worldwide

There’s a fine line of distinction between what qualifies as a music video and what qualifies as an advertisement. Porter has managed to seamlessly marry the two to create one spectacular musical ad. A catchy tune, great lyrics and brilliant visuals aren’t even close to what makes this such a clever advertisement. Typically, in such cases, the essence of the ad tends to get lost amongst all the hype and hoopla. However, that’s not the case with this ad. The takeaway from the ad is the fact that Porter has a vast range of delivery services and has the capability to provide them efficiently. Be it something as small as a teddy bear or a large consignment of antiques, as long as it’s a delivery that needs to be made, Porter will handle it for you. The ad manages to hold your attention throughout and trust us when we say this is one ad you will choose not to skip. Porter has really managed to knock it out of the park with its first ad campaign. All in all, a fun and delightful advertisement.

MAST

Asian Paints - Ek hazaaron mein, tera kona hai

Agency: Ogilvy

There’s no dearth of Rakshabandhan ads and most barely register in a sea of sameness. While this spot is not a real departure from the usual themes, it stuck with us because it kept it simple and relatable. ‘Your #FirstRoommates will always be special’. And for many people who have siblings that roommate is your brother or sister. The ad captures the little things about the love-hate relationship between a sister and her younger brother. A sweet spot, with one fault. An oddly placed product shot in one scene left us on the verge of giving this spot a MEH.

MEH

Hero Motocorp - Khud Ki Sun Le - Hero Destini

Agency: Publicis Media

This week, we saw two musical ads. One delivered (no word play intended) and the other failed to deliver just the basic requirements of an ad - to inform the viewer about whatever it is you want to say about the actual product that will prompt an individual to buy it. Siddhant Chaturvedi doesn’t bring anything except his rising-star profile to the commercial which uses some kind of rap to make a point about 'Khud Ki Sun Le!'. Sometimes we must listen to good sense instead.

MAST

Kotak Mahindra - Its grt 2b 75

Agency: Cartwheel Creative Consultancy

We at Kotak are proud to serve thousands of Indians born on Aug 15, 1947. And millions who followed, from every corner of India. #KonaKonaKotak
Celebrating 75 years of Independence.#IndiaAt75 #IndependenceDay2022 #India #IndependenceDayIndia #AzadiKaAmritMahotsav #AmritMahotsav pic.twitter.com/TYbRZPCHXo

— Kotak Mahindra Group (@KotakKatha) August 15, 2022

Swept up in the emotions surrounding Independence Day, it’s easy to find yourself watching and liking ads that on any other day you would have skipped. There are plenty of those doing the rounds this I-Day week and they all look and feel the same. Still they manage to stir something in you since everyone’s feeling particularly patriotic on the day. But this campaign from Kotak Mahindra stood out for us. The brand and agency went on quite a hunt. The goal was to find people born on 15th of August 1947. That was intriguing enough for us. But what the creators have given us is a lovely understated campaign that features real stories of regular people born at the dawn of a free India. Now that is remarkable.