Mast & Meh: Licious, Doublemint, Meta, Mamaearth, Park Avenue

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 - Licious

Agency - Conceptualized and designed by Licious' internal creative team.

Production House - OMG MediaWorks.

Licious' new ad for Father's Day is a warm and quirky spot that celebrates the kind and caring ways of fathers. The ad opens with a montage of fathers, all of whom are dedicated to providing their families with the tastiest, juiciest mutton dish every Sunday. But, they are all retiring now from the duty because Licious is doing their job. Some subtle small nuances make the ad very relatable. One such thing is a father, who is speaking with a Bengali accent. Sunday mutton curry is a thing in a Bengali household and that ad captures that sentiment well. Overall, Licious' new ad for Father's Day was a well-done and heartwarming spot.

MEH

Brand - CenturyPly

Agency - Wunderman Thompson

CenturyPly's Club Prime TVC with Pratik Gandhi lacks creativity and originality. The ad relies on Gandhi's popularity as Harshad Mehta from Scam 1992, and the music is lifted directly from the show. The ad is a missed opportunity to create a unique and memorable campaign for CenturyPly.

MAST

Brand - Doublemint 

Agency - DDB Tribal

This spot is a creative one. It's playful and engaging. It focuses on the idea of starting something fresh. The strategy also fits perfectly well to sell mints. The song, the location, the doodles, and the protagonists blend in well with the script, making it a Mast watch!

MEH

Brand - Park Avenue

Agency - Wunderman Thompson India

There is nothing special about this commercial. We have seen similar themes in other categories. The song is probably the only saving grace of this spot. Otherwise, we think it's one of those ads that will definitely make you hit the skip button immediately.   

MAST

Brand - Brooke Bond Red Label

Agency - Ogilvy India 

Brooke Bond Red Label’s new ad for World Social Media Day brilliantly positions "tea" as the ultimate social media platform. The heart warming film features various social situations where the beverage acts as an ice breaker between new neighbours, conversation enabler and a tool to build bonds. The film draws a parallel between social media lingo such as likes, shares, friend requests, reposts & trends with everyday moments across India, positioning a cup of tea as an enabler to bring people together. While the world celebrates Social Media Day while being glued to their favourite social media apps, the film reminds people that a cup of tea is India’s original social network, enabling conversations forever. A big thumbs up from us! 

MEH

Brand - Dabur Cool King Thanda

Agency - Rediffusion

The new Dabur Cool King Thanda ad film featuring Nora Fatehi in a desi girl avatar seems underwhelming. It uses the usual category codes of cooling hair oil advertising - a barber giving an unsatisfying champi with a regular hair oil until Fatehi comes to his rescue followed by her usual dance routine. It has been done and seen before. 

MAST

Brand - Meta - WhatsApp

Today, privacy stands paramount, and the ability to share wholeheartedly without our privacy and trust being breached signifies utmost importance. WhatsApp’s ‘A Private Message’ ad stands up to the expectations. Right from start, a factor of safety is endorsed among the viewers which scores the ad a Mast. Don’t give it a skip. 

MEH

Brand - Mamaearth

Agency - Havas Worldwide India

Yet another ‘show and tell’ advertisement. Expectations were high that an interesting story would be woven in the ad featuring veteran actor Sharmila Tagore and her granddaughter and actor Sara Ali Khan. But, towards the end, the ad falls flat and scores a thumbs down. Feel free to skip this one.