Mast & Meh: Microsoft, Dream11, Limca, Lay's, Lumikai, Kotak Life

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 - Microsoft

An 8 minute film in a world of 10 second reels! What were they even thinking? Microsoft, released a wonderful film embodying heartfelt emotions while presenting a rather unique concept. A small business owner, Pihu is working on planning the perfect second wedding for an old couple. The film, involves all the necessary elements right from drama to quirkiness to nostalgia to love. It all comes together harmoniously. Multiple product integrations are seen in the ad and not just of one product offering of the company. They too are seamless and intelligently incorporated. Though the film is long by today’s standards, there isn’t a moment where you feel distracted. This is all thanks to the well written script, smooth flow of the storyline and of course, the actors. This film is well packaged all-round. We’re thankful for not making this a regular 30 seconder. Everyone MAST watch this.

MAST

Brand - Dream11

Agency - Tilt Brand Solutions

Just before the IPL madness begins, Dream11 has launched a star-studded ad featuring both cricketers and actors but with a twist. The spot shows '3 Idiots' film cast - Aamir Khan, R Madhavan and Sharman Joshi dressed as cricketers in a press conference set-up giving an open challenge to cricketers for a match. In the ad the actors are bothered about the fact that cricketers are appearing in more ads than ever before so they will now take over their profession of playing cricket.

Cricketers such as Rohit Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Chahar also appear in the ad accepting the challenge. The spot stands out for its unique execution amidst the IPL advertising clutter garnering 11 million YouTube views in less than a day. It also subtly promotes that anyone can play cricket, well at least virtually on the Dream11 gaming app. Quite slick, we say!

MAST

Brand - LenDenClub

Agency - Kandid Kanvass

Peer-to-Peer lending platform, LenDenClub, has launched a new campaign 'Invest like Hardik' with their brand ambassador Hardik Pandya. The campaign aims to create awareness among new-age investors to invest in P2P lending. The spot shows Pandya engaging in entertaining banter with the audience through a rap like score while showcasing the benefits of investing in P2P lending. Overall a good script and an interesting watch.

MEH

Brand - Kotak Life 

Agency - Grey Group

The ‘Soch Ke Liya Hai’ campaign by Kotak Life has put together a spot that is tailored for the urban youth, who are conscious of their responsibilities and are always looking for smart choices. The commercial features Vinay Pathak in the role of a father, ‘Subbu’, who is pleasantly surprised to learn that his children have made a smart choice by selecting Kotak Protect India for their insurance needs. While the actors do their part well, the messaging lacks novelty. Most BFSI brands that focus on a young audience generally have the same storyline of how youngsters are smart planners and that surprises their parents. With a talented actor like Pathak on board, a better screenplay would have worked wonders for the brand. As it stands, this one is a Meh.

MAST

Brand - Luminous India

Agency - Grey Group India

Here's a perfect spot that blends purpose well into a script. In order to promote gender equality in the energy sector, Luminous India addresses a fundamental mindset issue. We will say only two things about this ad. One, It features a young girl who gets confused every time her family corrects her Hindi grammar, while she talks about gender-specific things. Two, the film ends featuring Baburi Sirisha, India's first linewoman. We don't want to reveal too much. All we say is, Go. Watch. Now.

MAST

Brand - Limca  

Agency - Ogilvy India

We’ve spotted a fun soft drink ad after a while. The spot features Jitendra Kumar, an actor who is known for playing realistic roles.The storyline is simple and goes well with the product integration. The twist is perfectly ad-like and we don't mind that at all. At least, there aren’t any unrealistic stunts or flat punch lines. This one is a Mast one in this category so far, this year. 

MAST

Brand - Lumikai

Agency - The 23 Watts

The Lumikai Pathbreakers initiative's fourth edition is a good effort to showcase the bold and fierce women who have made significant contributions to the Indian gaming and interactive media industry. The resulting campaign is a heartwarming tribute to these achievers, with real stories serving as the star of the show. Unlike other campaigns that rely on glamour and peppy soundtracks, this campaign focuses on the content, which is the untold stories of these trailblazing women. Overall, full marks to the initiative for its outstanding efforts. This one deserves a watch.

MEH

Brand - Motilal Oswal

Agency - In-house

Motilal Oswal's Women's Day campaign, #PuchKeTohDekho, is a commendable initiative that sheds light on the fact that many women do not make investment decisions independently and instead rely on male family members such as their father or brother. However, the implementation of the campaign could have been better. In the ad, the message only appears in text format at the end, which means that viewers who don't watch the entire two-minute-plus ad may miss this important aspect of the campaign. Almost two minutes into the spot, the vox pop content focuses solely on the negative stereotype without highlighting the positive changes that are taking place. To truly break the stereotype, it's important to showcase both the challenges and the progress made towards empowering women to take control of their finances. This one needed better ideation.

MAST

Brand - Lay's

Agency - Leo Burnett

You can’t help yourself from being hooked to this commercial which simply stands out for its hilarity and storyline. Rajkummar Rao’s comic timing and Dolly Singh’s expressions go hand in hand with the popular song ‘Eena Meena Deeka’, which serves as the background score. Grab open a packet of Lay’s and groove along to this Mast commercial.

MEH

Brand - Joy Personal Care

Just another example of shoddy writing that relies entirely on Disha Patani’s celebrity power to capture the attention of viewers. As usual, a strong enough storyline which goes deep into revealing more about the brand could have saved the commercial from a thumbs down. Such ads somehow, always seem to casually glide into our Meh list every week.

MEH

Brand - Llyod

Agency - McCann Worldwide India

Llyod's new campaign for its air conditioner range feeds into the trend of celebrity couple led ads. Most of these campaigns tend to leverage popular Bollywood couples promoting some home appliance or the other. Consumers are likely to confuse brands since the messaging and style of campaign execution is mostly the same where celebrities are simply mouthing about the product benefits sitting in their home. The latest one from Llyod is no different either. Same old, same old.