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“In 1982, when colour television came to India, and the proliferation of television happened, that is when it presented a big challenge for marketers and for advertising agencies,” says Piyush Pandey, chairman - global creative and executive chairman - India, Ogilvy, in a recent interview with CNBC-TV-18. 

Pandey and Bharat Puri, managing director of Pidilite Industries Limited, spoke about the making of the iconic Asian Paints’ campaign, how India’s voice on a global stage began to resonate, the playbook for success for companies in India and Bharat, and the importance for a marketer to localise strategies and really know and understand their audiences.

Catch the best moments and anecdotes from the conversation here. 

<strong>How advertising embraced localisation</strong>

Speaking of his early days at Asian Paints, Puri, who was a young marketing professional then, recalled how the multinational paint company used to advertise in English only. It was around then that colour television entered India and changed how brands communicate with their audiences.

“A lot of what was advertised in English, it would get translated or transliterated. I said, “Listen! The country’s mass speaks so many wonderful languages, why are we advertising in English?" There was this wonderful campaign which was, ‘Celebrate with Asian Paints’, which was translated as, ‘Asian Paints ke saath Jashn manao.’ 

I said, “Guys, I want somebody who has grown up speaking Hindi at home.”

Puri recalled how they were pointed to a writer called Piyush Pandey. He went to recount the day he was briefed, before Pandey got home he came up with the line, “Har khushi mein rang laye.”

As the marketers went to work closely together on festive campaigns to highlight the occasion of Onam, Pongal, Durga Puja and Diwali, Puri mentioned that, for the campaign around Pongal, they were sure they wanted to shoot it in Chennai and wanted to authentically capture the festive celebration as it was done at home. The campaign was shot by cinematographer Rajiv Menon and an upcoming music director named Dileep Kumar worked on the campaign. Kumar went on to become the award-winning, globally renowned composer AR Rahman. 

<strong>How India stood tall on a global stage</strong>

Puri recollected an experience during his days at Cadbury, where he led the brand and company to greater heights. 

“As India began to open up, people began seeing what was originating out of India. Slowly and steadily, India’s voice, first on a multinational stage and then on the world stage began to resonate. Cadbury finally had 100 managers outside India handling global positions, because they groomed themselves within India. And, there were many people asking for them.”

Pandey said when Ogilvy had pitched for Mondelez at an international level, an Indian was asked to come and lead the meeting which was held in Chicago. Pandey said that person was “Yours truly.”

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<strong>Playbook for success for other companies and the marketer’s cardinal principle - "Know your audience" </strong>

“As far as the India playbook is concerned, people who thought global and acted local, are the people, who over a period of time understood India," said Puri.  

He added, "Those who thought 'I will think global and I will approve what is happening in India in Singapore or London or the US, over time have struggled, and have started all over again. This is because they have not understood that India is a market that has the size and complexity of a large market but has the revenues, at least in the initial years, of a small market.”

Unilever’s ‘Winning in many Indias’ strategy highlighted why and how companies must localise their strategies. Here, Pandey stressed that the basic principle for any marketer and an advertiser is to know their audience.

Agreeing with Pandey, Puri stressed upon how nothing beats the power of insight, observation and understanding of what worked in the country. Citing the example of Pidilite, he spoke of how they were sure that they wanted to be a part of the emerging markets on a multinational level. 

He said, “70% of the growth of the world is going to come out of emerging markets. Different states of India are like different emerging countries of the rest of the world. We perfect our model in India, we learn in India, we make mistakes but get it right, and then we go and still understand locally.”

Pidilite entered Bangladesh much later than its competitors. But within a decade Pidilite became the market leader. Puri spotlights the power of the brand with an anecdote: “When I was visiting Bangladesh, the immigration person asked me, “Sir, what brought you here?” And I said, “I work for Fevicol.”  He then plays me a Fevicol ad. And that is the power of knowing that you are doing it right.”

<strong> What has changed over the years?</strong>

There are three basic changes Puri spoke about and they are Choice, Access and Prosperity. 

“When Piyush and I were younger marketers, there was a middle India, and there was an aspirant India. Now, there is a premium rich India, there is a middle India, and an aspirant India. Every marketer needs to have a strategy for all three,” he added.

Pandey said, “Every new technology is an enabler for you to take your idea to your audience. Never be scared of technology, and never forget that you need an idea, and technology cannot save you.”

<strong>Then vs Now: How risky is it to convey a message?</strong>

“People criticised you earlier also. They will do now also. There is no politician in the world who got 100 percent of the vote,” said Pandey. Here, Puri said that as a marketer, the belief is to first do the right thing and “we are not here to make a comment on religion, politics and so on, we are here to tell stories about our brands.” 

He said, “Anybody who has a voice today, it could be disproportionately loud at times. We are here to tell stories about our brands in a certain context… If we get it wrong, we will be the first to acknowledge it.” 

Pandey is clear that if something is going to spark a problem in society, they stay away from it. But if the majority or most people understand the sentiment of what a brand is conveying, that’s enough validation for Pandey. 

On his vision and hope for India, Pandey spoke about the importance of integration and inclusivity. “Keep this country intact, you better be a Fevicol,” the veteran adman concluded. 

Never forget that you need an idea and technology cannot save you: Piyush Pandey

For decades, a kirana (grocery) shop was a thrilling place for kids. Various glass bottles lined up at the counter containing candies and toffees, individually wrapped, with varied shapes and colours. A gleeful look would brighten up a child’s face as he or she paid a small sum for these delights. Not much has changed at smaller grocery shops. Even today, adults relive their childhood as they gaze at the displayed bottles, often tempted to try one toffee.

<strong>Parle Melody and Competition</strong>

In the highly competitive confectionary space with many established brands and some local ones as well, the confectionary products were price sensitive. Customers felt that getting more quantity of these goodies was more important than of what kind. To differentiate oneself from the competition was a tall task for candy brands.

Tough competition came from behemoths like Cadbury (now Mondelez) with its offerings like Eclairs, a toffee with oozy chocolate filling. Eclairs was a success and had literally created a new space and a dominant position for itself in this sub-category.

Parle’s Melody was somewhat similar. It had a caramel coated, softer exterior, with chocolate filling inside which could be seen from the side, adding to its visual appeal.

Against this background, Parle sought to differentiate Melody from the tough competition.

<strong>The Brief and the Creative</strong>

Everest was the advertising agency given this daunting task to showcase Melody as being better and containing extra chocolate, without actually stating it and creating comparisons with other brands. Haresh Moorjani was leading the creative team and he struck on a brilliant idea. The idea was to show the kind of people that children admired or aspired to be (like a magician), asking a question about Melody and having the child giving a reply. Copywriter Sulekha Bajpai was part of the team and she wrote down a few lines.

Then the day dawned to present the idea to the client, Parle. Like many creative people do, Sulekha kept on refining the lines she had written, as she waited in the reception area of Parle’s office.

She finally struck gold. “Melody ke andar itni chocolate kaise bhari batao?”, the answer to which was the now famous response, “Melody khao, khud jaan jao”. The jingle, “Melody hai chocolatey, Melody hai chocolatey”, added energy, rhythm and helped emphasize the chocolateyness of Melody in the customers’ mind. A pleased Haresh and Sulekha presented this concept.

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<strong>Makings of the Melody Ad Film</strong>

Since Melody was to be marketed in rural and urban areas, television advertising was a logical choice for the large, dispersed audience. These ad films were done by Sanjeev Sharma of Palette Communications.

The TV commercials primarily targeted children. And each ad film had a familiar setting like a playground, a classroom, or an aspirational one like a magician’s act. One ad showed a sports coach asking “Melody itni chocolatey kaise hai?”, and in another it was the puzzled class teacher who asked that question. The young sportsman, or a school kid, would enthusiastically answer the question “Melody khao, khud jan jao”. The answer was like an invitation, even a challenge, to find out for themselves.

In another ad, a young glamorous film star was asked the same question by someone from the cheering crowd, and she smiled and invited one to eat Melody and find out for themselves. All question how so much chocolate got into a toffee. The answer created a sense of mystery and tantalized the audience to try the product for themselves, “Melody khao, khud jan jao”.

The jingle at the end announced the chocolateyness of Melody, “Melody hai chocolatey, Melody hai chocolatey”.

<strong>Impact of the TV Commercial</strong>

The very different approach of using human curiosity in the television advertising to draw the customers to try the toffee was rewarded. The Melody television commercials were a hit. And it really couldn’t get any chocolatey-er for less than one rupee. 

Even today Melody ads continue to ask the question, how is Melody so chocolatey? 

Decades later, Bollywood movie Chichhore made this classic line contemporary again. The movie character, played by Sushant Singh Rajput, asks a canteen staff member, “Yeh aloo hai yah kaddu?” and the staff member replies, “Melody khao, khud jaan jao”.

Melody today remains a part of the bouquet of other confectioneries that Parle offers, but retains its unique place in the hearts of the customers.

<strong>Subodh Tagare is an Associate Professor at IMT Nagpur, where he teaches courses on marketing. Prior to IMT, Subodh was the marketing director at American Power Conversion/ Schneider Electric for South Asia. </strong>
<strong>
S Vejay Anand consults with organizations on business strategy and marketing. He has also been an entrepreneur in the food and pet care spaces. Earlier he was President at Coffee Day and COO at USPL.  </strong>

Throwback: Melody - very very chocolatey

<strong>MAST
what3words - Making adresses, simply simple
Agency: Famous Innovations
</strong>

The right location. Smart direction. Smarter script. Great casting and craft. That's what makes the location-based technology app what3words’ debut commercial for India worth a re-watch. Shot in the vibrant city of Kolkata, Mast &amp; Meh logoit features the city’s trams, autos, old bookstores, Victorian buildings, and narrow lanes, all for a good reason. Giving directions to anyone in India is a complex task, given the general lack of signs and good city planning, and its complicated and duplicate street names. Pointing to the right address is always a challenge even when you have Location on. The new darling of the ad world, Vijay Raaz, an actor known for his craft, nails the part of a customer giving directions to a delivery person. At one point, he turns directions into a rap. The brand takes the right turn as it makes its debut ad pitch to the Indian market. We have just three words for it - a Mast ad.

<iframe title="Making addresses, simply simple - what3words India TV ad 40s 2022" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rj-oDP8EKIw" width="885" height="498" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

<strong>MEH
Cadbury Fuse - #BhaariHai
Agency: Ogilvy India
</strong>

There is nothing wrong with this commercial except we’ve seen it all before. Using The Great Khali's strength as a creative device was first discovered in 2015 in a pretty epic cement ad. It's surprising that brands are still repurposing a similar narrative. In this spot, we see students feeling "bhaari bhookh" during a chemistry class. One of them is seen sending a text message to someone called "big help". In comes the big man, The Great Khali with a bar of Fuse safely hidden away from view in one big hand. He enters the class and triggers a cascade of disruptions in the lab, displacing beakers and bulbs. He offers a bar of chocolate to the student, saying, "issey khaane ke liye bhaari bhookh aur khilane ke liye bhaari haath lagta hai." We hope the next time a brand gives a lighter task to the man and a new twist to how they use Khali in commercials.

<iframe title="Cadbury Fuse | #BhaariHai (Hindi 40sec)" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SXtrDI6ps6c" width="885" height="498" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

<strong>MEH
Ferns N Petals
Agency: Mullen Lintas
</strong>

Ferns N Petals latest campaign touches upon a widespread issue - cyberbullying and trolling, and somehow plonks the brand in the middle of the issue.
The ad shows a loving uncle (Anil Kapoor) using Ferns N Petals personalized gifting service to print embarrassing photos of his younger days as an actor when he was ridiculed, to cheer up his niece Jahnvi Kapoor who is dejected by incessant trolling about her fashion sense.
Kapoor delivers the closing statement in his familiar manner by saying “Duniya ko karne do bakwaas, you should always be Jhakaas.”
There’s a huge expectation of viewers to know Kapoor khandaan connections and feel sorry for the famous celebrities while we make their family tree in our heads.

<iframe title="FNP TVC: Anil Kapoor Sends Gift to Janhvi Kapoor (Full Story)" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QX1S-5M72Pg" width="885" height="498" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

<strong>MAST
Fastrack - #PrideInOurPronouns
Agency: Brandmovers India
</strong>

Remember the pink cupboard and the two ladies who walked out, adjusting their clothes? Yes, we are talking about the iconic 'Come out of the closet... Move on' campaign from 2013. Cut to 2022. The brand has sort of done it again. Assuming gender specific pronouns is a problem and through this new campaign Fastrack does a fine job of explaining why a Nikita is not always a ‘She’. The campaign shows a social experiment conducted with teachers, testing them and helping them relearn the basics. The brand gets full marks for being consistent over the years. It hasn’t flirted with purpose like so many others. Instead the brand has committed to a cause it can embrace and stuck to it.
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<strong>MEH
Shyam Steel - Hamesha Ke Liye Strong
Agency: Rediffusion Brand Solutions
</strong>

House, family, relationships, adjustments - why do brands always hire husband and wife duos, in this case Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, for selling these emotions, and products and services around these emotions. While the ad conveys what it had to, which is how adjustments must be made to make relationships stronger, which is the motto of Shyam Steel’s flexi strong TMT bar, it is overdone and dull. In other words, it’s quite meh. Team Virushka could have been better used, we think.

<iframe title="Shyam Steel India | Grand Launch | English | Virushka | #FlexiStrong" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wJL8SCs67S8" width="681" height="498" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<strong>MAST
Manipal Hospitals - Happy Doctors' Day, Really!
Agency: Social Panga
</strong>

This film is weaved around a statistic which claims that more than 90% Indians do not trust the healthcare system. It shows two friends in a coffee shop where one complains about her work life and admires the ‘respect’ her friend receives as a doctor. A series of flashbacks follow where we see patients and family members complaining about the tests, medicines and treatment prescribed. We hear them say that their home remedies would have been a better cure. In the next scene, however, we see a patient and family thanking the doctor for saving his life and the tough decisions she took despite their lack of trust in her. Keeping it real is just what the ad doctor ordered. We like the straight-forward script and lack of melodrama. The film subtly conveys that the one of the country’s most respected professions also needs to be one of its most trusted.

<iframe title="Happy Doctors' Day, Really! | Manipal Hospitals" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/32AfU4qOdYw" width="775" height="498" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

<strong>MEH
MSD Pharmaceuticals - #HPVsearchkiyakya
Agency: In-house
</strong>

MSD Pharmaceuticals’ campaign ‘#HPVsearchkiyakya’ features actor Sara Ali Khan who gives her friend some sound advice after scaring her with the mention of HPV or Human Papilloma Virus during a random conversation in the ladies’ room. Her advice - go online and look it up.
This ad makes the case for brands to hire advertising agencies and not rely on in-house teams to create compelling ads.

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Mast & Meh: what3words, Fuse, Fastrack, Shyam Steel, Ferns N Petals, MSD pharma show us acts and ads

CADBURY