Thursday 5 January 2012

Coca-Cola: Believe in A Happier Tomorrow

Have you seen Coca-Cola India's new TVC yet? If you haven't you must ASAP.
Its amazing. A simple message of optimism, that's it. What a brilliant strategy, what a brilliant ad. By the end of the one minute spot, you are definitely left with a smile on your face. If you aren't- you're heartless.
See, this ad has just reminded me why Coke is one my favorite brands to date.

The ad has been made by McCann Erickson India, lead by Prasoon Joshi- who has penned the lyrics to the catchy, happy, hug filled jungle himself. Apparently Joshi is best buds with A.R.Rahman, which then makes  everything so obvious, because brilliance obviously sticks to brilliance- duh.
Anyway, coming back to the ad- its filled with the message of optimism and hope for the new year and the future. Its so simple, "believe in a happier tomorrow". The fact of the matter is that we are surrounded with facts that are gloomy, depressing, fear inducing, and chaotic. People have become cynical about the future due to a myriad of reasons. Its unfortunate that the media, the one outlet that is in constant communication with us focuses so much on the negative. Whether its the 'breaking news' every two minutes, or the reality tv-shows (which I enjoy) that glorify and promote drama, breakups, fighting etc etc, everywhere we look, there are constant sources of strain- which we don't recognize as necessarily 'negative' because constant exposure to them has made us sort-of immune to its effects on our psyche. But when I saw this ad yesterday, I remember thinking, wow-I'm not the only one feeling this. I felt that the ad's message was specifically for me , and I had a realization, that people all over are feeling a bit hesitant , a bit scared of the future. That's not how it should be, The future should always, always, always be a source of hope - never , ever, ever of dread. Its a great, feel-good message. And that what the Coke brand is all about; feeling good, and happiness. So really, nothing I can say about this will be enough. Its a breath of fresh air.
The ad shows children singing the jingle 'Umeed wali dhoop, Sunshine wali asha' joyously, and we are presented different facts based on studies. Each negative message is followed by a stronger positive message. Pehlay tho I had no idea the ad was for Coke. Its only towards the end, one of the last lines where the drink is mentioned that it clicks. At first I was a little confused, because I had been trying to figure out the product to which the TVC belonged to, and Coke had never entered my mind, so it was a bit confusing when it finally did. But then maybe a millisecond after the product's appearence, it made sense.Once I got it, I really got it. It fit so seamlessly, I couldn't help but smile at the sheer genius of it all. This ad is really like a good will gesture.I know, I know ads are supposed to sell stuff- so it usually kinda annoys me  if they get all preachy or CSR on our asses, like this Stayfree one , but this one manages to steer clear of entering that zone. Somehow the relevance is there, and the subtlety of it is admirable rather than annoying.

Anyway, enough talk.Check it out:

Kaisa Laga?
Do you see what I mean when I talk about India's advertising. I don't get it. how are they soooooo damn good?

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