Surf Excel (Neki Ek Ibadat in 2017, Ek Neki Rozana in 2018, Eesar Ek Ibadat in 2019) has been doing excellent Eid ads for a while now. Taking a cue from Surf Excel’s highly acclaimed creatives, this year many more brands seem to have boarded the Eid bandwagon. The Tata Motors Katra Katra Neki ad for Ramadan Kareem was first aired about a month ago and even found mention in this column. The 3-minute-long film, created by Ogilvy has been shot at Credence High School, Dubai, a school providing education to children of Indian expats. The detailing of the film is impeccable with great emphasis on portraying the diversity and cultural ethnicity of the children in the school bus. They are all there -- an African face to a hijab-clad Iranian (?) girl. But, besides portraying the brand’s growing global credentials, the Tata commercial is a heart-tugging story of kids giving away their piggy-bank savings to the bus driver to enable him to go home for Eid. Good creative with strong messaging.
But, the best ad of this Eid season blitz without doubt is the #SaareMael DhoDaalo commercial of Ghadi detergent produced by ADK Fortune. The ad shows a mother-in-law who is truly touched, and suitably impressed, by her son-in-law’s efforts in helping her daughter with daily chores. But, once back home, the same mother-in-law does not take any bit kindly to her own son lending a helping hand to the daughter-in-law of the house. She accuses him of being ‘tied to the wife’s apron strings’. Her husband, who till now has been a mere mute spectator to the going-ons points out the flaw in her judgment and how she needs to wash off her pre-mediated biases. It is a story well told, for sure. But, the connect to Ghadi as a brand is sought to be created by a band logo that stays on the screen through the entire narrative just to remind you that the ad is funded by the brand even if there is no connect between the story on the screen and the product!
Bata’s ad is quite nice. Conceptualised by Contract Advertising, it is set in an office where all the employees avoid having any food or beverages in front of a colleague who is observing the Ramadan fast. The creative execution is interesting and the narration is sensitive and engaging. But honestly, once again, the category connect is very, very weak, and kind-of forced. #LetsWalkTogether does not really connect with the film itself, though it does echo the professed positioning of the brand, at least on this festival by its secular messaging.
Max Fashion and Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance both use young girls to tell their stories. The Max commercial shows at the very beginning a young girl carrying a gift bag emblazoned with the brand. The rest of the story is about communal integration and how the Hindu Mehras host their Muslim friends to an iftar dinner, sending out the message, Iss Eid Dil Aur Darwaze Khule Rakhein. The Edelweiss story is about a young Muslim girl’s first roza and how she stays strong through the day’s ordeal. Good capturing of emotions and good vibes. But then, the girl suddenly grows up, confronts life’s challenges and stands strong to #BeUnlimited. Once again, the brand’s logo bug stays on the screen throughout because that is the only connect between the brand and the convoluted creatives on screen. Both brand commercials are a sheer waste. The Reliance Trends commercial Bano Begharz is pretty much in the same mould. Hackneyed, predictable, boring. With a forced brand connect.
Cadbury’s chocolates, not to be left behind, also put out a commercial for Eid (you can’t be seen to be secular as a brand these days if you do ads for Diwali but don’t do the same for Eid!?). The Guptas go visiting some Muslim friends on Eid and carry Cadbury’s chocolates. With kheer and other traditional delicacies on offer, they wonder if a gift of chocolates is inappropriate. But the hosts are welcoming of the kuch achha stuff. All is well that ends well between the friends from two different religions.
Integration and inclusivity; secularism; friendly co-existence; respect for other religions … all these themes permeate the Eid commercials from different brands. All pretty laudable from a societal view-point. And desirable too. But, such purpose-driven advertising seems kind of hollow and pointless when it has zero connect with either the brand or the product. It is advertising just to make the brand look good. Which it doesn’t. Because consumers are never so dumb as to be taken in by goody-goody stories that may win some awards at ad shows but say nothing about anything. A simple, Eid Mubarak, message may just have been more genuine, and more appreciated.