P&G - Thank You, Mom

Last year Coca Cola came out with the global ad campaign – ‘OpenHappiness: Reasons to believe in a better world’, and I thought to myself, Wow! This arguably, is the greatest ad campaign in the recent times and it will be a while before someone even comes close to this sheer brilliance. A year later, I see myself staring at the TV screen with a look of amazement on my face and a lump in my throat. And it was none other than the oldest advertiser in the world, P&G showing the world why it has been one of the most respectable companies for over 175 years.

The ‘Thank You, Mom’ Campaign goes beyond the gamut of advertising. It’s not an ad; it’s a story, a film, a beautiful masterpiece which quietly touches every emotion and leaves you speechless.

The ad is part of a decade long association (initiated in 2010) of P&G with the International Olympic committee (IOC) and is also backed by the ‘Raising an Olympian’ campaign. So basically, P&G has gone all out with a multi-million dollar Olympic ad campaign which eventually is paying huge rewards with a 5 to 20 percent increase in sales (throughout the games).

So, why the Olympics?

Well, the Olympic Games are a dream event for any marketer. It is arguably the most watched sporting event in the world and unlike, the Football World Cup or the NFL has representation from over 200 countries. It gives you an entry in some of the biggest countries in the world and also some of the smallest. So, basically if you associate with the Olympics you are hard to go un-noticed. Obviously it comes at a huge cost, but if aptly utilised (like in the case of P&G) it can bear huge benefits.

Why Moms?

Well, this is easy! If you ever take a look at the P&G product line, you will notice that whoever maybe the end-consumer, the likely customers are Moms. Be it, Ariel, Tide, Pampers, Head and Shoulders, CoverGirl, Olay or any other product. So the question was never, Who to target but, How to target, and yes, P&G has answered that pretty well. Connecting with moms and that to at an emotional level has given them that special place in every mom’s heart.

                                                The P&G Thank you, Mom Ad

Ad Autopsy

What it plans to achieve?

If you are a company like P&G which has a plethora of products across various portfolios, it becomes difficult to find that common thread. This, ‘Thank you, Mom’ campaign has been that perfect glue which unites all their brands.

Secondly, its association with Olympics gives it that Geographic, Socio-Economic, and Demographic reach aspired by a multi-brand company like itself. The ad shows people from various continents, belonging to different races, and economic backgrounds – thereby portraying the presence of P&G products in everyone’s lives. It would have rarely got a similar opportunity without the Olympic umbrella.

No Explicit Advertising

Most of us, while watching this ad for the first time, would not have even realised that it was a P&G ad. In fact, it looks more like the Olympic Games promotion. P&G, (just like Coke in the Reasons to Believe ad) has risen above the concept of product advertisement to give itself a ‘more than just a company’ image and has succeeded pretty well in doing that. The products (if you managed to notice) are kept in the background and appear in just a couple of frames.

P&G product Tide placed in the background

                                                Ariel kept in the background

This achieves two things:

You end up watching the whole ad just focussing on the story, curious to find out what happens next and more importantly what it will culminate into.

Secondly, it just distinguishes itself from a regular ad and portrays that it is not there to sell you a product but to tell you a story.

The Story

The story is about the journey of various athletes from childhood to Olympic glory and the important role their moms play in this. Four different stories from four different continents run simultaneously suggesting (eventually) the presence of P&G products worldwide.

The striking differences in these families are shown in a very subtle manner. Their different lifestyles, be it the breakfast they eat or the mode of transports they use depict the socio-economic differences without making it too obvious.

 Moms – the real heroes

Well, there is no saying what they don’t do. Be it waking up even before the sun rises or taking their children to practice or even attending every practice session or competition – Moms deservingly are shown as the true heroes. The quick frames jumping between the same set of routines and families make the ad more engaging and aptly depict the untiring effort moms put in. The best part is that every mother can relate with it and this is what the ad seeks to achieve.

Seamless transition

The ad moves at a brisk pace and shows the routine being followed over the years. The transition from childhood to the actual Olympic Games is seamless and even goes unnoticed. For instance, at 01:12, the scene changes seamlessly in the middle of a flip.

Music

The one thing that truly adds to the beauty of this advertisement is the music. The song is Divenire by the great composer Ludovico Einaudi. The combination of piano, violins, and the fleeting scenes on the screen create an absolute crescendo. The scenes move at the same tempo as the music. Especially at 1:27 where the girl just goes and hugs her mom, the change in tune is just brilliant.

The Clincher

The clincher comes at 1:29, where all four just after winning go and hug their respective moms. Emotionally stimulating, this part surely will bring a tear in any mom’s eyes. How often can you say that for an advertisement?

This followed by the line

   

                                “The Hardest Job in the World,

                                    Is the Best Job in the World

                                         Thank You, MOM”

just sums it all up in the best possible way.

And this is where you realise it is a P&G ad.

The ad surely has set a new benchmark. It’s one of those things that happen once or twice in a decade. It’s the perfect amalgamation of creativity, purpose, and a great message. P&G surely has proven why it is the biggest advertiser in the world and with a campaign like this it probably has become the greatest.  

Video Source : www.youtube.com

Flipkart – ADmirable campaign

Flipkart It! This is what the Bangalore, India based e-commerce site Flipkart is suggesting its current and potential customers. A very ambitious campaign especially for a company which is just 5 years old(and broke even in 2010), but also an equally likely one to succeed, if you ask me. A classic case of Brand Recall already achieved by much bigger brands like Xerox and Google, the ‘Flipkart It’ campaign just emphasises the fact that e-commerce retail in India is eponymous with Flipkart.com.

The new campaign uses the same essence of kids being portrayed as adults but has tried to take it to the next level. The earlier campaign was more informative and introductory whereas the new one tries to establish Flipkart’s authority in a relatively untapped e-commerce retail sector in India.

AD Autopsy

What it plans to achieve?

All Flipkart is trying to do is to create brand awareness and brand recall amongst its current and potential customers. The next time you think of buying something online the first thing that comes to your mind is Flipkart. The timing couldn’t have been better! India is all set to be the fastest growing e-commerce market in the Asia-Pacific and a plethora of other e-commerce sites are burgeoning from every corner. And all Flipkart is trying to do is to project itself as the blue-eyed boy of this nascent industry.

                                                  The Flipkart It - ad campaign 

No Child’s Play

The most interesting thing about the campaign is the projection of children as mature and sometimes even sophisticated adults. The underlying idea is that the youth today is mature enough to make the right choices – the right choice, in this case being shopping from Flipkart.com. After all the major target audience/customers are the young adults.

Another point it tries to drive away is the simplicity of ordering from Flipkart. Kids ordering mobile phones for their grandparents (as shown in one of the ads) shows that ordering from Flipkart indeed is a child’s(or atleast a 21^st century child’s) play.

Finally let’s just look at it from a viewer’s perspective. Most of us would have changed the channel if the characters in the ad were just ‘regular’ adults or ‘regular’ children. What keeps you engaged is the curiosity factor aroused by these kids parading as adults and once you start watching, it’s the subtle humor that does the trick.

                                             An ad from Flipkart's earlier campaign

Humor and Music

The opening line, “I wanted to tell you how Flipkart.com saved my marriage” is a clear winner when it comes to engaging the audience. The humor in most of Flipkart’s ads is situational and subtle.  It is designed for the urban way of thinking and that’s what their target is. E.g. in this ad the wife expects the husband to put down the toilet seat after use or how she ‘accidentally’ reminds him of her birthday.

Humor; especially for most of us goes a long way in advertisements and the ad agency, ‘Happy Creative Services’ surely understands this well.

As far as the music is concerned it’s classy and gels pretty well with the advertisement.

The Hidden Messages

If you can make an ad which doesn’t really look like an ad you have done something special. This ad embeds the advertiser’s messages into the story seamlessly. “Luckily, just one day before she herself reminded me…” beautifully portrays the point of Flipkart’s quick delivery. Then the part “the next day when the gift came it was wrapped…” talks about the complementary services that Flipkart offers like gift wrapping.

The Clincher

The clincher clearly comes at 0:41 seconds in the ad when Mr. Forgetful while nonchalantly cleaning his specs says, “I don’t shop anymore, I just Flipkart it!” There is something about the casualness with which he says it that just makes you want to believe that the term ‘Flipkart It’ has been used for ages. Something that Flipkart really wants people to believe.

And finally, the simplicity with which the ad displays the variety of goods available on Flipkart.com just sums it all up neatly.

The new campaign by Flipkart.com is an ambitious attempt. What Flipkart.com would be really interested in is whether people really ‘Flipkart It!’ whatever it is that they need to buy. 

Video Source : www.youtube.com