 "Pond's jumps onto the selfie bandwagon")
“Because the selfie is taken by ‘self’, it is always a close up, as the phone cannot be more than an arm’s length away. And a close-up presents a new set of issues. Since this is a close-up of a face, we get close-up views of the hair, the eyes, the nose, the ears and, of course, the smile,” Firstpost had written two weeks ago .
“So something as seemingly innocuous as selfies are opportunities for a wide range of products and professions. Toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, perfume, after shave, razors, make-up, deodorant, hair gel, shampoo, hairddressers, dentists, opticians… the list is excitingly endless,” the article added.
This morning, we’ve seen the first selfie-inspired communication in India. Pond’s pushes their White Beauty Foundation + Fairness Cream asking consumers, “Are you selfie-ready?”
[caption id=“attachment_85330” align=“alignleft” width=“640”]
Are you ‘selfie-ready’, Pond’s asks[/caption]
While this is the first ad that we’ve seen in India directly leveraging the selfie, other brands, elsewhere, have jumped onto the bandwagon. If Pond’s wants to see your radiant skin, Colgate wanted to see your wonderful smile.
[caption id=“attachment_85331” align=“alignleft” width=“550”]
Colgate’s selfie campaign is all smiles[/caption]
…and French Connection wanted to see you in cool designer wear.
[caption id=“attachment_85332” align=“alignleft” width=“640”]
FC wants you to flaunt designer wear - through selfies[/caption]
There’s already a pattern emerging: campaigns are all digital, involves uploading a selfie onto Facebook, encourages you to amplify the photo through twitter (onviously using a hashtag) and the gratification is, well, fame.
So which category is next in India? Which brand is next in India?
Anant Rangaswami was, until recently, the editor of Campaign India magazine, of which Anant was also the founding editor. Campaign India is now arguably India's most respected publication in the advertising and media space. Anant has over 20 years experience in media and advertising. He began in Madras, for STAR TV, moving on as Regional Manager, South for Sony’s SET and finally as Chief Manager at BCCL’s Times Television and Times FM. He then moved to advertising, rising to the post of Associate Vice President at TBWA India. Anant then made the leap into journalism, taking over as editor of what is now Campaign India's competitive publication, Impact. Anant teaches regularly and is a prolific blogger and author of Watching from the sidelines.