 "Now, this is a Shubh recovery for Cadbury’s")
Earlier this week, we had commented on a new
TVC f
or Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, which focused on the issue of ragging. We had panned the concept, saying, “No, this doesn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy. This is not a Shubh anything. The commercial shows a few students being ragged at their college – and a number of other students, the seniors, enjoying the discomfiture of the freshers.” The ‘ragging’ commercial has elicited contrarian views, with some seeing no harm done, and others, like me, who saw the ad as being in poor taste. [caption id=“attachment_306410” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“screengrab/youtube”]
[/caption] And Cadbury’s bounces back, with a new occasion to celebrate, a new Shubh Aarambh. A young wife discovers that she is pregnant and tries to figure out how to break the news to her young husband. She’s nervous, not quite sure how to phrase it. She tries a few lines, rehearses in front of the mirror, rejecting one option after another. Finally, as she tries out “I want to eat something sour”, suggesting an unusual craving – an association with pregnancy – her husband walks in, hearing her. He walks away as she stands fixed, her face an expression of anxiety. He returns, only to give her something as far from sour as it could be – a bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk. Here’s the TVC: In describing the Shubh Aarambh commercials, I had said, “The campaign tag-line is a delightful interpretation of a clearly Indian sentiment, bringing the traditional thought alive in contemporary situations. Each of the TVCs, so far, has struck a chord, making one smile/laugh/chortle.” This one does so again. It’s a Shubh recovery. The campaign goes back to a decidedly happy moment, one that viewers could easily identify with. Why this works so well is that this script stays true to the core thought behind the campaign. Does this script signify a start, an Aarambh? Yes, it does. Does the situation signify some thing good, something Shubh? Yes, it does. Is the situation one that calls for a celebration, that calls for a bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk? Yes, it does.
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.