Talking Ad(d)s! (Part 1: The Great Indian Chaddhi-Baniyan-Campaign)

Since a long time, TV commercials or advertisings or simply ads have been more watchable to me than the ghostly serials around them. Brought up through the changing dimensions of televiewing and off course advertising, I feel to have developed a taste for them. Though it may be very personal taste; in most of the cases, I found the people agreeing to my likes and dislikes on the advertising matter. Watching, observing, thinking and criticizing (the very Indian way) I always felt to write about contemporary advertisements on Indian tube. So, here I’m writing my first post, Talking Ad(d)s!

Justifying the title, Ads is for advertising that are made to Talk with the audience to Add more to their conscience about a particular product. So, it’s Talking Ad(d)s! I will try to recall/talk about few ads/ad-series I liked or hated, with a few reasons and expectations that those Mighty souls who have landed to these posts somehow will share their feelings in form of comments at bottom. :)

Sunny-Lux Cozi
"Apna Luck Pehen Ke Chalo"

A negative start is something I prefer to avoid; alas, the campaign I’m gonna talk about today is something that has been annoying me since a real loooong time! It’s the Chaddhi-Baniyan-Campaign (Undergarments)! Not googling over the stats, the earliest ad-series I remember is of Sunny Deol’s “Ye andar ki bat hai” Lux Undergarments campaign. I swear, though I myself tried Lux Cozy undergarments, I never got to know what’s that “Andar ki bat”; I do have a always-chatting subconscious, but an enchantedly talkative undergarment is far from my imagination. This ad took time to inspire other bolly biggies, but once set it inspired the 3 Khans and a Kumar of the industry. Well, I really tried hard but seems all the 'andar ki bat' stills have vaporised from the Internet as bygone horns of donkey. All I could get is a pic from the prees meet of Deol on Lux Cozi's "Apna Luck Pehen ke Chalo" (walk wearing your luck) campaign...

Keep it On SRK,
else all will see it ;D

Lux for some reasons, commercial or trendy – whatever, secluded them from Sunny Deol, and ‘hired’ the Six-pack Khan “Shahrukh Khan”. Otherwise media friendly Khan sparked another controversy ditching Reebok, accepting Todi’s endorsement for KKR. SRK line Lux ads flaunt his toned body in black and white ground with an ONN tag and "Keep it On" punchline. Nothing much on skin or dialogues to be talked about ;D, though this ad has actually eclipsed Deol's campaign all over the net.

Kya "Fit hai Boss"
 Akshay or DollarClub

Akshay Kumar enters the Chadhi-baniyan arena, in his usual eshtyle, "Button khula hai aapka" and "Home delivery bhi karta hun" like dialogues with Dollars Club. All non-sense ad with unwanted fights and no-sense (forget dual-meaning thing) dialogues. While his first ad, where he plays a blind customer fighting goons at a bank, seems to be inspired from Aankhein movie, second tries to encash his chef-side safe image; both end with entirely no-sense dialogues. Fit hai boss!

Bade aaram se You made this ad...Saif!

Hilarious is the entry of Padma Shri Saif Ali Khan. With “I know I don’t have muscles, but still will advertise what you should wear” attitude, this ad though is not in the line of other undergarments’ ad flaunting heavy muscles, fails to hit any chord, at least to me. I actually didn’t get what Saif wanted to tell dancing on race track and surpassing other contenders! Was it, be careless and win? Wearing Amul Macho!? Don’t tell me! Second ad where he fights villains just saying it ‘like that’, is another hilarious story where I bemused is it Poppins ad or what?! This ad is in complete contrast with the vest-ad Akshay Kumar worked in, beating the goons actually. Shayd baniyan-baniyan ka fark hai (Probably it’s the difference of Vests!). Well, these sets of ‘Macho’ ads do have a suiting tag ‘bade aaram se’ (with well ease).

Sallu bhai promoting Dicxy Scott

Not very sure, but few years back probably Salman Khan was endorsing Amul Macho. I remember a still ad where Salman in vest was posing with a lion. Anyways, he’s nowadays endorsing Dicxy Scott. Change of personal preference, no comments!

Hritik 'feeling like a Macroman'

Hritik Roshan’s Rupa Macroman ad too ends interestingly impressing a girl, dropping the curtain with Macroman emblem. I’m still in process to understand what ‘Live like a Macroman’ means! Chaddhi ka Chamtakar!

Interestingly all the ads, are though representing some undergarment company, none advertises briefs. Few of the ads that I remember where a brief was actually shown on Indian TV, includes the infamous ‘Yeh to bada toing hai’ Amul macho; and Syed Zulfi’s Euro underwear ad where he gets kissed all over the body. Perhaps, it would take time to build the leg muscles for Bolly biggies to match the models; or some courage to bare all on national television.

All said it’s difficult for me to think about someone who’ll not go for own comfort and wear something that his role model wears. What do you do? But, certainly a celebrity endorsements would be doing wonders to a product. In fact I would have not know brands(!) like Dicxy or Dollar Club hadn' I seen someone like Akshay or Salman promoting it. Personal preference comes later. Perhaps, this is the domain where those who design these ads, know the market better than anyone else. Especially better than someone like me, who enjoys criticising anything irrespective of the one's domain acquitnace! :p

In fact, do the starts wear what they endorse? Hmmm…A million dollars question I guess! :)

P.S.: Author is self-proclaimed non-sensibly flamboyant in his fashion views and likes to brag all about he doesn’t have any sense. This is his second post on ‘what he thinks is’ Fashion, and first on ‘what he feels on’ Advertising. Forgive him! ;)

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