Every brand needs a story that strikes a chord with its audience. There are so many exciting marketing campaigns and commercials that not only help brands sell their products but also capture hearts through heartwarming stories. The TalkOver brings you some of our favourite campaigns of all time, told through our team members’ perspectives.
With the season of colour upon us, we decided to check out some great advertisements by various brands on the occasion of Holi. While Sudhanshu chose the ‘More Together’ campaign by social media giant Facebook which was launched during Holi 2020, Sakshi decided to pick the campaign labelled ‘Rang Laaye Sang’ by Surf Excel from Holi 2019. Whilst both the brands focus on bringing people together, the paths chosen are quite divergent. Read the individual reviews to know how these two brands have interpreted the idea of colours bringing people together, in their own heartwarming ways.
This beautiful campaign by Facebook, labelled ‘More Together’ was launched in India in March 2020, just before the nightmare of the virus took over our lives. The advertisement perfectly captured the essence of Holi and the holiday spirit that it entails. Translated in 8 languages and showcased on TV and Social Media, the campaign earned huge praise from people in the advertising world.
Created by the agency – Taproot Dentsu, the advertisement showcases a young Indian named Ketan, living in Romania who through Facebook gets updates about his friends playing Holi together in India. This FOMO is experienced by several students who are either studying or working abroad. Before there are any more spoilers suggest you have a look at the advertisement below:-
We have over 32 million Indians living abroad, most of whom can’t make it back for most of the major Indian festivals. Imagine them being able to enjoy certain festivals due to the power of an application. The advertisement is able to capture how the world is beautifully connected using Facebook, which has managed to break the actual physical barriers between people.
In the ad, you can see the Romanian connections answer the call to bring Holi to Romania. Using whatever they can find to create colours “Romanian Style”, these guys head to the store where Ketan works and invite him outside to play Holi. “More Together” captures the cultural nuances of togetherness and the festival perfectly.
‘The more you open up to the world, the more the world opens up to you’
Facebook, nicely done.
On Holi, every year, Surf Excel comes up with a vibrant campaign that captures the essence of this festival in unique ways. Their 2019 campaign became my favourite. The choice of using a pleasing visual to portray a powerful message won over many hearts.
Their idea of “Apnepan ke rang se auron ko rangne main daag lag jaaye, toh DAAG ACCHE HAIN!” was not only an excellent extension of Surf Excel’s popular tagline, but also a prominent message on bringing people together – a core part of Indian festivities.
The use of a noisy Indian mohallah setup, showing a typical Holi morning where kids are playing with colours and water, is a very relatable scenario for all viewers. The story starts with a girl asking her friends to throw colours and splash water on her – a very unusual call that leaves viewers curious. The climax shows the girl helping a boy who wants to go for his daily prayers (namaz) by shielding him from all the colours, painting a delightful picture of friendship, love and solidarity. The end of the commercial brings in smiles as the girl drops him off outside the Mosque to say – you’ll be coloured after your prayers though!
Despite its humane messaging, this commercial managed to fall prey to controversies. Charges of ‘Love Jihad’ and ‘Namaz being portrayed as more important than Hindu festivities’ were levied. Surf Excel was forced to take the ad down. However, the commercial did make an unforgettable impact on a vast number of viewers.
In my opinion, the commercial was a very optimistic approach to promoting the idea of communal harmony. Well done, Surf Excel!