Favorite old ads are making a comeback. Did they have to disappear, in the first place?.
Is this revival of old commercials a trend? Or just the action of some smart marketers who are realizing that they have good stuff in their own cupboards that can be brought out and screened again to an old audience that recognizes them and a new audience that is bound to like them? And more significantly, are there consumers who prefer these old ads to the current crop and would much rather see them?
In the early days of brand-comm, the communications consultancy firm that I founded and that I (occasionally) work for, we did an interesting consulting assignment for Parry’s Coffy Bite. For the benefit of those who may not have a sweet tooth or may not have tasted that wonderful bite of confectionery priced at the magical figure of 50 paise, it has a distinctive taste that is a unique blend of coffee and toffee. Children loved the forbidden coffee taste and adults enjoyed the toffee taste.
The first commercial done for the brand was arguably the best, featuring the father and his eight-year-old son both chewing the candy enthusiastically with the son saying “Coffee!” while the father said “Toffee!” and the argument started and continued over the years. Simple thought, clear position, effectively executed. Consumers liked the toffee, not to mention the ad, the brand did well and everyone was happy.
Came the time to change the commercial and complicating the issue was the fact that adults too were tasting the product and enjoying it, and slowly but surely, the focus moved from the taste of the candy to the argument and boy, was it continued! Commercials were made on a number of people having arguments. The commercials became cleverer, the subjects more convoluted and the taste platform was deserted in favor of this more exciting platform, for advertising, at least. The advertising won awards even as the brand, hit as it was by the entry of brands such as Alpenliebe, started to feel the heat in the marketplace.
We came in to look at the situation objectively and all the research seemed to point to a few obvious things. While adults consumed the product, if it happened to be at home, they were not going out to actively buy it. The primary consumer and the heavy user was the kid aged between 8 and 14 years and the product’s key attribute was its unique blend of coffee and toffee. The client and agency had moved to the more intellectual terrain of arguments from the taste and it was an obvious solution to come back to the original position that the taste is so good that it is difficult to say whether the taste is coffee or toffee and even run the same ten-year-old commercial for a short time before another execution could be done.
The Tamil poet Kannadasan might have written that the “legs that stray from the right road will not reach their destination” but brands can be more fortunate. They can come back to either running their old commercial or at least reviving the earlier position that served them so valiantly in the past.
Nootruku Nooru Vajram
Another brand which taught us interesting lessons was Vajram, a brand of cement from Dalmia that brand-comm had branded, created the packaging and advertising for and launched in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The communication and branding were research-based and the television commercial ‘Nootruku Nooru’ Vajram resonated in homes in Tamil Nadu that avidly watched Sun TV. The brand was one of the most successful cement brands launched in Tamil Nadu and soon became the company’s mainstay. The commercial ran for several years and the client, and sometimes even the agency, got tired of it.
Every year at dealer meets we would ask the dealers the same question – “Should we change the commercial?’ – and the dealers would look at us as if they had been told ‘India is the best T20 team in the world’ and echo a resounding “No!” I am sure they must have been often wondering if the brand was in safe hands. ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ might well have been their impression. Several years later, just recently, in fact, the commercial has been changed. I do not wish to comment on that as we no longer handle the communication, but I just wonder! I am sure the results will soon be out for the customer tells us in no uncertain terms what she thinks about the communication and the brand.
People of my age may be forgiven for living in the past and going back to ‘those good old days’ when batsmen walked and bowlers politely questioned umpires and where captains did not blame IPL parties for their lackluster performance. Similarly too, ads were few and far between just like cricket matches and people remembered ads and spoke about them, as they did about deeds on the cricket field. All of this leads me to the key point that I wish to make:
Why can’t agencies run some of their old commercials for the brand rather than creating new, expensive advertising which often enough is not a patch on the old one?
To prove my point: ITC Sundrop had a very successful launch commercial of a boy doing somersaults in the midst of some fluffy puris. I was pleasantly surprised to see the same commercial after several years, a commercial that I had liked even if it did nothing to make me more careful about my spreading waist even if the waist was not accompanied by the usual material prosperity that people associate with it. I also saw a commercial featuring Hrithik Roshan where a little boy is having difficulty watching a match in a dealer outlet because taller, stronger, more insensitive people were blocking his view. He sits dejected on the pavement only to be joined by Hrithik Roshan who sees his predicament and switches on the match in his mobile on R World and Yuvraj hits a six and the world erupts.
Yes, my friend, those were the days Yuvraj was fit, was hitting sixes and India was winning matches and commercials were working. Again I am getting sidetracked. Another commercial that I saw recently and that was made earlier was for Mak lubricants featuring a young, sexily dressed girl with the song ‘ Jawaani something something’ playing in the background (You must forgive me, I can remember the tune and the music but cannot remember the Hindi words).
Is this revival of old commercials a trend? Or just the action of some smart marketers who are realizing that they have good stuff in their cupboards that can be brought out and screened again to an old audience that recognizes them and a new audience that is bound to like them? And more significantly, are there consumers like me who prefer these old ads to the current crop and would much rather see them?
The paint of India
Asian Paints is one of India’s most savvy marketers and I have always loved its advertising. Whenever I have had the opportunity I have written, spoken about and brought it out as case studies in my classes and training sessions. Take the case of the Asian paints Apex which too has had some outstanding advertising over the years. It started with ‘Sunil Babu’ whose tone of voice and style of delivery became a way of speech in India and when it got translated into Tamil the ‘ Kalkarrey Chandru’ became a part of the local idiom of Tamil Nadu. What more can a copywriter hope for?
The next ad was for Apex Ultima and featured another popular TV commercial (in my book, at least) of a Chote Nawab standing in front of racing horses who kick up a cloud of dust. The villagers are astonished and the shaken Nawab preens himself ready to receive the accolades of the villagers rushing towards him. He finds to his consternation, however, that the villagers are running towards the house and the line says ” Haan toh bhai, bahari diwaron par dhool ko tikne na de” which I am told is ‘Dust can never remain on a wall painted with Apex Ultima’. Even if I did not understand the words, it made sense to me and an impact on me.
I wish I could say the same about the new Apex Ultima commercial featuring a performing magician who is able to make the house disappear but not the paint. I can’t explain why the ad leaves me cold. Is it because I prefer the older, simpler ones? Is it because the brand suddenly tries to be upmarket and suave in startling contrast to the earlier ones? Of course, the standard responses of agency types to statements such as these are usually “You are not the target audience?” Excuse me, but I am, I am just building a house in a golfing resort in preparation for my retirement and in the hope that my golf handicap becomes less of an embarrassment!
At stumps
So here are a few thoughts for your consideration:
Are you getting tired of your commercial before your customer is? Have you checked with the consumer or the trade?
Does it still have legs? Have you measured wear-out?
Who is pushing for change, you or your agency? (One client shared the funny problem of the new creative director in the agency trashing the client’s commercial made by his predecessor in the same agency and pushing for change).
liveramp
memoriams
buchhaltung-einfach-sicher
rx9911
barton
drszt
abc-almaty
loftux
robots2doss
knauer
520dnf
sokuyaku
pasquariellodesign
ooc
trafficland
mentha
ejar
mexam
lunchtonisgu
urlocal
publicaddress
nanoscribe
fromthehipphoto
2004zd
ucbtrainingcenter
americanlisted
cadeauxbarriere
novego
366333v
salaro
sc-heerenveennieuws
597dy
7aexgqz
katahome
8fx
keypal
powerthehouse
hrbzx
dnndevelopers
comstar
markiezenhof
isart
inkandvolt
mancuernasajustables
58fenfa
xn--80akagffuicbyiyee4k
infinitech-h2020
schneider-om
grafiska
quarashi
hi-hog
caparol
sterbinka
trafficox
shewandersabroad
dlink
njuko
burakdemirtas
www-088038
p179
infoclima
fusionbusiness
lactaid
civilspace
stvol
everard-read
oferteo
brand-labo
farmradio
huanhaisl
avlozimamus
freechat
ssdaudio
cottonbird
coinjinja
linedata
villanovo
odwalla
brahmanjournal
plumepoetry
trialog-magazin
ru
audio-cc
505022
communika
brightside
devnw
sutterhome
virgintriumph
palmbay
programmers
vallee-munster
gdmjzs
eventbooking
chrissy
madamecoco
captivatedesigns
fipecafi
souxw
f8th
heralbony
kulina
theralogix
discoverholland
sunrisershyderabad
applelegacy
123moviesfree
geogebra
process-cooling
acmp
catpaisatge
karpitszerviz
multimediaplus
84lhtc
tu11
6t9t6rgn
sma-fac-nagoya
xn--72czpj1fd3b9a3a8g3d
abs-qe
biolabs
abbayedestavelot
antuongweb
ajkerpatrika
phpfusion-4you
morse
necrestorationshow
shadowville
nhydh1
sundhedsformidling
revivme
cyht005
reliam
sohotk
23
dissingweitling
boatrace-miyajima
online–southafrica
ficelzomik
eu4business
clpfoundation
bestpro
cp-lp
vio
keringfoundation
designationcheck
bayesiandeeplearning
ymmav
bums-treff
japan-retail
atheycreek
neotv
nodeposit-s
isolatie-info
cpc
saintmartindheres
keswickmountainfestival
fetra
togel178
lext
win7qjb
chrometaphore
coddyschool
kcai518
8878123
cumlouder
ligand
workwithhuddle
pnuff
hostingclick
penchecks
sauter-asia
spiritualcompetencyacademy
midia13
adr-rose
limbic-life
theveganreview
dokan-dev
vatel
asister
151
basic-computer-skills-class
addix
casius
keyprotlingmonoco
gestion
ambbetsure
gen
arkaos
cardiometabolichealth
dxclinics
videoconsortium
4dpi
www-14478
terpeca
hostvenezuela
wisoky
climatedesk
on
bizlatinhub
inmusicfestival
id-piscine
desipapa2
hztex
mediadev
acyf
stfrancis
glidejs
recella3d
bizouk
simplex
517lvxing
atlantabusinessleague
daftar303
w3toys
osompress
buytranan
apache-kr
jaakhoo
chatapp003
allmalepanels
oeforgood
gg626
nlj
spin
onecallcm
caublokpituba
hypnoterapie-navrh
telhanorte
jbrownyoga
drimsim
superretailgroup
pazarlamaturkiye
repmgr
kylieblog
emprendedorxxi
shenzhen50
hzablzk
mowies
admiralmarkets
hypoxico
mosscompany
livet
ipfixe
996
ericcrooks
subchi
buehrle2018
ladywu
tungsten-powder
taluoxz
koge
yirentong
wenjupifa
oktav
aiyahu
monitin-net
xiaogj
xitehosting
linkaaa
sids-network
incommandtech
deskegubec
diamondproducts
kankou-hadano
apca
unisms
vroooom
creativelocker
hotel-park-soltau
kiosk
shoptop
sdshzkbcn
foto-landgraf
snowhotelkirkenes
stoffwindelberaterin
webmaker
myjibo
ringpower
colgate
5slanka
sandwestclub
5
nomorecoldcalling
bibliotheque-mazarine
fairerfinance
brightvpn
musikfestival-klangwelten
wkuherald
aricent
autosecurite
theweatherlottery
azionecontrolafame
lgbtcenterofraleigh
aliciapatterson
jusbeauty
cics
primasite
proverfac
www-18849
abloy
12x12challenge
lacittadisalerno
wonenlimburg
creativedonline
nfveolia
conservateur
schneidersf
baysideautosalesreviews
bofrost
slik
kube
octagate
fitszu
trenalasnubes
herfeed
wakeupcopenhagen
connecterra
tungsten-jewellery
xyedav
logoinn
meridiani
colmcille
jsdlwy
shobara-info
genkgo
virtualchair
davidstuart
bsssc
ep
house123
kinoaero
kpcb
3656791
dementia
makeupstore
www-450456
semantic-web
zyhrjz
1930yabo
gameswg
saphanajourney
bluepoint
main
airat
mandestripalex
culturaniteroi
1984publishing
viaducdelasouleuvre
vispring
vrztpr
trackmyshipment
uhas
codeed
mattelcommunications
aspen-benelux
h2greensteel
godssimpleplan
mesimedical
optisage
rushantour
neotyris
museumkampa
h365
office701
schachturniere
fasowi
bspu
materace
shortcat
feltwithlovedesigns
euhubs4data
easypark
kgp2022
lodgicalcrs
nautismequebec
lmpm
yiqihecheng
80topic
cvilleinnovation
histoires-vraies
free-templates
voorbeeld
teachforkorea
kutinawa
eirakuya
salientsys
jucai360
yxxcl168
pirate-bay
fema
bintangslot
lansi-uusimaa
casa-sombra
thewhiteramekins
poprad
pixelclear
suntex
palnyc
kpai
nchems
blackelitedating
uwp
liangyi
kcumb
nobod
mira
gbcstories
kupi-stanok
auctionata
fucksites
presleydesignstudio
embalagemmarca
vc52
visitludington
portaildurebond
mapcon
forex-euro-dollar
sang
lci
sordoff
thebigsort
landscare
getseismic
selaluib88
visualcarlow
cselt
neyimvar
piuka
planikafires
doorsun
intercaretraining
energy-solutions
pixelgrinder
devutils
shemale
mizuha
tellart
cswiki
johnpaulataker
irkernel
bearspawgunslingers
worldlibrary
mivv
antamedia
posdata
hookdatfishing
calvinklein
lesmamanswinneuses
csronereporting
utazu
londe
bdrcs
deejo
citicsteel
kentight
lixingyong
opisagencia
cmfri
jalada
cmgcodisha
jsqlmy
gzpl
contourcrafting
vhs-esslingen
4xfreedom
mfwbooks
pizzabrain
evcilbesinleri
bitcoinargentina
gordonandsarahbrown
cektarif
cranestodaymagazine
roudnicenl
sportsmansdream
abc-telegram
withinmarketing
premierranches
golfpropertyusa
american-treasures
emdr
sonrisasdebombay
slotster
eenluxetuin
digitalforms
colorare
belorusneft
knowseobasics
integralmedia
xyladecor
sfl
skotselskolan
lucentdynamics
onepiece-swimsuit
ultimatesmallshop
jquery-backstretch
carepatrol
paperbox-arts
mind
asprinkleofjoy
uniqlo
extin
launchmusicconference
fantasticfrank
leadbazaar
cosmiquestudio
hakutake
ibapi
vpn88
txcivilrights
cfis
bluedognyc
trustedblockchain
uac
hiwinner
tlmjcfw
rotary1990
zalabriviba
bohemio
healthymaterials
validationstation
generik-templatesyard
intersectpalmsprings
vilsa
