AD-Dicted - Catch or Miss || Astha Kabra & Sharad Srinivasan || IIM Shillong || December 2015 edition

PRODUCT: Barbie : Imagine the Possibilities

CATCH

POSITIONING: When a girl plays with Barbie, she imagines everything she can become

CREATIVE AGENCY: BBDO, San Francisco

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1vnsqbnAkk

CONCEPT: 

The two minute advertisement quite brilliantly captures, through hidden cameras, five girls pretending to be professionals in real life environments. Where one girl is a college professor, teaching a group of students about the brain, another girl is a soccer coach instructing her confused team of male athletes to kick those "knees up like a unicorn!" Others include girls enacting the jobs of tour guides, veterinarians and corporate business women. All of this was done to unsuspecting real-life audience, which was definitely pleasantly surprising for everyone.

VERDICT: Catch 

Markathon believes that, considering the scrutiny that Mattel has been going through because of Barbie, the commercial is a welcoming change to turn the company around. The women empowering advertisement with contagious optimism very aptly conveys the idea of ‘imagining the possibilities’ and at the same time creates an emotional bond about the importance of Barbie in a girl’s life. All in all, with 16 million YouTube views in two months, the advertisement will definitely have a positive impact for the brand. Because who wouldn't want to take a life lesson from a little girl?

MISS

PRODUCT: Indian Terrain: Where I BelongPOSITIONING: When a person dons Indian Terrain clothing, he experiences a sense of belongingness which only his home can provide him with.

CREATIVE AGENCY: Unknown

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRgLI8GV6Vc

CONCEPT: 

The setup of the advertisement is in a classy, upscale home in which a man is walking

and thinking to himself. He is projected as a successful, self-made man who has travelled the world and gained significant wealth. But during the course of his career, the experiences he has had have led him to develop a new perspective on life. He looks at all his belongings and thinks back on all that he has achieved. He longs for a sense of belonging which none of his successes have been able to give him. The advertisement ends with the man putting on Indian Terrain clothing and realizing that what he really wants is to go back home, and the Brand Name – Indian Terrain flashes on the screen.

VERDICT: Miss 

Markathon believes that the advertisement fails to connect the idea trying to be conveyed with the product offering of Indian Terrain. For a first time viewer, it would be difficult to imagine what exactly Indian Terrain is trying to sell. Also, although the idea by itself is powerful, the flow of the advertisement is not catchy enough to keep a first time user hooked on to it. All in all, the advertisement fails focus on the basics i.e. product description/details and viewer engagement, making it an easy to forget ad.