An emotional connect. That is what viewers respond to best, our latest Top of the Mind ad survey shows.
The best on-air advertisement in the month of May, according to the Mint-Synovate-TVAd Indx survey—which covers 750 randomly chosen consumers—is Airtel National (STD). It is followed closely by another Airtel TV spot with the same theme and the Vodafone pug series.
So, whether it is the Airtel couple, actors R. Madhavan and Vidya Balan, expressing their love through prolonged silences over the cellphone or the Vodafone pug’s devotion to the cherubic girl, it is these gentle emotions that, quite literally, rule the airwaves.
Agrees Future Brands CEO Santosh Desai: “May has turned out to be a better month, with some very good work, albeit largely from one category.” The two Airtel ads also figure in his list of favourites, though for different reasons. “This is the first campaign where Airtel has come close to finding its voice,” he says. In the case of the Vodafone commercial, he says that with this ad, “the brand rediscovers its deft touch”.
Even Max New York Life Insurance’s TV spot (at No.9 on our list), which JWT India managing partner Rohit Ohri dubs the best ad, falls in this category of “emotional connect”.
Our feelings about death and the resultant refusal to even think about the repercussions make life insurance a difficult subject to work upon, says Ohri. The advertisement, therefore, breaks new ground as it talks in a language that connects with viewers. “The Max ad gently opens customers’ minds to the unpredictable nature of life,” says Ohri. Gentle is the word here, again.
The usual suspects—Cadbury (with its Gems at No.2, against Perk’s No.1 position in April), Parle-G (moving up two ranks to the No.7 position)—are all there on our list, as their creatives continue bringing out new series of eye-catching work.
There’s one surprise. For a month that saw a lot of the Indian Premier League action, on and off the field, when many companies had cricketers endorsing their brands, only Pepsi’s M.S. Dhoni commercial finds a place in our rankings—that too at No.11. Was it a case of too much of a good thing, or viewers’ ennui?
Rival fruit drinks—Slice, Maaza and Rasna—fought it out during the month, heralding the season of mangoes. And Slice mango drink took a big slice of the cake, with its spoof on the Kamasutra. Its “Aamsutra” campaign with actor Katrina Kaif scored 100% on brand recall and likeability, winning, overall, the sixth position.
Rediffusion-Dentsu, Young & Rubicam
A follow-up to an earlier ad; a man (actor R. Madhavan) away on work calls up his wife (actor Vidya Balan) to say goodnight. He has already called eight times, she tells him, but both stay on the line, waiting for the other to disconnect. The voice-over: ‘Kabhi pyaar ke beech dooriyan na aayen’ (let distance not come in the way of love).
Ogilvy and Mather