BackSpot Light | Bharat Nirman
The ads could have been more interesting and could have brought core issues to the fore
Premium
Missing the emotion
Reviewer: Sandeep Bomble
He is the creative head of Mumbai-based advertising agency Palasa Creative Place, which he founded in 2004. In an advertising career spanning 20 years, across agencies such as Ogilvy & Mather and J Walter Thompson, Bomble has worked on campaigns for Pond’s, Nakshatra jewellery and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation, among others.
CAMPAIGN
Bharat Nirman is a series of ads run by the Union government and commissioned by its ministry of information and broadcasting. One of the ads, by Percept H Pvt. Ltd, is on the reach and affordability of the telecommunication network. It shows members of a family attending to various chores on a wedding day—they use their phones and tablets to order food, arrange transport, etc.
The concept is really good and a lot can be done to showcase the idea. It is a positive step to talk about the developments in India but the TVCs (television commercials) seem to be product-driven and have not touched on the progress of the common man. The TVCs could have been more interesting and could have taken core issues like drought, corruption, roads, electricity, etc., to the fore instead of trivial things like mobiles or a villager talking about elevators in the Metro. Though this TVC shows the reach of phones, it gets boring midway and looks like an ad for a mobile phone.
What would you have done differently?
The campaign could have better captured the emotions of people. For example, we needn’t show the rural man as a tourist in his own country, as shown in the “elevator" TVC (another ad from the campaign). It would have been better if there was more interaction between the government and the common person. It would be good to touch upon India’s place in the world and how it can bring about meaningful change.
Does the campaign work in maintaining a political message while keeping intact the creative aspect?
Not really, it was an opportunity missed.
How would you pitch this against the ‘India Shining’ campaign that the Bharatiya Janata Party rolled out in 2004?
We cannot draw comparisons between the two since both have their own merits. The India Shining campaign made us proud of our country while the Bharat Nirman campaign makes us feel good about the developments in the country.
Any other similar campaigns in India or internationally that have caught your attention?
In recent times, only Barack Obama’s Yes We Can/Change We Can Believe In campaign has caught my eye. The campaign stands out for its simplicity and strong vision.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
