Top television ads in November: When love triumphed

It was a night to remember, her last in town. But trust actor Ranveer Singh to use his charm and some great pictures to hold back his lady love. The ad campaign for smartphone company Vivo’s V5 phone stole hearts and the top spot on the Mint-Ipsos-TVAdIndx survey for November.

add_main_imageTitled Another Night, the campaign was shot entirely in Budapest over two days. Created by Lowe Lintas and shot by LinProductions, along with noted film-maker Richard D’Lassio, the campaign tells the story of a young couple who share an evening together before she leaves for her country. They go through town, taking in the lights, sights and sounds of beautiful Budapest, which creates a scenic backdrop for the love story.

As the evening wears on, Singh captures all these moments on his Vivo V5 phone, which has a 20-megapixel camera, and a moonlight glow instead of a simple flash function. mobAds

The night comes to a close and he sees her off in a cab. There is a bittersweet smile on his face as the cab drives away. Just as she is remembering the moments they spent together, she receives photographs from Singh. When she looks at the selfies of their evening together, she finds hidden messages in each of the pictures. They hint at the fact that he loves her and doesn’t want her to leave. She makes her way back to find him, and the ad ends on a happy note—she decides not to leave.

The focus of the campaign was to highlight the fact that the Vivo V5 phone had a 20 MP front camera, making it an ideal product for selfie-loving youngsters. And a soft front “Moonlight glow” to help take better selfies in the dark.thirdMAds

The campaign was shot in Budapest through the night, for the film needed to highlight the product’s superiority as the perfect selfie phone.

“We picked Budapest as it is one of the most beautiful places by night. This was essential to highlight the features of the phone, namely the 20 MP front camera and moonlight glow. Not to mention the fact that the location also weaves some amount of romance into the narrative,” says Rajiv Chatterjee, executive vice-president, Lowe Lintas, Delhi.

While this ad could have easily slipped into product demonstration mode, experts say, its strength lies in its ability to deliver that information through a beautiful love story.

“It’s a great piece of storytelling. There are many shots highlighting the moonlight selfie feature but instead of compressing them into a single section called the product window, they are scattered throughout the storyline. This allows you comprehend the picture quality of each selfie without rushing it,” says Raghu Bhat, founder director, Scarecrow Communications Ltd.

“The plot of ‘impending separation’ creates the necessary drama and connects with a young audience that wants to maximize every moment,” he adds. “The melody is beautiful. The camerawork evokes the night-lit architectural beauty of Budapest and makes you feel like watching it more than once.”