Spot Light | The angst of BB boys
Spot Light | The angst of BB boys
Reviewers: Raghu Bhat and Manish Bhatt
Campaign
The new advertisement for Vodafone BlackBerry by Ogilvy and Mather Pvt. Ltd shows a number of men in suits reminiscing about the days when BlackBerry phones were used strictly for work. They talk, or rather sing (morosely), about the fact that the younger generation uses this brand of phones for chatting and to be on the social network.
First thoughts on the advertisement?
The objective is to communicate that a BlackBerry lets you do loads of exciting stuff and not just email for Rs5. It also seeks to expand the customer base by initiating young people into BlackBerry. Hence, the idea of creating a “suit-wearing BlackBerry boy band". The ad stays faithful to all the nuances of a typical Boyz II Men video. For instance, shots of the members staring at different corners of the universe, with angst-ridden facial expressions arising out of betrayal (bewafai) or separation (viraha). The technique of superimposing the angst (the old BlackBerry boys) with the cause of the angst (the new BlackBerry boys) is a great way to depict the information about new usage habits.
What would you have done differently?
Your thoughts on BlackBerry’s previous commercials?
Even the earlier BlackBerry ad was highly original. They created an extendable property that Vodafone can dip into whenever they want.
Is this a tough category to work on, given the competition?
The smartphone category is growing at a fast clip. Broadly, the smartphone would attract two kinds of users: the business executive and the youth. The business segment has been a traditional stronghold for BlackBerry, with strong loyalty. But BlackBerry would want to be considered when the non-business user seeks to upgrade to a smartphone. Plus, there is a possibility of the younger business segment migrating to a sportier smartphone. If these issues are not addressed, BlackBerry sales in India could stagnate, like they have in the West. It’s a complex communication task.
Some memorable telecom ads you have seen?
The Telecom Italia ad, directed by Spike Lee, that showed Mahatma Gandhi talking in front of a camera device that broadcasts his message all over the world. This ad brought alive how telecommunications can make an idea travel and change the world.
As told to Anushree Chandran.
anushree.m@livemint.com
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