TVC: Cinthol–Alive is Offline
By Malay Desai From: CreativelandAsia Taking further its initial campaign of ‘Alive is Awesome’, Godrej’s cosmetic brand Cinthol has launched a new film that urges its target audience to go off the Internet and indulge in nature. The 1.50 minute web version of the film begins with a young man’s phoneringing while he’s enjoying mountain air. The IVR, giving a normal response first, later goes on to describe the world he’s in, but using social media and geek terms. As the man walks through fields, climbs rocks and dips in a pond under a waterfall, he is shown eventually looking at the phone, only to disconnect it. ‘The world is more beautiful than the world wide web’ the copy before the brand signage reads. Do we Like? Nope, and I’ll tell you why. In September 2012, brand Cinthol gave itself a much-needed shower with a fresh idea called Alive is Awesome. The film, beautifully shot, bearing a catchy jingle and desi quirks, implied that using the soap was akin to dipping into icy ponds or bathing on top of an elephant. Cut to 2015, this film tells me that nature > Internet. So? Yes, a growing addiction to the Internet is an epidemic among the brand’s target audience. With every other 20-something you meet struggling to meet your eye because of Whatsapping/Tweeting/Facebooking going on below, it’s a worthy cliff to campaign from. Yes, the film has been shot equally well, although with more generic locations. The many characters of the former film (budgets weren’t as high?) give way to just one guy (dishy, as per one YouTube commenter) who’s wandering about with an Into the Wildagenda in what seems to be Kerala. Yes, the IVR voiceover going on a preachy tangent to go out and enjoy nature is a unique idea. The script virtually writes itself –lines such as ‘a world where you log in without a password’ and ‘you filter your thoughts, not photographs’ are a half-day’s work of any decent copy writer. Yes, the campaign, ironically, has been leveraged through social media and the brand’s online activities are trying hard to create a buzz about this phenomenal idea of logging off and going out for a walk. Also, did I say that it’s refreshing to see a cosmetic advert that overlooks the product’s features and only flaunts the vibe it promises? And that ‘waterfalls’ are becoming synonymous with Cinthol?(Pity the past generation that has no clue how PrietyZintarelates to waterfalls.) Yes, I watched the film and will show it to my geeky teenage cousin who lives on Whatsapp. But Cinthol, wait, you were out to sell a soap, weren’t you? (To watch this film,feed this link in your browser - bit.ly/aliveisoffline) Social Newsfeed Your regular dose on the shifts in the social media universe Twitter more equipped to handle abuse Just last fortnight there was a discussion on Twitter initiated by the BuzzFeed India editor on the hostility that our Internet serves to women and many participants agreed the social webs, especially Twitter aren’t exactly polite to the outspoken girls. I’d like to assume Twitter was listening but it wasn’t, for the network had announced in December itself its efforts to do more to its harassment-reporting process. Now, Twitter reviews five times the reports from what it did previously, and it claims that the ‘response time’ on an average has significantly dropped. Moreover, temporarily banned users may need to verify their email or phone number to restart their account. This, if true, and I will have to ask some of the above debaters, means much relief to the average urban Indian woman on Twitter to be able to ward off abusive trolls. Now if only our police was as active… Chetan Bhagat likes this Arab migrant worker hip-hops his troubles I’ve told you of MNC brands with deep pockets pulling off good stunts on YouTube (read more of that in our fab new section ‘Digital Snoop’) but here’s a story from Saudi Arabia that’s heartening in the usage of the medium and sad for the cause it leads the viewer to look at. A video by Telfaz11, a rap/comedy group has highlighted the plight and living conditions of migrants in Saudi Arabia’s construction sites and factories through hip-hop. What’s garnered the effort over a million views is the fact that the ‘workers’ depicted are actually Saudi comedians dressed as migrants, making a pointed observation for the world to see. While it may be a known fact that migrant workers in the Arab cities have long days and shady dorms, it takes a viral video to show us the locals’ attitudes toward them. Coca-Cola likes this Lovebook –now find a date through FB ads! No wait, I’m not asking you to check out yet another dating service that uses social media innovatively. Here’s something that perhaps those who’ve tried every single one of the two dozen online dating options (and failed) will opt for. To think of it, it’s not a bad idea – use Facebook’s promoted posts and advertising to promote, well, your requirement for a part-time/long-term partner. Depending on Lovebook’s packages, your profile and wish for a partner reaches out to X number of Facebook users, which are strictly defined by you on region, tastes and more filters. So if all things are fair and your tastes match, there are chances your ad will pop up on Deepika Padukone’s timeline. My only bone to pick in this otherwise cool idea is that, why would a single guy/girl advertise to the world his/her need for a partner? Not too much scope in India, is it? Tinder Discards like this
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