TVC: Recharge nahi - Freecharge
By Malay Desai By: Lowe Lintas Online recharge platform Freecharge’s first commercialis a dig at nagging parents. It featuresurban men and women impersonating their parentsby listing their taunts about various expenses.These include taunts on coffees, outings, clothes and general jibes about spending money. The film winds up in a large classroom wherefour of the children meet many parents and explain how they save on many expenses using Freecharge. The graphics then briefly explain how the appworks, followed by the tagline, “Aaj se recharge nahin, Freecharge.” Do we Like? Some TV commercials etch into memory thanks to inimitable punchlines, unique situations or a strong feeling of relevance with the audience. Thanks to overthinking agencies, underpaying clients and a celeb-obsessed mindset overall, we don't see much of them, and forget the ones we see. Freecharge’s TV debut has checked all the boxes. A four-year-old effort by a serial entrepreneur and the head of a tech conglomerate, Freecharge has been enticing college kids by paying them ‘coupons’ i.e. discount vouchers for the amount they pay their bills with through the platform. Its business modelmakes users believe their mobile recharges are ‘free’ and it connects marketers directly to them. Recently, it raised about 200 crore from investors and have begun spending them well. It’s a ‘kids versus parents’ approach here, and the brand has firmly backed theformer, becoming an ally in the battle between generations. Nearly every line mouthed by the characters (all everyday faces, thumbs up) is what has been said and is being said in middle-class urban homes. They’re all simple lines, perhaps picked from a long list after a fun brainstorm, but they all feel like punchlines. ‘Linking road pe dukaan khol lena’, ’90 rupay ki kaunsi coffee hoti hai?’ are things we’ve heard (applicable if you’re under 30)while ‘Tere papa ka naam Bambani hai, Ambani nahin’ and ‘Baap sessions court mein kamaata hai aur beta food court mein udaata hai!’ are unique, hilarious thoughts.I didn’t mind watching the film over and over again, and if you’re a potential user (mobile users with internet access –that’s a massive TG), you will enjoy it too, and turn into a customer. The ‘charges against us’ wordplay is also a winner, and ‘hum ek kharche se saare charges se free ho jate hai’ is the champion. With the ‘how-this-works’toward the end, all the hilarity ties into a meaningful message. I’ve been an occasionalFreecharge user and will stay so after this ad,ignoring the fact that its logo looks like an electrocuted Facebook logo. To watch the film type in ‘bit.ly/FreechargeTVC’to your browser Social Newsfeed Your regular dose on the shifts in the social media universe Twitter India’s stellar work on #KashmirFloods Our paradise up in Kashmir faced its worst flood in 60 yearslast weekand even as you read this, there might be thousands in disarray.At this national crisis, the folks at Twitter, along with some efficient, tech-savvy volunteers and non-profit outfits have pulled up a stellar feat of using the interwebs and social media to identify people, pass on messages, rake up donations as well as co-ordinate with many agencies. The effort has been organised, single-minded and it utilises several tools, such as the Google personal finder andexcel sheets to update us of requirements. The three-pronged communication – through #JKfloodrelief hashtag and account, and the site jkfloodrelief.org has been dynamic and useful. Incidentally, one of the most active tweeters at the helm of the operation has been Kashmiri Raheel Khursheed, Head of News and Politics at Twitter. Indian Army likes this Look what went viral – a professor’s email! We have mentioned about memes and cat videos and inane Korean dance numbers going viral, but here’s something from a different league, and it’s long, very long. After the University of California workers decided to strike, one Math lecturer and UC Berkeley used the opportunity to extensively speak about the importance of education. His letter is titled ‘Why I’m not cancelling class tomorrow’ and it speaks about the virtues of college studies and in many ways, reminds everyone about the value of education. The email turned into a snowballing forward on Reddit, Facebook and Twitter, and the Prof became an overnight subject of attention. Apparently, it has even made many people quit their part-time jobs and return to studies. J.Asthanalikes this The 100 most influential books (acc to FB) If you have participated in the wildfire trend of listing the ‘top books that impacted you’ on your wall, the activity may not be as useless as it sounds. The folks at the ultimate book, Facebook, have been reading all our lists and have analysed data to make a list of 100 most influential books. With the data sourced from users like us all over the world, the list goes something like this: At number one is the Harry Potter Series, then To Kill a Mockingbird, at three is LOTR by Tolkien, then The Hobbit, Pride and Prejudice, Holy Bible, Hitchhikers Guide and Hunger Games. There are hardly any surprises in the top 20, and it is good to know the world is on the right track. The trend by the way, has spurned several other trends about music and TV shows, which I’m avoiding like Ebola. Chetan Bhagatlikes this
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