Breaking the clutter

We have time and again been talking about the increased competition among brands and the importance to do something new, to set a new benchmark and still stand for what the brand originally is. And brands are indisputably going all out to achieve the unachieved, to break the clutter, to stand out. How important is it to still stay relevant and smart? Here are two contemporary case studies.

A recent digital campaign by Manforce Condoms is talking about “Safe Sex” in a way we have not imagined before. The brand, in its latest campaign, triggers an alarm in every couple’s mind and warns them of the not-so-talked-about consequences of filming their intimate moments. Yes, this time the brand is talking about safe sex in a much broader context. Pegging on India Today Sex Survey 2017 figures that state that around 19 per cent of Indian couples film their intimate moments, the new campaign by Manforce underlines how the act makes them vulnerable to illegal pornography and voyeurism.

In the three minute seventeen seconds advert, Manforce is yet again doing its part in addressing the various tangible and intangible issues related to safe sex. At a point in time when other brands in the category are beating the same bush of using a condom for safe sex, Manforce is taking a much bigger stand and asking couples to #ShutThePhoneUp. What makes the campaign clutter breaking is not just the messaging, but its overall success. In just one month of the campaign launch, the video has garnered over 20 million hits on YouTube; and that is, without that, a big sign of success for a campaign with a long format film such as this one.
On the other side:

While the #ShutThePhoneUp campaign proves one way of standing out with pure relevance and rich content, another campaign explains the same in a rather unpleasant way. I happened to see the full-length TV advert of the upcoming BMW X2 on YouTube, and my one word feedback is - disappointed. Why? For a lot of reasons. The production quality does not match with that of a premium segment automobile, it looks more like a mid-range segment market such as Maruti Suzuki or Fiat or Nissan. The concept of the ad does not complement the dynamics of the new car in the much popular X series; the copy is not brilliant either.

There is some shady, grumpy looking guy who throws his gold chains on the floor as the first sign of ‘giving up’ and being unique. The car emerges and then the man is seen doing weird things outside the car like breaking statues (here is where the super ‘be unique’ shows up), plucking a golden flower (from an apparently dangerous set up) for a lady sitting on the passenger seat and chasing a man who is operating some kind of a spider bot (reminded us of Dr. Otto Octavius from Spiderman).

X2 is a path breaking, bold and thrilling addition to the X series; and the advert does no justice to the car or the brand, at all. BMW has not just made the best driving machines but also had thrilling films to get us excited about them; much like the M 135i advert or ‘Walls - M Powered performance’ campaigns).

And now this childish pretentiously hip advert is very disappointing from an automaker that spends years just perfecting the shape of the headlamp. It aches our heart. Not so thrilling, sorry.

By:Tushar Kalawatia