Cruze:is it running or stationary?

It is always intriguing whether the creator of an Ad is able to successfully communicate what is desired.

There is a general belief that it is enough to influence the target audience, the decision makers. For example if I don't belong to the target audience it does not matter whether I understand the communication or not. To an extent it is acceptable.

A recent example of this I could see in the advertisement of Chevrolet's Cruze.

(If needed click on the image to see an enlarged picture)

What I could understand : RESPECT ! is what Cruze would 'command' Big and Bold.

1) It is the largest car with the most powerful engine in its class. Push button start - fully understood

2) 150 PS 2.0L VCDi diesel engine - 2000 cc diesel engine, okay; what is 150 PS ? some one has to explain me

3) Corvette inspired twin -cockpit - Blank :((

4) 5 star ANCAP safety rating - some better safety standard has been incorporated. What is ANCAP ?

An auto-buff may find it more interesting than a commoner like me. No harm. I still perceive it as a new model, high end car.

However there are certain aspects, like visuals, which anyone can see and appreciate the way it compliments the theme of the advertisement.

In Chevy's case there seem to be some laxity in the post-shooting Art Work

The front tyre shown gives the impression that Cruze is coming to a halt after a cruise. 'Halt' because it is indoors. There is some motion still, felt by the viewer as the wheel-hub is quite shaky and no clear focus like a moving object. However the bumper betrays the fact that all along it was only a stationary car. Any one can see the reflection of the grill-work on it bar by bar under excellent focus !! The rear wheel too very clearly indicates the stationary status of the car. Where was the need to give a motion effect to the front wheel?

Such a great car is parked in an exhibition hall (that is my guess ) and photographed from an angle as if there was no room to stand and shoot ?

To me the visual does not adequately supplement the greatness of most powerful car 'Cruze'.

Indian Oil Corporation: xtrapremium at what cost ?

We all know what Literacy is, but do you know what is Numeracy ?

Numeracy is the ability to understand the numbers (particularly with respect to Data or Statistics ) in correct perspective for a better understanding.

One can Make or Break any thing with the help of right (or wrong) use of numbers. All our politicians & economists know it :))

Generally I use xtrapremium petrol for my car as it results in lesser carbon deposit and higher mileage and overall smoother operation as claimed by Indian Oil Corporation. It is achieved by an additive and naturally there is a premium on it.

The cost difference is Rs 2.50 per litre of petrol in Bangalore. Normal Petrol is Rs 50.66 and Xtrapremium is 53.16 per litre.

Once while filling at the Petrol station a friend remarked "Oh that is 5 % more. Do you get 5% extra mileage ?"

Honestly I had no way of verifying this as city traffic conditions don't permit us a fair evaluation.


In a recent advertisement IOL claims 2.79 % improvement in fuel efficiency for their Xtrapremium. The first thought was "with drivers having diverse practices and idiosyncrasies this advantage is too thin and may not be realizable in most cases. Everyone knows that the results reported are under ideal test conditions and as such not effective in city driving.".

Then I recollected the reaction of my friend. Does it mean that I am getting only 2.79 % more mileage for using the premium petrol ? Am I paying 5 % more and get only 2.79 % advantage ? prima facie everyone seemed to agree.

My numeracy is under test ! Somehow I felt that our IOL energy experts cannot be that foolish to charge more for a lesser benefit. I decided to delve deep in to it. I did some quick calculations.

Say by filling 2 litre of normal petrol ( @Rs 101.32) I will be able to drive up to 32 Km whereas 2 litres of xtrapremium (@Rs 106.32) would take me additional 0.8928 Kms assuming 2.79% better mileage.

In terms of cost per Km of travel I incur Rs 3.166 with normal petrol and Rs 3.232 with xtrapremium. This is about 6.63 paise more per Km. If we interpret this data as % increase of cost (6.63/316) x 100 = 2.09 %

That's it. For a benefit of 2.79 % fuel efficiency the consumer is made to pay 2.09 % more. Nothing great but nothing much to complain also.

But what a way to realize this truth !! Does any average consumer have time to realize this fact through tortuous calculations? Most people would do what my friend did, jump to quick conclusion. Yes, most of us are still not numerate

To avoid such misgivings IOL's Advertisement needs to be more explicit in terms of cost economics -apart from making a simple statement of fuel efficiency.

It may be highlighted in terms of savings in billions of rupees to the National Exchequer or a qualified assessment of savings in maintenance cost of the vehicle (because of Friction Buster). These information must form as part of the body copy. Then there is a possibility of avoiding the misgivings that may arise in the common man's mind.

The success of communication lies in not giving room to further questions or doubts but proactively answer many that may arise while reading the message. From that point of view IOL's AD falls short of clarity though the fact has been furnished without exaggeration.

They may be congratulated for that as in World of Advertisement it is hard to find true reporting of facts.

I hate ugly

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

Can we add a corollary " ............so do ugly "

I am a naivete vis a vis the fashion world. May be it is a reason why I am unable to appreciate the recent Ad by the Allen Solly.


The visual carries a bold message 'I hate ugly' and the copy says
"who says I have to like things the way they are ? What doesn't look good to me, I change"

The self assertion of the girl implies to convey that

'if a particular attire is not to my liking, I have the liberty to choose what I wear; (and in this context) Allen Solly provides the new range of casuals'

.....the message is terribly off the mark both in the visual and the Copy.

Why ?

The popular adage is "Eat for yourself and Dress for others".

When it comes to attire what I like need not look good on me. This is true for most of us irrespective of age or sex.

Thus the self assertion of the girl hardly matters to others. If she chooses to dress in a particular way it is her choice. It is for others to say whether it suits her or not. Here self assertion does not take her to any new heights.

A half page Ad in a Sunday Special edition, sans Allen Solly's Logo, seem to deliberately made out as an eye catcher. But then there are plenty of ways to catch the eye, why an Ad like this !!

I hate Ugly
--------------------------
Post script :

"who says I have to like things the way they are ?

We don't know . Is it your mom Dad or brother, any uncle, aunt or teacher ?

What doesn't look good to me, I change

By all means please do as long as it is your property and you don't trespass in to someone else's territory.

Smiling your way to Tax Office

Madam, what on earth are you doing ?

Can't you see ? I am posing for the camera

You are in the kitchen all right, why do you do need a laptop there ?

I don't know. The Agency asked me to hold a knife in the right hand and a mouse in the left.

Oh ! that's why you are smiling so wide. I only hope that you don't mess around with the Laptop !

No yaar! that one is a dummy laptop.

So what did you think when the Agency asked you to pose like that ?

I thought I am supposed to make a new recipe watching a demo through the laptop.

But you were supposed to pay taxes........

What tax? they paid me peanuts for that Ad after deducting all taxes.

Ah ah ah ahhaaaaaa
-------------------------------

Jokes apart, the SBI e-Tax AD leaves a sense of disappointment with regard to the copy and the visuals. The communication lacks appropriateness to the context.

The thought process in making the advertisement seem to run like this:

They wish to convey that e- tax payments are made easy.

To connote "easy" they wished to use a lady handling the issue. A common understanding is that women don't take much interest in tax matters.

With a lady in the visual the reader is "bound" to believe that it has been made easy :))

Having decided to use a lady the backdrop, naturally, must be a kitchen.



Kitchen means- scatter an assortment of vegetables, hang a pan spout etc on the wall, and an out of focus shelves, the kitchen is ready

Now the role of the copy writer starts. Oh its a kitchen !!!!. Then there must be a reference to a "recipe".

See with what difficulty the word recipe has been incorporated to justify the visuals

"My recipe to save tax payment hassles and time ?"

Did they write the Copy for visuals or created the visual for the Copy, I still wonder.

Chicken and Egg syndrome !!

An educative AD like this needs a simple straight forward message.They do not have to rely on models or play of words to capture the attention of readers.

A visual of thronging crowd at the Tax collection Centre with an inset picture of a person holding a laptop -at the comfort of his/her home- showing the SBI-eTax browser page prominently would have been more appropriate.

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Amul - Something is missing !

Here is one of Amul's new genre of advertisement.





It is obvious that Amul likes to establish its rapport with the younger generation.

The visual shows young pregnant lady -attired in spaghetti Tops and Jeans trousers-  holding out' the 'new life'.

This is the best what they could think about it, "Builds life".

It is somewhat amateurish,  pictured in a demonstrative manner. Somewhere the aestheitics is lost.

There is an artificiality in the manner in which her 'hubby' is carrying the milk pack and their smiles.

Amul CALCI+ is supposed to build bones. Here it is played from the emotive angle,the new baby. It is well known that milk is a good source of calcium.

In what way Amul CALCI+ is superior to rest (either branded or un branded) of the milk being sold ?

Is it fortified ?

Among the other variants both 'Tazza' and 'Shakti' are labelled as "Homogenized Toned Milk". What makes them different ?

Unless one visits a super market and takes trouble to go through the contents it may not be easy to know the difference.

It is understandable, some local Brands  constrained by small budget  producing  this quality of Advertisement.

It does not go well with  Amul that had already etched a SMC image( Super Marketing Company)  in the consumer's mind :(

Nature has its own way.....

The advertisement in reference has an intriguing copy "nature has its own ways of telling you to shut up and sit down"

I could think of different interpretations for it :)

1) shut up your troubling mind and get immersed in the beauty around

2) your aching legs tells you to sit down, but the shoes are ready to take you anywhere

3) tell your,unseen,fiancee to stop her 'blah blah' and enjoy Nature

Coming to the visual part, the reflection in water could have been in focus and a little more colorful to imply something marvelous, being enjoyed by the trekker.

The picture depicts an unused, new pair of shoes. It would have been more realistic had it carried some dirt and soil on it to symbolize that it had tread an untreaded path in its exploration.

After all, the punch line is 'Explore More'

The advertisement has a good copy but fell short of capturing its full spirit in visuals. Nevertheless it catches your eye without fail.