Hamam Neem: #GoSafeOutside (TVC 2017)

~ Kolla Krishna Madhavi

While a social change is sweeping across the country, the Hamam Soap ad launched in July 2017 is also doing its bit to bring in a change not just in the thinking of the society, but in equipping oneself for an unwarranted possibility, especially young girls.

Hamam Ad #GoSafeOutside 2017
https://www.kulzy.com

The commercial starts off with the mother catching a news snippet about it being unsafe for women to step outside. She gets apprehensive and when her daughter suggests going alone for tuition, the mother insists on taking her. Seems to be as expected so far, but instead of taking her for tuition, the mother takes her to learn "Silambam", an ancient martial art for self-defense (which was often restricted to men).

Hamam Ad #GoSafeOutside 2017
https://d3bzyjrsc4233l.cloudfront.net/

Later (once her daughter has earned her belt), when her daughter asks her if she is not going to take her to tuition, the mother responds, "No, because now you are ready to go out alone".

Conceptualised by Ogilvy Mumbai, Hamam through its ad is trying to champion safety for women. The message is sensitive and addresses a very important aspect of being properly kitted out. Instead of getting caught off-guard, the mother tries to instill the right level of self-preparedness and confidence in her child. When the girl questions her mother on why she is being made to undergo so much difficulty learning "Silambam" while it is so hot, her mother's statement, "Because I'm your amma" (mother) says it all. 

HUL's Hamam soap was launched in 1931. Since then, the company has a legacy of promoting natural ingredients for skin care, but the recent ad series has stepped up with its active focus on empowering the youth brigade. It is a conscious shift in the brand's approach from just skin cleansing as a part of one's daily ritual to developing safe practices in one's daily life. 

Although the ad is targeted primarily to one state, its message holds good for a wider audience. And irrespective of gender, one needs to be prepared for any eventuality, even if it means going through tough preparation now. 

Get strong and be ready to face the world! 

Go Safe Outside!

                                                                                 Hamam Ad #GoSafeOutside 2017
                                                                            Video Courtesy: Hamam #GoSafeOutside

Images Courtesy: HUL, Hamam, Ogilvy Mumbai, Google Images & other online resources.
Video Courtesy: HUL, Hamam, Ogilvy Mumbai, YouTube & other online resources.

Note:
***Would be wonderful to hear your thoughts. You're also welcome to share the post or quote from it with appropriate credits, but please do not copy or reproduce this article in any format, device or language (human or machine), either in part or in full, without the explicit written permission of the author. Subject to Copyright @2018.
The author has not been paid or compensated in any form for expressing an opinion.

Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed above are purely personal and as understood and interpreted by the author. They're not to be construed as an expert opinion or a formal analysis or deemed as accurate, valid, suitable or complete information in any form or manner. The reader is requested to use their own judgment and understanding for the same. 

None of the products or features discussed above are necessarily, as stated or endorsed by any of the respective companies.

HUL's Comfort Fabric Conditioner: A Small Step Can Make a Big Difference! (TVC 2017)

~ Kolla Krishna Madhavi

The recent ad of Comfort After Wash Fabric Conditioner, a leading product worldwide in this space is a great example of how advertisements can be simple, but very effectively put across a multi-fold communication. The ad shows a regular household, with a mother and her two children, a son and a daughter. The young boy has a typical social conditioning that doing laundry is a woman's job.

Comfort After Wash Fabric Conditioner
Image Courtesy: Social Samosa

Purposefully addressing this, the mother seeks the boy's help to open the bottle lid (predictable so far), but gets her son involved in the washing process (from where things change). She then tells her son that the process is simple, useful, but why only his sister...he will learn to wash clothes too.

Comfort After Wash Fabric Conditioner

Image Courtesy: Amazon.com

The tagline, "Chota Step, Badi Baat" is two-pronged: it stems from the product proposition of Comfort and indicates how easy it is to take extra care of your clothes, but once you view the ad, the catchphrase takes on another, subtler meaning - it equally highlights that washing clothes is not a 'gender-bound' chore.

This ad drives home the fact that a commercial can effectually convey a product's branding message while still seamlessly trying to break gender stereotypes.

A wonderful step by the HUL and O&M teams toward blending a progressive and highly impactful social message on gender sensitivity with the commercial...one of the best ads on currently!

A Small Step Can make a Big Difference!

HUL's Comfort Fabric Conditioner

Source: HUL, Ogilvy & Mather

Images Courtesy: HUL, Ogilvy & Mather, Social Samosa, Amazon.com, Google Images & other online resources.
Video Courtesy: YouTube, Comfort After Wash - A small step can make a big difference!

Resources:
https://www.hul.co.in/brands/home-care/comfort-fabric-conditioner.html
http://bestmediainfo.com/2017/09/comfort-breaks-gender-stereotypes-takes-a-small-step-to-send-a-big-message/
http://www.indiantelevision.com/mam/media-and-advertising/ad-campaigns/a-boy-is-inspired-to-wash-in-huls-comfort-ad-170907
https://www.socialsamosa.com/2017/09/hul-chota-step-badi-baat/
http://www.afaqs.com/news/story/51259_afaqs-Creative-Showcase-Now-HUL-de-genderises-laundry

Note: 
***Would be wonderful to hear your thoughts. You're also welcome to share the post or quote from it with appropriate credits, but please do not copy or reproduce this article in any format, device or language (human or machine), either in part or in full, without the explicit written permission of the author. Subject to Copyright @2018.
The author has not been paid or compensated in any form for expressing an opinion.

Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed above are purely personal and as understood and interpreted by the author. They're not to be construed as an expert opinion or a formal analysis or deemed as accurate, valid, suitable or complete information in any form or manner. The reader is requested to use their own judgment and understanding for the same. 

None of the products or features discussed above are necessarily, as stated or endorsed by any of the respective companies.

Surf Excel Detergent Powder: Daag Acche Hain #HaarKoHarao (TVC 2017)

~ Kolla Krishna Madhavi

In a world where we shun dirt and stains and the entire focus is on achievement vs. learning, Surf Excel's continuing advertising campaigns celebrating stains based on their proposition that "Daag Acche Hain" stands out with not just the visual impact, but the valuable message it unfolds.

Surf Excel
Image Courtesy: Lowe Lintas

The recent Surf Excel Easy Wash ad shows a young boy, Ayush's team losing their 5th cricket match. The coach is highly disappointed and decides to resign from coaching. As he is walking away, we see Ayush rolling in the cricket ground and getting muddy in the process. When the coach comes to admonish him for spoiling the ground, Ayush tells the coach that it is because they had lost the match again. The coach tells him it is not the last match. The boy then questions the coach that if it is not the last match, then why is the latter quitting. They lost today, but could win on another day. The coach realizes his mistake and puts back his coach's cap. They decide to start training early morning from the next day. 

Surf Excel
Image Courtesy: https://i.ytimg.com/

It is an extremely thought-provoking ad. Taking Surf Excel's decade-long campaign: "Dirt is Good, Surf Excel Hai Na" further to "Haar Ko Harao", the advertisement conveys not just the core purpose of the detergent powder, but strongly promotes the philosophy that if a child is getting dirty while defeating failure, then it is totally acceptable. 

The ad also showcases important life values of positivity, motivation, and sportsmanship among children. 

Leveraging on the innocence of children, the teams of HUL and Lowe Lintas are trying to use the "Engine of Dirt" to creatively inspire parents, teachers, and society at large to change their perspective on failure. This ad is a big departure from the challenges faced by today's parents and adults in general, who are highly achievement-oriented and conditioned to deal more negatively with lack of success, unlike children who tend to learn from their failures.

Haar Ko Harao!

Surf Excel Detergent Powder

Source: Surf Excel

Images Courtesy: HUL, Lowe Lintas, Google Images & other online resources.
Video Courtesy: YouTube, Surf Excel: Daag Achhe Hain - #HaarKoHarao

Note:
***Would be wonderful to hear your thoughts. You're also welcome to share the post or quote from it with appropriate credits, but please do not copy or reproduce this article in any format, device or language (human or machine), either in part or in full, without the explicit written permission of the author. Subject to Copyright @2018.
The author has not been paid or compensated in any form for expressing an opinion.

Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed above are purely personal and as understood and interpreted by the author. They're not to be construed as an expert opinion or a formal analysis or deemed as accurate, valid, suitable or complete information in any form or manner. The reader is requested to use their own judgment and understanding for the same. 

None of the products or features discussed above are necessarily, as stated or endorsed by any of the respective companies.