Matwala's Black List. Review on Ten Worst Commercials of 2005

This has been a continuous complain of lot of people on MS that I only talk about ads which I like and I hardly talk about the ones that I just don’t like. So I am trying to address that long-standing demand by writing some of the weird and stupid ads that have come out in the year 2005. I hope I have been able to do justice to this one, as there are so many pathetic ads all around that sometimes it becomes very tough to actually keep track of all of them. In case I have missed out some then it does not mean that those ads are any good, it is just that they might have slipped my mind and I would be glad if people add on to the list that I am putting here.

Off late the ad industry is really grappling with the shortage of creative minds and talented people who can come up with innovate storyboard and themes for their ads. And the same depravity has rather been remarked in the year 2005 what with some really stupid ads hitting the screens, ads which have done no good to either the agency or the brands that they endorse. One can only hope that more honest effort is put into finding the right kind of talent for the ads in the coming year 2006.

Here goes the roll call of the seriously infamous ads of 2005: -

1) Reliance Infocomm'apna mobile banao morebile' ads

Reliance Infocomm ads have been rather tasteless and stupid right from the word go, whether it be the ‘ sehwag ki maa ka phone’ ads or ‘ kar lo duniya mutthi mein’ ads. I guess shock marketing or rather ‘ bad ad means more recall’ seems to be the mantra driving the ads. For more:-

https://mouthshut.com/review/Reliance_India_Mobile_'Banao_Apna_Bill_Morebile'_c
ommercial-90123-1.html

2) Tata Indicom'Chal chala chal' ads

The ad series, which was, launched with a lot of fanfare what with it starring Kajol and Ajay, one would have expected these two classy actors to have been used better then this ad. Uninspired storyboard, listless ad director and unimaginative background scores, all combine to make the ad a classic case of a ‘wonderful opportunity royally wasted’.

3) Lux'75 years SRK' ads

Boy is that some waste or what; I do not know what was going through the minds of the ad makers when they made this ad. Though there have been some noteworthy dissenting voices supporting this ad in the form of afrank, criminal, chandni. and lallupanju but I personally did not like the ad one bit and I think it was a colossal waste of the clients money and the audiences time and patience. Come on guys think something better then having some uninspired celebrities doing some silly stuff to promote your products.

4) Pepsi'Sapera SRK' ads

Yet another mega brand, which has been known for some sleek ads like ‘ nothing official about it’ et al has gone phut with this ad. Boy what on earth was King Khan trying to be in this ad, really lame and sick ad that does no good to Pepsi. The entire ‘oye bubbly’ campaign has been a disaster for Pepsi and the agency needs to share most of the brunt for this one, here is hoping that Pepsi would be back to their cool ads for which they have been renowned.

5) Ford Fiesta'Go fida' ads

A star on the rise and a brand new product, now that could be a catchy combination and had the storyboard been worked out intelligently the ad might have meant roaring success. But alas that was not to be, yet another opportunity gone a begging with Abhishek’s star power badly under utilized and a product which I am damn sure will find it hard to take off with such ads to boot for it.

6) Videocon' Indian multinational' ads

Boy what on earth were the Videocon people thinking when they cleared this ad. Come on guys you have been losing ground steadily to the Korean

Chaebols, ‘ Samsung LG’ steadily and yet you come up with an ad which fails to break any ice what so ever with the target audiences. Really some thing is definitely wrong with both Videocon and their agency, lets hope they will work it out soon.

7) Santro Zing'Sunshine' ads

Opinions might be divided again on this one, as I am told that apparently SRK endorsement has done wonders to the sales of Santro, but boy do I dislike the ad or what. Yet another sad storyboarding specially if you compare it with the rather super stuff being done by Maruti Alto or Chevrolet Optra or for that matter Skoda Octatvia, now some might say that the segment is different, but my point is all of them are car ads and do catch the fancy of the viewer, unlike the Santro ads. I hope to see better ads for Santro in the New Year.

8) Rin'Yeh naya rang kaun sa hai' ads

Big B and the kid in the midst of a total chaos and insipid storyline, I wonder what was Big B doing there in the first place. He has such a star power that the moment you have a decent storyboard and he will excel and yet is the chance wasted royally. Come on guys do something better then plain lame marketing.

9) Sona Chandi Chawanprash' SRK' ads

Has this year been an off year for King Khan, with only one movie and that too a disaster at the box office and some really pathetic ads starring him, he would want to forget 2005 in a jiffy. I wonder what is his media manager doing and what kind of ads he is part of, phew. I am not a SRK basher but does he look a misfit in these ads, he sure does. He would do better to stick to his tearjerker melodrama a la Yash Chopra and Karan Johar.

10) Boro Plus' Kareena' ads

A rather long and dull ad with Kareena jiving and crooning something to do with the rugged and parched skin of the bridegroom’s best buddy in a typical Indian marriage sequence. What on earth were the ad agency, Kareena and the company trying to play, a spoof on the unassuming audiences or what, give us a break guys.

I know I have missed out loads of other bizarre and tasteless ads but that does not mean in any ways that there has been a dearth of insipid ads that have been made this year. One can only hope that the year to come would be a better one for the Indian ad industry in terms of the quality of the ads and also for the awards that they win at the international level, as I don’t think this year any of the ads are going to make any opening at Cannes, lets see.

Your additions and suggestions to the infamous roll call would be more then appreciated and welcome. In case there is any ad you want me write strongly on do let me know and I will try to take it up in the New Year.

Wishing you all a glorious and scintillating year ahead with fun filled, joyous and blissful moments galore.