Horrors on TV. Review on Ten Worst Television Commercials

This is a very easy topic to write on, since 80% of advertisements are considered ‘bad’ advertisements.

So- it’s time to crib and complain.

These are some of the ads currently on air that I find absolutely stupid/annoying/offensive/pathetic etc. Had I been a short-tempered person, I would have broken my TV set after watching these ads, but since I am a cool-tempered person, I use remote control to save myself from the torture of viewing these ads.

There are so many bad ads; I have just listed a few I thought of. I haven’t included ads that are no longer on-air.(Why bring back horrors from the past!)

So here we go-

1) Asian Paints ‘Wah Sunil Babu’- On one hand they have that beautiful ad called ‘Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hain’. And then they have this awful poor ad. So Sunilbabu has a new house, a new car, and a new wife. After many years, house remains new, car becomes old, wife becomes fat and old. House, car and ‘wife’- all in the same category? All non-living possessions that depreciate over the years?  Badhiya Hain!

2) India Shining- What kind of narcissism is this? This could have been a nice advertisement with a positive message, but the concept was handled in a very immature, childish way. A good concept gone haywire in later stages.

3) Harpic – I don’t even want to waste words on this ad featuring Aman Varma. Ad-makers need to file for creative bankruptcy.

4) Himalaya Shampoo – Do you want to know if your hair is in good condition? Go to some highway and ask for lift. If a vehicle stops, that’s only because you have good hair. If the vehicle doesn’t stop- well, isn’t it high time you try our shampoo?

The concept is far-fetched, and the ad is boring. It seems they have shot this one abroad. What a waste of money!  Himalaya had better ads earlier. That wise grandmother in their previous ad was much better than the grinning model auntyji in this ad.

5) Sehwag- Mahima Chaudhari(…Yawns…) ad- I don’t know the brand here. I change channel immediately when this ad comes.

No offense to Sehwag fans, I have nothing against him, but he looks totally out-of-place in this ad. He looks confused, and the ad is very, very boring. They could have done a better ad with say- Rahul Dravid.(At least I would have watched it then.) Mahima Auntyji-what can I say? She is there as a guest star(extra?) in every other movie that I watch. I am used to her presence on small/big screen. She is tolerable. About the concept, was there any concept at all?

6) LG CDMA- Expression completed- Seriously Silly.

Cheap concept+ Cheap-looking model= Terrible Advertisement

LG is making such ads that target only men(not all men- just a few dumb creatures). Women form a major segment of the handset market; LG doesn’t seem interested though.

7) Close-up Kyun nahi karte hain- I like the jingle- it’s catchy and nice, but the ad is too bright and a bit too colorful. It is also too long and too boring. In short, it is awful.

Isn’t brevity very important in advertising? The ‘close-up – fresh breath’ connection is so old, even a simple ad could have done the reinforcement.

8) Nokia 2280- Ticket kataya kya? Ehh? Huh?

What type of positioning is this! Nokia is a good brand, why are they making such stupid ads? Come on, I could have made a better ad.

9) Pepsi Sachin- Shahrukh Ad- Well, first of all- Tendulkar, Shahrukh and Amitabh as brands have become generic since they sell anything and everything. So, they are fast losing their value. Pepsi should realize that making such stupid and arrogant ads is not going to win the brand the trust of consumers it once enjoyed.

10) Fair and Lovely Cricket ad- Seriously, what’s wrong with the people behind this brand? After the government banned their offensive commercials, they have come up with new ones. Just what is the connection between cricket commentary and having fair complexion? No clear communication is made and product positioning is ambiguous.

I hope these ads will go off air very soon. Your comments and suggestions are welcome.