This kind of commercial is something that you may like when you see, but not necessarily enthral you again.
Ad review
Reviewer: C S Radhakrishnan, executive vice-president and head, Mudra South
Brand: ACC Cement
Spot: A group of school children go to an ACC cement shop and with their savings buy a sack of cement. They drag it up a mountain and meet an ACC engineer. With his help, they build a cement step to their school. Next morning, they wait anxiously for their old teacher to arrive. The teacher arrives and sees the block with hand impressions. He takes a look at his students and with a smile uses the block as a step to the school. The ad ends on the MVO playing, “Nirmaan chaahe chhota ho ya bada, hamara anubhav hamesha aapke saath hai.”
The strategy: As a believer in advertising, I would normally be overjoyed about the ACC commercial. Yet, I had my doubts when I saw this one. More because, I was not too sure about what it intended to achieve. Much as there was a strong thought in ACC Arvind campaign two years ago, this seems to try hard, very hard. The attempt seems to be to bridge that work and the desire to make it even more ‘emotional’. On the back of some other work on ACC, we are seeing three different thoughts coming across three years. ACC really seems to welcome change so quickly! With boom time in cement industry, I have been wondering about the intended objective. It cannot be merely brand salience!
Ranking: ***
The idea: When kids come together to do something, it is bound to engage consumers. Yet, this does not seem to tug hearts the way many others in this genre probably have done. We have seen kids come together to clean up the streets. The idea certainly seems fresh in the category in a spate of more aggressive and engaging work from other categories. Looks like ‘helping others’ is not old fashioned any more. Fortunately, the category per se has really not seen breakthrough work like Ambuja or Sankar cement. The category is pretty tough to work on. I have always felt that commercials work best when anchored in some truth and then having reality or, the other extreme: of exaggeration. This idea seems somewhat sandwiched.
Ranking: ***
The execution: It is certainly appropriate to the idea. However, I wish the casting was much better. That could have made the commercial better than what it seems. It may have helped if one could have captured more expressions, better expressions. The feeling is one of missed opportunity. You do feel a little warm, but quickly move on. I felt the headmaster or may be one of the kids could have been more strongly anchored in expression. Albeit, even a small one that will give some delight to the viewer.
If you come from a small town, you may remember your old teacher! Music is ordinary.
Ranking: ***
Overall impact
In the kind of clutter one is seeing today, it will require a high visibility to get going. This kind of commercial is something that you may like when you see, but not necessarily enthral you again. Each time the creative goes off air, the residual value may not push it for long. One will almost tend to start afresh each burst. It will hit client fatigue faster than consumer fatigue for the same reason. As for consumers, I hope they do not become indifferent to a social cause! Could have made more of an impact.
Ranking: ***
Co-ordinated by Pritha Mitra Dasgupta
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}