Ads please!
Never before have TV viewers followed advertisements so closely as in today's time

By Shubhdarshani Mitra
Nazar ko kya chahiya khwab thode zyada…kar le tu zyada ka irada',’ Czechoslovakia bolo beta...' — you guessed it right because currently these are my favourite ads as well! Every time the bald gentleman in the Max New York Life Insurance ad sees the curly-haired boy and wishes for his own hair, my dad sighs! Every time the baby in the latter ad says ’Daddy' and ’Banana' in that ’oh-so-adorable' way, you turn up the volume of your tv even if it is break time when as per the convention you are supposed to surf channels and see if something more interesting is coming.

Most of us still vouch by the Bajaj scooter advert’Hamara Bajaj'. It grained in the common man's psyche that a family isn't really complete without a Bajaj scooter and can be called a path breaker in the history of Indian ads. Cadbury, Amul, Vodafone, Pepsi, Thumps Up … such brands have always been able to woo the target audience through their strong ad campaigns. The famous pug in the Vodafone ad always manages to catch your attention or hold you back from walking away. You instantly know it's a Cadbury ad when your hear’Kuch meetha ho jaye'.

Indian ads have a come a long way. Gone are the days when ads during one's favourite serial, meant time to take a break and look for something else. These days you end up watching so many advertisements that at times you feel you switched on the idiot box to see those only. And, moreover you don't even feel that you have wasted your time. On the contrary if you don't know which ad belongs to which brand, it's kind of surprising.

And more than celebrities, I feel it's the common man who is the show stealer in a number of cases. Also, at the end of it, you need to connect with the viewers. Only the presence of a celeb does not serve the purpose. So while Katrina Kaif is not able to gain our attention in the Maaza Aamsutra ad, Mahendra Dhoni manages an easy sway in the Pepsi ad (Zindagi main pyaas hona zaroori hai). Humour helps to sell an ad. You always enjoy Dhoni's way of acting, especially the way he says “Bas isko nai padh paya” looking at Srisanth.

The Idea ad with the popular one-liner ’What an idea Sirji’ is not only great fun to watch but promotes a social cause of that of education. It shows how a cellphone network can help in giving away education to a large number of children. Also, previously, they had shown the 10-digit identity of the villagers which turn out to be phone numbers. It talked of rising above one’s caste divisions. The advertisement is appreciated by people across all age groups. Another brand which have always come out with ads which people tend to remember is Fevicol. They have always been liked and remembered by the viewers. The latest one being where a mother makes her kid sit on a fevicol box so that he remains around and does not wander away far.

Watching ads and appreciating them is a common thing these days. Many a time the living room conversations are around the advertisements being shown on the television.

Appreciation for the ads also mean acknowledging the efforts of those working on it. You can see the creative group's labour or an account director's inputs when you see a good ad. Moreover, advertising as a career option has also taken off and the future seems bright for the industry as more and more creative and potential candidates are stepping into the industry. Good ads reflect the passion and devotion one has towards the profession.

So while the ad-makers rake their brains to beat the competition which is becoming tougher by the day, the viewers can enjoy the treats coming their way. Songs, faces, acts, lyrics, you say it and they are ready to give it!