Some ads are forever ... they make us smile and even become part of the lingo. Anuradha Varma goes behind the scenes of a few memorable ads from the decade
Hutch's pug Cheeka, 2003 & Vodafone's Zoozoos, 2009
The initial idea for the You & I campaign, with the tagline 'Wherever you go, our network follows' was to have a little girl follow the boy, her older brother. Later, the idea was to get a Labrador or Golden Retriever, but they were too big. They then got a Fox Terrier which lacked e n e r g y during the shoot in Goa. With half a day left, they finally found a couple with their pug Cheeka. Recalls Sneha Iype of N i r va n a Films, "He instantly started following the boy, Jayaram, around. They were magical together." Later in 2009, came the Zoozoos, alienlooking people wearing white body suits, aired during the IPL Season II. Says Rajeev Rao, creative director, Ogilvy India, "The name Zoozoo was as mad as the character — it didn't mean anything but was catchy."
The initial idea for the You & I campaign, with the tagline 'Wherever you go, our network follows' was to have a little girl follow the boy, her older brother. Later, the idea was to get a Labrador or Golden Retriever, but they were too big. They then got a Fox Terrier which lacked e n e r g y during the shoot in Goa. With half a day left, they finally found a couple with their pug Cheeka. Recalls Sneha Iype of N i r va n a Films, "He instantly started following the boy, Jayaram, around. They were magical together." Later in 2009, came the Zoozoos, alienlooking people wearing white body suits, aired during the IPL Season II. Says Rajeev Rao, creative director, Ogilvy India, "The name Zoozoo was as mad as the character — it didn't mean anything but was catchy."
Asian Paints' Wah Sunil Babu, 2004
A neighbour comes calling and is impressed by Sunil babu's new house, car and svelte wife. He says, "Wah! Sunil babu, naya ghar... nayi gaadi... nayi Mrs. Badiya hai!" A few years later, the car has turned to junk, the wife has put on weight, but the house is as good as new. The commercial was directed by ad man Prasoon Joshi. Recalls Abhijit Awasthi, Ogilvy India, "It was a funny take on nosy neighbours and their snide comments. In the script, the line had to be 'Kya baat hai'. But the actor Jameel ended up saying 'Badiya hai' and we retained that."
Cadbury's Pappu Paas Ho Gaya, 2005
Amitabh Bachchan plays a shopkeeper selling chocolates. He has college students coming to him, buying chocolates, saying Pappu will pick up the tab. Finally, he finds out that Pappu, a middle-aged man with a paunch, has finally cleared his 12th exams! Says Vivek Waghmare of Apocalypso Films, which filmed the commercial, "For Pappu, we held over 35-40 auditions before we decided on the right person." Abhijit Awasthi of Ogilvy India, who worked on the commercial, recalls a cabbie in Pakistan telling him this was his favourite commercial. He adds, "It's the story of the underdog who makes it big."
Naukri's Hari Sadu, 2006
The ad for the job portal Naukri had an employee answering a call on his boss' behalf, spelling out his name as 'H' for Hitler, 'A' for Arrogant, 'R' for Rascal and 'I' for Idiot. Sanjay Sharma, Draft FCB Ulka says, "The thought was that people leave bad bosses, not jobs." The punchline came during the shoot. The team groped for a way to end it with a bang, and it finally came in the form of the boss' chamcha adding 'S' for Shameless! Recalls Sanjay, "At first, the client felt the ad and the joke may be too kiddish, but wisdom prevailed."
Idea's What An Idea, Sirji, 2008
The Idea commercials made a mark when they showed brand ambassador Abhishek Bachchan solving problems related to caste and governance through the mobile phone. Says Ashwin Jacob Varkey, creative director, Lowe, "We wanted to play with the word 'Idea' and provide telephonic solutions to problems. We didn't just need a clever idea, but a big idea, so we could say 'What an idea, Sirji'." The walk when you talk commercial in the series came during brainstorming, when "we talked of how we are used to sitting while talking on the phone, even though it's a 'mobile'."
Surf's Daag Achche Hain, 2009
A boy is on his way back from school with his kid sister, when she falls into a puddle and soils her uniform. The boy 'attacks' the puddle, saying "tujhe abhi dekhta hoon" with the girl crying out, "Maaro, aur maaro". Says Arun Iyer, Lowe, "The children were stuck for four hours at the airport and spent time playing with each other. In the end, when the girl laughs at the scruffy boy, it was totally unscripted." In another ad, the schoolboy empathises with his teacher who is grieving over her dog's death, by acting like a puppy to make her smile. Adds Arun, "The boy was having so much fun that he added his own tricks."
A neighbour comes calling and is impressed by Sunil babu's new house, car and svelte wife. He says, "Wah! Sunil babu, naya ghar... nayi gaadi... nayi Mrs. Badiya hai!" A few years later, the car has turned to junk, the wife has put on weight, but the house is as good as new. The commercial was directed by ad man Prasoon Joshi. Recalls Abhijit Awasthi, Ogilvy India, "It was a funny take on nosy neighbours and their snide comments. In the script, the line had to be 'Kya baat hai'. But the actor Jameel ended up saying 'Badiya hai' and we retained that."
Cadbury's Pappu Paas Ho Gaya, 2005
Amitabh Bachchan plays a shopkeeper selling chocolates. He has college students coming to him, buying chocolates, saying Pappu will pick up the tab. Finally, he finds out that Pappu, a middle-aged man with a paunch, has finally cleared his 12th exams! Says Vivek Waghmare of Apocalypso Films, which filmed the commercial, "For Pappu, we held over 35-40 auditions before we decided on the right person." Abhijit Awasthi of Ogilvy India, who worked on the commercial, recalls a cabbie in Pakistan telling him this was his favourite commercial. He adds, "It's the story of the underdog who makes it big."
Naukri's Hari Sadu, 2006
The ad for the job portal Naukri had an employee answering a call on his boss' behalf, spelling out his name as 'H' for Hitler, 'A' for Arrogant, 'R' for Rascal and 'I' for Idiot. Sanjay Sharma, Draft FCB Ulka says, "The thought was that people leave bad bosses, not jobs." The punchline came during the shoot. The team groped for a way to end it with a bang, and it finally came in the form of the boss' chamcha adding 'S' for Shameless! Recalls Sanjay, "At first, the client felt the ad and the joke may be too kiddish, but wisdom prevailed."
Idea's What An Idea, Sirji, 2008
The Idea commercials made a mark when they showed brand ambassador Abhishek Bachchan solving problems related to caste and governance through the mobile phone. Says Ashwin Jacob Varkey, creative director, Lowe, "We wanted to play with the word 'Idea' and provide telephonic solutions to problems. We didn't just need a clever idea, but a big idea, so we could say 'What an idea, Sirji'." The walk when you talk commercial in the series came during brainstorming, when "we talked of how we are used to sitting while talking on the phone, even though it's a 'mobile'."
Surf's Daag Achche Hain, 2009
A boy is on his way back from school with his kid sister, when she falls into a puddle and soils her uniform. The boy 'attacks' the puddle, saying "tujhe abhi dekhta hoon" with the girl crying out, "Maaro, aur maaro". Says Arun Iyer, Lowe, "The children were stuck for four hours at the airport and spent time playing with each other. In the end, when the girl laughs at the scruffy boy, it was totally unscripted." In another ad, the schoolboy empathises with his teacher who is grieving over her dog's death, by acting like a puppy to make her smile. Adds Arun, "The boy was having so much fun that he added his own tricks."
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