Indian TV Advertising

I thought only Sajid Khan could make highly disgusting films. But Indian advertising industry has been giving him stiff competition in the last few years. With over 200 TV channels and their penetration increasing faster than ever, ad agencies have a lot of work to do. But lack of any creativity whatsoever has resulted in the most disgusting advertisements being made. 

Taking the cake in retardedness are the FMCG ads. If Shah Rukh Khan's Pepsodent ad is any indicative of the creativity in Indian advertising, we sure are in neck-deep shit. Then you have the 'washing power' ads where they give lessons on common sense, show children as dogs, etc. Also joining the league are the ones who sell fascination for fair skin. Whether it is Shahid Kapoor's Vaseline, John Abraham's Garnier and Shah Rukh Khan's Dumb and Handsome or the seven hundred odd of women's products ads, there is no trace of sense anywhere. I am particularly disgusted with the fairness cream ad where the guy passes the interview after he applies the cream. Also the bathroom ad with multiple mirror reflections of Shahid Kapoor is a blood boiler. If fairness had anything to do with confidence, 800 test wickets would have been a fantasy. 

My next problem is the health drink league. The biggest problem with them is that they sell sugary shit and call it health drink. That height research done in two buildings ad, the boy hanging all the time and the idea that by drinking Horlicks, Complan, Boost or Bournvita one passes all exams is blood boiling. Cliched shit. I categorically abhor the two characters, Science (a robot) and Nature (grass covered man) which appear in the Bournvita++ ad. That ad is a sign of urinary tract infection in the brain.

I have a strict zero-tolerance policy towards Pepsi and Coke ads, especially the Pepsi ads with Ranbir Kapoor in it. Plastic Kaif's Slice ad is the worst of them all though. Akshay Overpaid Overrated Dumb Kumar's mobile phone ads where he plays in the kitchen and laughs as if an earthworm is crawling into his asshole is a serious insult to our intelligence. Also, almost everything which has Shah Rukh Khan in it, has no creativity. With this being the state of affairs in Indian TV advertising, I see no light at the end of this stinking tunnel. This list is looooooong. It can go on forever. But this post is not a review of all the ads on Indian TV. It's just a reminder that the ad industry need a creative re-structuring.

If you look back at the last decade, what surprises me most is that except for a couple of brands like Vodafone (even though they overdid ZooZoos), Fevicol, Tata Safari  and HappyDent, there are no creative ads. Yes. Creativity is dead. People sitting in these Mumbai ad agencies have their brains marinated in piddle and the result is the dumbfuckery that we have to put up with every TV show. Also, I have been in advertising for five years, not from the agency's side but from the clients' side. I have noticed that people who can make ads are not in agencies and those who are in agencies shouldn't be making ads.

To get an idea about what the standard of creativity in advertising  is in some of the international agencies, have a look at these videos.

Now you judge for yourself, don't most of our Indian ad agencies suck at their job? I think they do. 

- Deepak Karamungikar