Hey FMCG, Where's my Ad?

Hey FMCG, Where's my Ad?

Yeh Dil Maange More, Daag Acche Hain, Har Ghar Kuchh Kehta Hai, Kuchh Meetha Ho Jaye, Thanda Matlab Coca Cola, Yeh Fevicol Ka Jod Hai, Ting Ting Tiding!!!! 

What's common? Well, apart from being immortal taglines of Iconic FMCG companies, the common theme is these are all really old!!!! What's the most recent campaign from the erstwhile giants of great advertising, that you remember, off the cuff? I can't remember any!

Maybe, I'm not that tuned to the tube as much, maybe I'm not attentive enough anymore, maybe it's not the right environment or maybe, the industry wants something else and there's more media & more screens to address! But, I am, by all means, still a consumer and I really miss Good Ads from FMCG companies. Ironic that we have screens everywhere, and not one memorable campaign in recent times.

The most recent, interesting ad I remember from the FMCG space belonged to Asian Paints, with Ranbir Kapoor. Other, than that, all the other ads I like belong to the non FMCG pack - Motilal Oswal services, some from the EComm players, MP Tourism & even Sports Events (Cricket, Tennis, TT, Kabaddi etc) and some app manufacturers.

As an FMCG analyst, it's a joy to witness a great campaign from an industry leader & it can actually do wonders for brand sales. While, it's difficult to pinpoint the exact correlation between a successful campaign & rising sales, it's anecdotal evidence that suggests the best years for Pepsodent were during the Dishoom Dishoom campaign, for Jubilant Food during the Paresh Rawal 30 mins Nahi to free ads and for HUL during the various Surf, Lux & Dove ads. 

There was a time, not too long ago, when a new Pepsi, Coke, Happydent or even Maggi Ketchup ad was an event in itself and I'd look forward to ad breaks during cricket matches or news events. Now, I find it extremely difficult to differentiate a Garnier ad from a L'Oréal or a Cinthol ad from a He Deodorant. Try this, cover the brand names and ask 10 people around you to differentiate between an Oppo and a Vivo mobile ad, and you'll know for yourself what I mean. 

Though, credit where due, a couple of companies are pushing the boundaries a bit, Nestle with the Maggi Relaunch, Navratna Oil with Amitabh Bachchan, Durex with Ranveer Singh and Pidilite, while it does well with Fevi Kwick & M-Seal ads, can't say the same about Dr Fixit. 

Big laggards in this space, and I feel bad as a consumer, have been Unilever, Marico, Britannia, Cadbury's, even Pepsi and Coke! These are companies that are known for great ads for their products & brands, so much more is expected of them. Even ITC's Bingo Mad Angles ads have disappeared just like the sound they made at the end "poinnnng." Which was the last memorable ad from any of these guys? 

So here's a plea to all the moguls of FMCG and Sultans of Advertising - The Ogilvies, the Mathers, the Prasoons, The Piyushes, The Lowes & the Lintases!!!!  Bring out a great campaign! 

The FMCG Companies we speak to talk about great tailwinds for the sector, especially post the current DeMo & GST disruption. They say - Rural Recovery, Monsoons, GST and Increased premiumisation are going to sail us through. I say, get a great campaign going and blow some wind beneath those sails! 

The last time a great campaign took away the nation's breath, resulted in Mr Modi garnering the biggest electoral mandate in recent times. So for the next leg of great campaigns I'd say, "Abki Baar, Good FMCG Ads, yaar!" 

This One's For the Old Times' Sake -