New Cadbury Silk Ad: Dirty

If you watch TV in India, I am sure you must have watched this new Cadbury Silk Ad. It features a lady ‘eating’ Cadbury Silk chocolate. To say she is eating is a simplistic statement because she is basically ‘playing with’ the chocolate. That was perhaps what the ad-gurus wanted to make out – that even though you are grown up (all ladies featured are not kids or even teens), you can still “play with” chocolate. Perhaps you were not allowed by your parents to play with (which means mess up) chocolate when you were kids, and now that you are grownup and can spend money (these chocolates are not usual Cadbury Daily Milk but costlier ones without much value add) you should use the opportunity to rub yourself with chocolate now! Sounds great? Not really!

Who in his or her right mind plays with chocolate (or anything for that matter) in this manner? It looks too muddy and unclean! In one ad, the lady drops the chocolate on her clothes and then goes on to lick it; the chocolate keeps dropping everywhere and she goes licking everywhere just like dogs and cats! 

Even the lyrics playing with this ad is not appropriate for being played at all places; the lyrics as follows:

"Kiss me, Close your eyes

Miss me, Close your eyes

Kiss me

I can wet your lips, and your fingertips

And happiness, in your eyes

Kiss me, Close your eyes

Miss me, Close your eyes"

One of my colleagues in office has made this the ‘ringtone’ of his cell phone and it sounds weird every time in a professional environment! 

I think the most mediocre ad-men would use such insinuating and overt tricks to sell some more chocolates or get some more eyeballs. Not only is the song played with this ad is overt, the visual showing a lady messing up with chocolate is filthy and I am surprised how this ad is being played day in and day out on all TV channels! 

I would request Cadbury to stop this series of ad immediately and get back to serious business. I understand Cadbury’s need to position its product for the grownup customers as against for children alone but it does not need such sly tricks. Before this, Amitabh Bachchan was featured in a series of ads and he was positioning Cadbury as an essential part of “family” celebrations; which was good. If Cadbury is bothered by the continuous trend of gifting “imported” chocolates especially by the generation X and Y, it should improve quality of its chocolates and packaging to get the sales. I think none of those imported chocolates advertise such filthy ads and yet get the premium customers, so Cadbury should also focus on the “real” reason why people choose an imported chocolate over its Silk brand of chocolate. And making it “softer” like silk does not really help. If Cadbury does some market research to find out what really Gen-Y wants in a chocolate he or she chooses for girlfriend or boyfriend, it will get to know the real aspects to improve. It will save the company from some hard earned money and also criticism from sensible TV viewers who find its Ads annoying!

- Rahul 

Note: Views are personal and do not represent views of any organization associated with the author. [Detailed disclaimer] 

New Vedic Cultural Centre (ISKCON, NVCC) - Pune

A Temple of 2 Lakh Sq. Ft. built over 6 acres of land - ISKCON is inviting all to the Grand Inauguration of New Vedic Cultural Centre (ISKCON, NVCC) & installation of holy idols on 24th February 2013. 

For more details, check out: 

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/ISKCONNVCC

Website: http://www.iskconpune.in/

Promo Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_5wnRniTw 

Jai Shri Krishna! 

Happy Vasant Panchmi and Saraswati Puja!

Happy Vasant Panchmi! 

Goddess Saraswati is often depicted as a beautiful woman dressed in pure white often seated on a white lotus, which symbolizes that she is founded in the experience of the absolute truth. She is mainly associated with the color white, which signifies the purity of true knowledge. Her four arms represent the 4 Vedas and also four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She holds a book in her book - representing Vedas meaning knowledge; a maaala representing the power of meditation; a pot of sacred water representing creative powers; a veena representing perfection of all arts and sciences. A hansa or swan is often located next to her feet which if offered a mixture of milk and water is said to be able to drink the milk alone - thus symbolizes discrimination between the good and the bad or the eternal and the evanescent. The peacock represents arrogance and pride over its beauty and by having a peacock as her mount, the Goddess teaches not to be concerned with external appearance and to be wise regarding the eternal truth.

Symbolism of Ma Saraswati taken from my blog post: http://rahulbemba.blogspot.in/2010/05/brahma-saraswati-and-symbolism.html

Hrithik Roshan Vs Shah Rukh Khan

May be I should say a 'King Size' Sorry for making 'SRK Fans' feel belittled :)

Thank you Hrithik Roshan for freeing Indian Film Industry from Mediocre "Super Heroes"!

I am a Hrithik Roshan Fan!

- Rahul

Fuel Price Hikes to Help Tata Nano

The recent price hikes in petrol and diesel have hit the consumers hard and with no respite on the anvil it makes more sense for consumers to choose cars with better fuel economy. As consumers become penny wise, demand for smaller cars are expected to be better than their bigger variants. Tata Nano may be one of the biggest beneficiaries. 

2012 was a good year for Tata Nano. In fact Tata Nano was the only petrol car in the 2012′s top selling cars list to post a positive year on year growth. 2013 seems to be a challenging year though, with the January sales figures not being too optimistic. But Tata Nano seems to be readying for a tough fight.

Tata Nano has been declared as the “Most Trusted Four-Wheeler” Brand in the Brand Trust Report, India Study, 2013, conducted by Trust Research Advisory. That makes a good point about customer trust and expectations. With 25 km/l of excellent fuel economy, the car is already considered best value for money to drive. And now, Nano is getting ready to get better! CNG Version of Tata Nano is expected to come out in the first half of year 2013. That is expected to provide much anticipated sales thrust. It is going to make your cheaper ride cheapest!

CNG version opens many gates of better numbers. One is the fleet taxi system, where the taxi service providers prefer CNG vehicles for better fuel economy and hence more profitability. Tata Nano is already being planned to be used as taxis in Kashmir, to make a beginning. With CNG version in the market, this trend is expected to pick up momentum.

Next come marketing and sales promotions. Here, sky is the limit. Recently UP Chief Minister announced to award top-10 sportspersons to national school games with one Tata Nano each. When prices of everything go up, Tata Nano can emerge as the choice in many other areas unprecedented. This was Ratan Tata’s vision. He wanted to make Tata Nano for the long term. In the long term, leaner and more fuel efficient cars definitely have a bright future!

Let us wait and watch Tata Nano on its splendorous journey!

- Rahul

Note: Views are personal and do not represent views of any organization associated with the author. [Detailed disclaimer]

Some Quotes

"Rapport is the ability to enter someone else's world, to make him feel that you understand him, that you have a strong common bond." - Tony Robbins, Motivational speaker

"There are few things ever dreamed of, smoked or injected that have as addictive an effect on our brains as technology" - Kelly McGonigal, author of The Willpower Instinct.

"A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention." - Herbert Simon, Nobel Prize winne

"Trying to determine what is going on in the world by reading newspapers is like trying to tell the time by watching the second hand of a clock." -Ben Hecht, screenwriter, novelist, director

“in the last five or six thousand years, empires one after another have arisen, waxed powerful by wars of conquest, and fallen by internal revolution or attack from without.” -John Boyd Orr

"Nothing is so firmly believed as what is least known." -Michel de Montaigne, essayist

Source: Multiple on www. [Detailed disclaimer]

Sachin Tendulkar and God

Glimpses of Sachin Tendulkar and God. 

Spent 45 minutes to compile this. Inspired by the news that today, Sachin visited Tirupati Balaji Mandir.

- Rahul