Best ads of the week: Nike embraces villainy, Urban Company blasts blue-collar biases
Creative commercials that impressed us in Week 4 of July
When you are in the business of making great ads, it’s best to think out of the box. We got to see some creative spots in Week 4 of July that took the path less trodden.
We did see our share of cinema baddies with Willem Defoe voicing Nike with its powerful ode to being a “bad person” and Mukesh Rishi reprising the villainous “Bulla” for boAt.
We were also blown away by Urban Clap’s heartfelt endeavor to bring dignity back to blue collar professions. Kotak and Flipkart brought out the mandatory quirk factor.
Here’s our pick of the ads that impressed us in Week 4 of July.
boAt
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The 1998 cult favourite film Gunda may not make it to the annals of quality Indian cinema but it certainly helped boAt’s latest ad for Airdopes make it to the coveted “best ads of the week” list here at e4m. To promote its Deadpool edition Airdopes, boAt roped in Mukesh Rishi to play the iconic villain “Bulla” from Gunda, enumerating all the features of the audiotech product in his signature “Khullam Khulla” style. The campaign features two other videos, one with actor Tusshar Kapoor channelling his iconic “Lucky” character from Golmaal and the other with Tajikistani playback singer, boxer, and social media influencer Abdu Rozik.
Flipkart
Flipkart’s ‘Kuch Khaas Kamao’ campaign welcomes sellers big and small to the platform. While its earlier films highlighted the benefits beyond financial gains for sellers partnering with Flipkart, its latest campaign showcases how sellers can leverage Flipkart Seller Hub to grow their businesses, while celebrating the power of human connections. While bite-sized, these ads leverage wit and quirk for quick recall. “The 'Kuch Khaas Kamao' campaign highlights that on our platform, sellers can experience significant growth and success, regardless of their business scale or product range,” said Sakait Chaudhary, Business Head - Marketplace, Flipkart.
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Kotak Mahindra Bank’s latest ad with Ranveer Singh shows a men’s room conversation between a yuppie and Chaturvedi ji, who explains the benefits of Kotak’s flagship offering, ActivMoney. The ad is memorable for the actor’s effortless portrayal of Chaturvedi Ji who offers sage advice for those looking to do more with their salary.
Nike
Maybe, winning isn’t for everyone, mused Nike as it polarized ad watchers everywhere. The ad is a celebration of all the despicable qualities that go on to make a great athlete. When most brands would have associated chivalry, sportsmanship and compassion with victors, Nike turned the notion on its head, extoling the virtues of deceit, remorselessness, delusion, mania and irrationality in sports. Voiced by one of the greatest cinema villains of our times, Willem Defoe, The ad stars famous athletes such as LeBron James, Sha'Carri Richardson and Serena Williams, many of whom have been accused of being ruthless and completely unabashed in their approach. The agency that conceptualised the ad is Wieden+Kennedy Portland with Kevin Steele and Pedro Izique as creative Directors. The ad has been produced by Somesuch and directed by Aussie filmmaker Kim Gehrig.
Urban Company
Over the past year, expert services platform Urban Company has been on a mission to restore dignity to all types of labour or as the company puts it, “to bridge the respect gap.” In its latest film, it lays bare the social prejudices that run deep inside people’s minds against certain professions, especially if it involves blue collar labour. Through slice-of-life film that depicts a conversation between a daughter and her father, the brand uncovers how even the society’s educated elites or white-collared workers are not above judging blue-collared work. Aakash Desai, Strategy at Talented adds, “We all wax eloquent about mental health at the workplace and what we expect from our managers within the contours of Corporate India. We have an expansive vocabulary to talk about what makes a “toxic” workplace; and yet we often forget that our homes are the workplaces for UC Professionals and other support staff – that we are their managers.”
