Easyday Club’s Holi campaign: Sparkler or damp squib?

The food and grocery chain by Future Group, Easyday Club, is here with its festive ad campaign -- ‘Apnepan Ka Rang’. The campaign depicts how an Easyday Club delivery person goes through all the Holi celebrations to deliver food and grocery items ordered by a customer. Trying to avoid the splash of colours at every step, he finally gives in and enjoys the colours without hampering the customer’s order. We asked industry experts whether this one manages to tick the right boxes when it comes to festive advertising.

According to Alpa Dedhia, Business Director, VMLY&R India, this piece of work manages to create a seamless piece of work that's memorable. “While all marketers want to jump on the topical bandwagon, very few are able to integrate the occasion well with their brand message. The key message of this ad lands both the brand benefit of convenient, local, grocery delivery and Holi in an effortless way, which is sure to leave a smile on your face,” Dedhia opines. 

 Ad film-maker, Ravi Madhavan feels that the commercial hits all the right boxes and brings a smile on our faces. “This one interweaves the spirit of the festival and puts the spotlight on the brand beautifully. Good idea and execution. The ad brings a smile on my face is a great watch. I personally love it,” says Madhavan. 

Sandeep Goyal, Founder, Mogae Media remarks, “It is a nice ad. Warm and friendly. Playful too. But somehow at the end of run time, you are left feeling that there should have been more, somehow the narrative is left hanging. Yes, the Easyday guy goes through many hurdles to reach the package to the customer but most of the action is pretty tame. The action could have been somewhat more pronounced. The delivery aspect, the commitment comes through. But in the end, you kind of expect an interesting twist that just doesn’t come, leaving you a bit disappointed.” 

Brand strategist Ambi M G Parameswaran asserts that moment-marketing or festival marketing should be resorted to only if the brand enjoys high salience and you can make an interesting unexpected connection as has been amply demonstrated time and again. He opines, “What was the delivery boy trying to do? Protect his bag of groceries from the Holi mob? What was so valuable in the bag that would have been damaged by the Holi Colors? From the beginning the brand was visible and I did not know what they were trying to say. As a brand is it every day a part of public memory and comprehension? If not, what was the brand trying to do?” 

For Prathap Suthan, Managing Partner, CCO, Bang In The Middle it’s one of those films that kept him guessing right through. “I wasn’t sure if this was a husband coming back from shopping or a grown-up son coming back from buying groceries. It certainly didn’t look like a neighbourhood delivery boy. In fact, when he reaches home, I thought the wife couldn’t recognise the husband because he was soaked in colour. That aside, how come the man’s bag of groceries escaped the profusion of colour and how come it stayed dry throughout? Come to think of it, I personally do not like the idea of delivery personnel being sent out to run things home during festivals. Unconnected lateral questions alright. But these do come into play. I remember I went on record to underline my displeasure when Amazon employees fought rains and potholes during the terrible Mumbai floods. I remember it was a talking point for Amazon as to how made sure deliveries were made. Despite the possible dangers. This too qualifies for it. Considering the communal tensions in the current air. And the more than potent bhang in froths in the minds,” Suthan comments.