What's the verdict in Swiggy's courtroom ads for IPL?

Swiggy has gifted us with some of the most unforgettable creative ads over the years. Some recent gems include the legendary Swiggy Uncle and the "Why is this a Swiggy ad?" campaign.

It also happens to IPL season, which brings out the creative best in Indian brands and Swiggy isn't holding back. Last year, the food delivery curated a four-film campaign for Instamart, which was also the official partner of IPL 2022.

This time around, Swiggy has released a two-TVC campaign centred on its discount deal offers during IPL hours called "Match Day Mania."
Veteran actress Neena Gupta helms both ads, playing a quirky judge in the midst of courtroom drama over discounts. The campaign has been curated by Mind Your Language!

These slice-of-life commercials take place in a mock courtroom, where confusion ensues over an "acha offer" and "order." Suspecting an out-of-courtroom deal between the defendant and plaintiff, Gupta playing the judge pulls up both parties. It turns out, the "offer" was an irresistible discount on Swiggy. As chaos breaks out, the judge yells "order, order" while also subtly asking her attendant to place an "order" on Swiggy.

In a similar vein, the second ad film is also a play on the word "order" as the judge sternly tells the defence lawyer that there will be no reduction in the penalty since it is a court order not a Swiggy order.

For an IPL campaign, the ads don't have an overt cricket connection and unfold in a courtroom out of all places. Deepan Ramachandran Founder and Creative Director, Mind Your Language! explains this anomaly: “The only numbers that interest people during match hours are the scores. So, to communicate an exciting discount offer, it must be in a disruptive setup. While the ads show an everyday courtroom coming alive with the mention of the offer, we believe that every household will also sit up and take notice of it.”

That being said, the commercials are replete with good comic timing and bolstered by the screen presence of the legendary Neena Gupta. However, what's the expert verdict on the TVCs?

Adman Kumar Suryavanshii said that he loved the cast but couldn't say the same for the execution of the ad. "Not the Swiggy standard so far. I will give it a 6 out of 10," he said.

Ambarish Ray Co-Founder & CEO of Digital Dogs applauds the tongue-in-cheek style humour of the ads and the play on the word "order" that ties perfectly with Swiggy's proposition. "Don't know about innovation but the creative device is as fast-moving as the proposition. Well done, team. Or maybe, well played," he quipped.

Snigdha Malhotra, BBDO India, Creative Director said that the puns and quirks are on point, which work well for an offer ad as they can get quite boring. "It’s important to catch viewers' attention at the right time, which here it’s doing! It surely made me look at the offer twice and would want to order something tonight!" she added.

While the films themselves are interesting, for Cyrus Pagdiwala, Executive Producer, Corcoise Films, the only niggling issue with the campaign is the narration. "It's an interesting film with good actors and a good solid idea. I only wish the narrative was a bit simpler," he rued.

With inputs from Tanzila Shaikh