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Coke Ad Celebrating The Diwali Season

November 4, 2018 General
Coke - Diwali Diya

There are instances of TV commercials which have endured the test of time. Some have been influential through a combination of visual appeal and a haunting melody (jingles) & yet there are some ads that have forever changed our perception of products and are considered iconic today. But there’s one commercial made by Coke for Canada which has appealed to my creative tastes ever since I first saw it around 2015-16, and I’m certain it will also resonate with individuals who have chosen to settle elsewhere and miss their loved ones during the festive season.

It’s never futile to embark in decoding the diverse cultures of India, to discover its colourful and vibrant celebratory traditions which are out in full glory during the festivities. The most vivacious of them is Diwali, or famously called the ‘festival of lights’ which starts from today. It’s when neighbourhoods across the subcontinent will light ‘diyas‘ (an earthen lamp), dangle radiant lanterns outside their homes and honour the tradition by lighting crackers; often loud but never lacking in its radiance, and of course, partake homemade sweets and other delicious delicacies. It’s the occasion for bonding with loved ones, the likes of whom have been lost to time, and some to the unfortunate rift as they settle in far-away places for a better future.

This Coke Diwali ad featured on the Facebook page of Coca-Cola Canada with the caption “What Makes Diwali in Canada a #HappyDiwali?” capturing the emotional longing of countless people during Diwali and the role Coke plays in bringing lost souls together. The realism in the messaging imagined through a long-distance call in recounting the sentiments of love perfectly drive home the point. Its reproduction in Hindi and Punjabi languages further adds to its mass appeal and the music makes it particularly surrealistic, sincere, and subliminal. On that wonderful note, I want to wish you all a prosperous and a cheerful Happy Diwali. Have loads of fun!

Behind The Mac, Once Again!

September 18, 2018 General Happenings

Of all the places in this vastness of Toronto city, I spot a massive poster hung atop a building featuring none other than the musical maestro AR Rahman, I’m still wondering how that location somewhere on Bloor Street West was chosen for this grand display! One is used to seeing a diverse mix of models complementing anything from creams to cuisine, so the excitement of watching an Indian celebrity endorsing a premium brand in a foreign land was palpable. This is Apple’s attempt at projecting it’s Mac lineup of computers as brilliance personified.

This ad was also unique for a reason because this month I chose to move on from my ‘old-but-gold’ MacBook Pro and opted for the new 2018 line-up. Here’s a little background to my old Mac which is still my favourite – the second-generation unibody Macs were first announced by Steve Jobs in October 2008 and the timing couldn’t have been more appropriate for me to order one in Canada back in 2009. It was a tedious buying episode, to say the least, however, this time the shopping experience was definitely surreal & seamless (thanks to my location in Toronto) right from placing the order on my app to receiving it within a few hours at the nearest Apple Store. The new 15-inch configurations are loaded with Intel Core i9 (up to 6 core) and upgradeable to up to 32 gigs of RAM which definitely makes it sheer desktop-class. Besides having been on Mac for several years now the need to experiment or work on a Windows (eco)system is fairly diminishing.

Which brings me to a question. In a previous post about my first Mac I had pondered if this indeed is the end of my association with the Windows family and the answer is probably “nah”. Because as someone in the creative arts field I need to constantly push the boundaries of my artistic and innovative desires and not let my limitations or beliefs stifle the positive outcomes. I guess Rahman would have definitely smiled on that note.

KFC Apologizes With A Brilliant Campaign

February 23, 2018 Design Happenings

KFC Ad CampaignCreativity comes in several ways, least of all in print. In a full-page ad today, KFC UK admitted and apologized for experiencing an unprecedented shortage of chicken leading to the closure of several of its outlets through a creative marketing campaign called ‘We’re Sorry’. The visualizer and the content/PR team deserve a huge kudos along with a pay hike for creating this amazing masterpiece! Through some research, I discovered this campaign has been developed by KFC’s creative agency ‘Mother’.

WIRED traced the logistical issue to a failure in KFC’s supply chain and “lack of contingency planning” after a serious collision on the M6 on Feb-14 which blocked access to their warehouse.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]The lack of chicken began to hit on February 16. KFCs started to shut down locations in response to their missing ingredients, meaning that by February 18, only 266 of the 870 restaurants in the UK and Ireland were open. Locations in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have not been affected due to different logistical arrangements.[/perfectpullquote]

Must say, KFC made an honest attempt to sympathize with its frustrated fans with a visual messaging that conveys that feeling through an empty chicken bucket lying on the floor, nothing seems more effective than this simple, and eye-catching campaign.

Matt Damon And ‘The Wait For Water’

February 10, 2018 General

It’s very rare to be completely absorbed by an obtrusive YouTube advert in the middle of an entertaining video even with the option of ‘skipping’ the commercial right there, though the minute I saw Matt Damon I was keen to watch. In the past, I have lived in a neighbourhood that suffered from an acute shortage of water and it was a frustrating experience, and this ad with its emotional appeal brought me to tears. I relived that experience of surviving with a scarce supply of resources which taught me an important lesson about survivability and adaptability, although it’s nothing compared to what Matt describes the children in developing world who miss their education because they have to walk a fair distance to access water. This is simply an amazing commercial for a good cause!