Time may Have Passed But These Ads Are Forever

 There have been many ads throughout years and eras that have left a mark in all our minds. These ads are usually unique and they are often funny or emotional and cater to the strings of our hearts as consumers and as human beings. The first one that always pops up in my mind when talking about memorable ads is Ambuja Cement ad. It is a cinematic ad and a pioneer for the trend of revealing the product in the end. The plot went something along these lines. Two brothers who have been quarreling for over a decade are at odds still, separated by a wall. They don't let their wives talk to each other and refuse to make up for as long as they can remember. One day however, in a dramatic turn of events the brothers feel a surge of love and regret for lost time and they both converge in the adjacent gardens of their houses and scream at each other that they are tired of this wall dividing them for years and they then proceed to try everything they can to break it. From hitting with a car, to ramming it with a battle ram, and even using TNT to blast it open, nothing works. The younger brother with a soot covered face, in a crying voice, asks his brother "Bhaiya, yeh deewar tut ti kyu nahi hai?" And a voice from the heavens answers back "Tutegi kaise, Ambuja Cement se jo bani hai!" And this ad is revolutionary because this was the initial stages of creatively engaging ads without revealing the product till the end in a dramatic plot twist.

Another funny ad that stuck out to me over the years is the ad for Wildstone Soap for men. The idea, while somewhat sexist, was successful as a campaign for the company and fetched them a few billions in sales. The ad showcases a man in the shower with a background music described as "feminine" while he is bathing with a pink nighty on and dancing to the beat. The music abruptly ends and then bashes him for using a soap sold for women, thus advocating that men should have soaps specifically catered to them. INTRODUCING, WildStone Soap, FOR MEN. While the idea now seems bizarre and somewhat offensive, I remember the concept and the imagery for the quirkiness and a different approach. 

While staying on the same lane of barely avoiding sexism, let's talk about the Park Avenue Beer Shampoo ad. The ad begins with the Indian couple in a supermarket and the man asks his wife if he can buy the shampoo and she says no. He retorts with "but it has beer" and then the man Andrew Smith himself comes out of a blinding light to convince the couple. The ad features hilarious quotes and stunning visuals all while vouching for a shampoo for men that makes your hair bouncy. The sheer absurdity of the ad is what stuck with me ever since.

The conversation about 2000s ads is incomplete without mentioning these two series of ads. First one being Center Fruit's "kaisi jeeb laplapayi" and Colgate's "Kya aapke toothpaste mein namak hai?" series. These two have a stronghold on the country to an extent that they are still mocked and imitated as an homage and everything in between. The bizarre concept of that reporter lady just popping up randomly with a whole production crew ready just to ask whether your toothpaste has salt in it was always a highlight of the commercial break between shows for me. As for the Center Fruit ad, I think we all remember the face off between the Tabla guy and the Classical Singer who won because his tongue started twitching the moment he saw the billboard for Center Fruit. That ad is iconic in every sense of the word and will forever be remembered as one of the greatest ads of all time. That is all from me this time, see you later folks!