leaving it to the TV umpire đ
deconstructing the IPL-ad film formula
đSome of the ad films released during the IPL, and some directly promoting it have managed to stick around in recent advertising memory. These films do often employ those age-old TV-ad tactics that weâve all come to love and tolerateđ«¶đŒ, but there are some underlying âpracticesâ that differentiate an IPL ad from some other commercial playing any other time of the year, and it involves more thinking than having a certain team captain holding up your product. While obviously not an exact science, and not always deployed, these considerations help to inform the creative thinking behind these ads and youâll probably notice these the next time you see a string of them.
These are what make an IPL ad and IPL ad, at least to the obsessive eyeđïž:
1. Itâs going to tickle you. đ«ą
Whatever your brandâs message or product, the tone you pick for your spot is going to belong to the âhappyâ spectrum of emotionsđ. Itâs obvious to want to appeal to the publicâs dearth of joie de vivre which is why itâs natural to take the funny route, or anything that sparks joy. But it takes the least amount of time to tell a good joke and itâs jokes we share in social settings the most. Think about the legendary âManoranjan ka Baapâ spot on Setmax when the IPL was a simple TV-only affair, or Swiggyâs extended series which introduced us to our favourite uncle with a sweet tooth.
2. Thereâs a good chance there will be a jingle on steroids. đž
Thereâs far more universality in music than there is in copy, ideas or catchphrases, which is why the odd catchy anthem or the annoyingly catchy desi scat singing works wonders for advertising. Add to this trending themes of victory and celebration and youâve got yourself a super-jingle thatâs slated for shareability-success. đŁThe 2013 âJumping Jhapaakâ IPL song, as debatable as its musical credentials are, had the perfect commercial stickiness that brands would pay good money for. Then the rustic bluesy lull of Star Sportsâ âKanna, Keep Calmâ could have you humming well into the afternoon. So, if you find your head bobbingđ© đ€ more often that the wickets are falling, you should know that itâs by design.
3. The 'meta'-verse will trickle in, maybe. đ€
Ads in India were linear and slapstick for the longest time and only now are we opening up ourselves to the charm of the hilariously absurd. The IPL ads are the proof in the surreal pudding. Itâs viewership is also now Indiaâs largest test audience for some relatively avant-garde messaging. Today weâve got Aamir Khan and Dream 11âs band of cricketers with their âoff-fieldâ wisecracks, but then there was Credâs watershed campaign which began this acceptance of the absurd. Credâs series on auditioning celebrities, which was released around the IPL, introduced larger audiences to a genre of self-aware humour which was hitherto considered maybe a little fringeđ. That, alongside a few other popular ads, in conjunction with the boom of varied content in general in India, set the stage for other brands to experiment to, well into the months after the IPL.đȘ
4. Itâs going to advantage of your induced-belligerence. âïž
No matter how engaged you are in a match, it doesnât take a Freud to know that youâre in competitive moodđœ. This is easy for brands to poke. Not that it was difficult to inspire competition in the country in the first place. When you have a broadcasting spectacle pitting one side against another, you as brand will provoke every loyalist emotion you can, maybe even misdirect it towards yourself somehow. Virgin mobile did a brilliantly cheeky job with their simple series of loyalists taking jabs and each, no politically-correct holds barred. Also, this writer does not remember these ever getting banned. Amazonâs Chonkpur Cheetahs was another memorable series that cutely pandered to our fraternal instincts.đŠ
5. Itâs going to celebrate real audiences. đ„ł
Your captive audience, the majority of it, is a picture of the Indian middle-class dream. Itâs the engine of Indiaâs consumption and the undeniable means to any end that India Inc. has planned for itself. This is the reason the messaging speaks to the median mind of the country, which isnât to say it is basic, but it wonât be something intended for a very specific group. đRepresentations will be more honest, even if caricature-ised and the only glamour on screen will be the what the celebrity can offer. Pepsiâs film for their âcrash the Pepsi IPL’ puts the Indian family in the centre, even if it makes them look unnaturally happy and cooperative. And with its adjacent, more feel-good tone, Jio Martâs new ad for this season plays on our family-like relationshipsđ outside our homes.
The IPL-ad formula𧏠isnât a simple and fool proof one, and its subject to changing audience sentiments but there are some fundamentals that we can always pull out of the archives. Itâs the basic of TV psychology, but only in a more concentrated and entertaining form, much like the T20 format itself. For audiences in the heat of the sport, itâs natural to want to feel like theyâre part of the team or the action, even if, for the moment, itâs a brand that help fill that manufactured lacuna. đŽ It could be through song and dance, a joke, a WTF-moment or all of the above. So it doesnât matter if youâre a fantasy league brand, or you make aerated sugary beverages, if youâre advertising during the IPL, your filmâs only going to have get with the list.
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