What, apart from a slap, can confuse Harbhajan Singh? It’s the ungli mein tingli, tingli mein ungli technique. Stumped? Well, not as much as Mahendra Singh Dhoni was when a villager showed him how to implement the “kas ke pakad, jam ke jakal, lagaa...” style of batting. Googly? Well, cricketing lessons from aam aadmis is the mantra ahead of the “cup that counts”. The ICC World Cup brandwagon is on course if PepsiCo’s 360-degree “Change the Game” ad campaign as the official beverage campaign is anything to go by.
“Ungli mein tingli is such an amazingly catchy line. And it goes so well with the bhangra beats,” says advertising student Sajid Sajjad Khan. Sure the hallmark of a good ad is a simple and catchy tagline and ungli mein tingli succeeds on this account. Khan adds, “You actually will end up raising your shoulders the bhangra way. And don’t miss out on the ‘a-ha!’ That’s a very important part of the tagline and the bhangra culture. A-ha!”
Conceptualised by Taproot India, the commercials will feature cricketers like Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen too discovering the shots and making them a part of their game. So far the Helicopter shot and the Doosra ads have been aired but as we get closer to the event, the other commercials will include the Switch Hit, the Upper Cut and the Discoop.
Agnello Dias, creative director, Taproot India feels it is the unplugged, organic face of contemporary cricket that is a reflection of everything the youth of today believes in. “Inclusiveness is key,” says advertising executive Prachi Prabhu, adding, “You make a villager relate to it with a kas ke pakad, jam ke jakal, lagaa... line. Basically everyone is involved in cheering the cricket team and that really is what cricket in India is all about.”
Sadanand Narvekar, art director, Leo Burnett, while agreeing said, “If I was to design an ad for the WC, I wouldn’t have any big name stars acting in it. That the cricketers are participating in the WC is well known. I’d rather show the cricket mania that sweeps India. I remember the Pepsi ad showing people playing cricket on top of vehicles stuck in a traffic jam. I find the current World Cup ads a little gimmicky.”
Ad man Prahlad Kakkar too doesn’t think much of the commercials either. “I think they are neither funny nor original. Hopefully they will eventually make sense in one consolidating ad. Last time around, the Pepsi ads were over-the-top and all about winning the cup. Yes, we know how that tournament ended for us.”
While talking about gimmicky ads, the World Cup runup is also seeing another campaign that isn’t quite that successful. Saif Ali Khan’s goofy expressions in the Lays campaign of wafers with flavours from eight cricketing nations isn’t exactly a hit. It probably has to do with neither Saif nor Dhoni sounding remotely convincing in the commercials. We do know Dhoni’s dialogue skills aren’t quite the crowdpullers, but Saif? It surely could have been better than the lame Love Aaj Kal ads that surrounded another mega cricketing event.
A commercial that smacks of the Ogilvy & Mather touch is the main ICC World Cup 2011 tightrope one where everything leads to the cup, with a classic line “the cup that counts”. Masks of cricketers from around the world on tightrope walkers who delicately make their way to the coveted trophy, with trendy music epitomises that emotions, frustration, fear and ecstasy that this event encompasses.
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director, Ogilvy says, “I think the focus of any World Cup advertisement should be the consumer’s mind. You have to understand the psyche of the consumer and the plethora of emotions he/she goes through while watching a match. Fear is a common factor and a gamut of emotions revolving around fear are looked into during any match. There’s so much of apprehension, anxiety, fear, hope and cheer on any viewer’s mind and that is what needs to be tapped into.”
Khan feels this commercial is one of those typical “feel-good” ones. “It’s lovely. You watch in delight, you gasp and you’re relieved. That’s it. Do you take back a funky rhythm with you? No. I’m sorry but tingli mein ungli is the latest catchphrase. Wait and watch.”
We’re inclined to agree with Khan especially since how often does Harbhajan get to “show the finger” and not find himself in any trouble?