India rules over Hindustan

When Rahul Kansal, Brand Director, The Times of India, gave the following brief to its agency - "We want to bring out the strength of the connection we have with the reader and the fact that TOI comes with a heritage, it has a history." - even he wouldnt have envisaged the clarity with which his brief would be executed by Agnello Dias of JWT.

The latest Times of India commercial begins with a dancing group handing out to a middle-aged couple a copy of The Times of India, pointing to news in the Sports section headlined, 'Prakash Mirajkar Selected'. The middle-aged couple are excited and the wife takes the paper to show the article to Pakia's grandfather.

The headline strikes a chord with the grandfather and he goes inside a spider-webbed room searching for something. From underneath a dust covered album, he takes out an old copy of The Times of India, turns to the Sports page and reads a story headlined 'Mirajkar dropped from India hockey camp'. He compares the two headlines and celebrates, leading to the frame – 'The Times of India, A day in the life of India'.

After a long time, a TV Commercial has evoked emotions that this one has. Not one frame is wasted. No celebrity casted, no tall claims. Just a clear briefing, very strong concept, a very creative agency and bang on direction. Just makes me wonder about the Airtels, Whirlpools, & Emamis of the world who've been investing lakhs on celebrity endorsements, but do not have one ad that I would like to recall later as a creative genius. Incidentally, the first Airtel ad that did strike a chord was again one without any celebs casted in it.

Apart from that, in the newspaper space, one of the recent TV Commercials that hit us was the Hindustan Times – Let there be Light ad, when HT was launched in Mumbai in July. The Brief to O&M – 'Superior Content'. And O&M gives us an ad which makes every person who doesnt read HT as a blindfolded person, stepping into puddles, letting their hands burn, bumping into walls, getting there clothes painted in black....a bit too much.

If I were from Delhi, HT's stronghold in terms of circulation, I would have still bought that to some extent. But in a Mumbai where HT was just entering, and which is TOI dominated since years, why would the junta believe that just because they have not been exposed to HT, and because they are on a TOI staple, they are blundering their way through life?

Also, the HT ad was on National Television, so even a Kolkata with a miniscule circulation of some 35-45K was exposed to this tall talk of Let There Be Light. Kolkata is dominated by The Telegraph who dethroned the leader The Statesman a decade or so back. So I understand if Statesman comes out with this ad, I would see them as fighting back for the top place. But then being hit by this ad from a HT on the TV and Hoardings ( !!!! Hoardings?? At least that they could have been restricted to only Mumbai or a Delhi!!) was completely superfluous in a city where they have no circulations to talk about, So I guess the attempt was to let there be a light circulation if not heavy.

When exposed to this, the TOI ad comes as a breather which restores my faith in TV Commercials for newspapers. This year, JWT bagged 17 Lions at the Cannes Fest with JWT India bagging its first Silver ever at the Cannes Lions. This TOI ad has certainly suited the Indian Pallette. Now, lets see whether its good enough for India's Largest Advertising Agency to win its First Gold at the most coveted International Advertising Festival. I for one would definitely be cheering for them.