Chawla Aluminium TVC: is it all about the art of seduction?
BY ALI NAQVI –
Chawla Aluminium is one of those unique ads that leave a lasting impression, not because they have hit the nail on the head but due to the simple reason that they are way below average. For things to stand out there is only one rule and that is, not to be mediocre. Nobody remembers or cares for an average song, a mediocre film, an ‘ok’ drama and a simple decent person. Our brains are receptive to all things outrageous, stunning, marvelous, wondrous, beauteous, stupid, ugly, preposterous, ludicrous but not to normal, ordinary, routine, common regularities.
Chawala Aluminium being a brand of Aluminium products also falls in the category of average things. We don’t usually bother about things made of Aluminium. Even if we are constructing our house, we leave this nitty gritty to the contractors. For Chawla Aluminium TVC to stand out there were only two options, either to make a creative campaign – that is not possible without comprehensive marketing strategy and planning behind it – or to do something to prick the ears and dazzle the eyes. Chawala opted the latter option.
In advertising the rule of thumb is that you design your creative communication for your core target audience. In this case the target audience is quite obvious; men, the decision makers. If we further narrow it down, it would approximately be the men of 35 to 45 years belonging to SEC A and A+. The second factor that might be taken into account making a creative campaign is the influencer. For example when it comes to buying a TV males are the decision makers and females are the influencers. In case of Chawala Aluminium females cannot even be considered as the influencers.
Since the concept of private property emerged in the juvenile phase of human civilization woman in almost every culture came to be regarded as a commodity. With millenniums of conditioning and socio-economic pressures women play the role of a commodity without being conscious of it. Chawala Aluminium has used the female model in the ad as a commodity. They have sold the model first before selling their product.
The TVC also reminds of something diametrically opposed to advertising and marketing. It reminds me of Stem Cells. Developed at the embryonic stage, stem cells are, if simply put, template cells that can become any cell as directed. Just like a stem cell Chawla Aluminium TVC looks like a template TVC. If you change the voiceover the ad can easily be turned into a beauty soap advert. It could not be more suitable for a fairness cream or fabric or a shampoo campaign. It’s like buying a TVC and stamping your brand on it.
It is the power of the outrageous and the ludicrous that forced me to write. Had Chawla Aluminium made a normal average TVC, I could have turned a blind eye to it and the ad could have gone unnoticed.
