Move over, Stars!!
The three best television ads of 2011 refreshingly stay away from the humdrum of using celebrities to endorse ideas and products. It’s an encouraging trend, since the focus remains on the story.
While many may tag television advertisements as those annoying interruptions that break our favourite programmes, there have occasionally been some catchy ads that have made us sit up and take notice.
Here is a rundown of the three best television ads from this year that have left us looking forward to those commercial breaks more than ever.
1) The 'Friend'ly Ad
Airtel - Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai
An ad’s success can be gauged when it crosses over from television to become a popular viral video. Airtel’s ‘Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai’ was on most lips across campuses and cities this year, and the song caught on like wild fire on social networking sites as well. The advertisement hit the bull’s eye and touched the heart of every youth, and the extremely catchy tune did not spare even the elders from singing along. Definitely the most memorable television ad of the year!!
2) Making a point
Tata Docomo - No Getting Away
It is safe to say that Tata Docomo turned into a popular telecom service owing largely to its ingenuous advertisements on television. Its “No Getting Away” campaign this year has been straight out-of-the-box and innovatively hilarious. While Tata Docomo soon went on to sign Ranbir Kapoor, its latest series of ads minus the star have made television viewing a lot more fun.
3) The Great Indian Railways Revisited
The Indian Railways - Desh Ka Mel
The Indian Railways has for long been associated with tragedy and lethargy, and most Indians would rather look away at the mention of the service. But there’s more to the railways than we give it credit for, and at the top of the list is its power to unite and physically connect over one billion of us. Though the advertisement came out at the end of last year, it remained in people’s memories for a good part of 2011, and the Railways did succeed in sending a positive message.
The top three ads clearly survived the must-have-celebrity virus that has plagued much of the advertisement industry today. Apart from selling a point, they did manage to offer some food for thought – that stories will sell products, not celebrities.
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