Analysis of advertisements_Pulkit Goenka _115

The commercial shows a cheetah running in all its gusto, and one of the models following it on a bicycle. Finally, the lad jumps on the cheetah and traps him. Then he puts his hand inside the cheetah’s mouth...straight down to his stomach, and pulls out a can of Mountain Dew. “

Bad Cheetah” - he says. The other guys watching him say to each other - “

Cheetah bhi peeta hain !” 

Then they show the cheetah with all the spots gone except for a few spots which spell out - Do the Dew.

Motivation: This advertisement motivates people to let go of the fear and be adventurous. Through the medium of a soft drink, the company tries to sell itself by saying that the soft drink would instill the ability in the consumer to run faster. The consumer will be equipped to face challenges in his life.

Perception: The perception of the general public is ignorant. They do understand that by having soft drinks, one does not get the courage to face leopards or run like them. They are smart enough to understand the loophole of the advertisement.

The commercial fails to follow some vital rules of advertising. There is absolutely no brand positioning. Which bracket of people is it targeting? What benefit is it giving you?

Secondly, their models seem possessed, running around jungles with colourful clothes, jumping on cheetahs and shouting at the top of their voices. The viewers have no point of reference to identify themselves with either the product or the advertising tone.

Thirdly, there is no advertising message – at least nothing that makes any sense. Why would anyone want to drink something that a Cheetah allegedly drinks? How did the Cheetah get hold of the can of Mountain Dew in the first place? In fact, this advertisement has more environmental and wildlife ramifications than any connection with the product.

Fourthly, it is a very paltry hand at humour. If the intention of the advertisers was to excite the audience and make them laugh, they have failed miserably. This advertisement has induced to people only to switch channels because of its senseless advertising message, theme and conception.

Fifthly and most importantly, the advertisement says nothing at all about the drink, except, of course, to extol its endearing quality it to Cheetahs. What is the taste? Does it quench your thirst? Does it make you feel cool? Is it refreshing? 

If this advertisement is remembered at all, it is remembered for all the wrong reasons. From the very beginning of the Mountain Dew’s ad campaign, it has come under some very serious firing. When they launched their first ad featuring the infamous slogan – “Do the Dew”, other aerated drink manufacturers immediately saw its potential by piggy backing on the fame and releasing a parody. The parody achieved what the original never did. Today, viewers instantly relate this slogan to “No do here, go do jhaadi ke peeche

”The Mountain Dew advertisement did catch the attention of the viewer the first time it was aired. It did not generate any interest or desire. It crashed so bad that not only was the ad campaign scrapped, so was the product. Even if bottles of Mountain Dew line the shelves of stores today, its sales barely make a dent in the profits of the company.

Gillette is a brand of Procter & Gamble currently used for safety razors among other personal hygiene products. It is one of several brands originally owned by The Gillette Company, a leading global supplier of products under various brands, which was acquired by P&G in 2005. The Gillette Fusion is a five-bladed razor released in 2006. There are two different versions of the Fusion available: the Gillette Fusion and the Gillette Fusion Power.

With the release of Gillette Fusion, P&G also launched their new advertising campaign called “Gillette Champions”. The following is an analysis of the first advertisement broadcast in this series. This advertisement features the Gillette champions -- Tiger Woods, Thierry Henry and Roger Federer. The commercial is called “Today” and all the three Champions explain how important it is in their professional and personal lives to ‘Be Your Best Today’. The advertising campaign exploits the influencing power of brand ambassadors.

Motivation: Gillette showed all the champions of the respective sports under one umbrella endorsing its product. People who follow such sports have a great image about these sports person. There are a group of people who find them as God. It will surely motivate them to use the product endorsed by their idol.

Perception: The way the product is endorsed by the champions, it shows that everyone has to be their best every day. They should shave daily and stay clean. Hygiene is one issue they have raised and it has surely worked in their favor.

The Gillette ‘Champions’ are Roger Federer (No.1 Tennis Player), Thierry Henry (No.1 Football Player) and Tiger Woods (No.1 Golfer). The Indian campaign is varied to include Rahul Dravid to cater to Indian sensibilities. The advertisers try to use the concept of transference or association to enhance the image of their product and brand. The attributes of quality, performance and excellence exuded by these personalities are projected onto the product and the brand. This builds brand image and a favourable attitude towards the new product.

A sense of polish and “class” underscores the entire advertisement. It plays on the viewers’ “feel-good” sensations. The advertisement comes across as smooth and urbane. However, it does feel as if the advertisers are trying too hard by roping in three (or four) brand ambassadors. Most advertisers feel that having celebrities or stars advertise their product influences the consumers more than an advertisement that does not feature them. But, there is something called too much stress on the influence of brand ambassadors. There seems to be little relevance amongst the slogan, the advertisement and the product. Gillette may be the best a man can get, but how does that help the ‘Champions’ in their respective sports?

Form a logical standpoint, how does the new razor blade assist the players? The audio of the advertisement bears little or no relevance to the advertising message. The advertisement talks about focusing on the present, but says nothing about the new blade. Nevertheless, overall, the advertisement comes across as suave. The brand image of Gillette is maintained and even enhanced by this advertisement. The advertisement succeeds in generating a desire and action to purchase in spite of the drawbacks of the advertisement.