It is said that A picture is equivalent to a thousand words. This expression is very aptly and cogently given meaning by the latest Airtel advertisement. Kudos to the ad team that came up with this idea -- it is simply overwhelming.

Advertising is supposed to inform people about ones product. It is used to generate awareness and to help people make a decision. This definition has led to advertisements being bold, in your face attempts to ram the product down the consumers throat, without a hint of class. This reeks of indifference to the intelligence of the consumer. But, in recent times all this has changed, and the airtel ad is an example of this sweeping change in the mindset of the adman.


What makes the Airtel ad so special?

The Airtel ad is an amazing journey into the entire gamut of human emotions. It is a compendium of human expression at its simplest and best. What could be more endearing than the picture of a small boy caught red handed, to potray the need for better communication -- his efforts to convince his mother that he has done no wrong, or to confess that he indeed has. It is this method of potrayal -- where the message is left to the viewers to decipher, where the meaning is implied rather than thrust at you, that truely proves a beakon in these murky waters of FMCG advertising.

And be sure, this ad will have a profound impact on the viewers. More people will remember this ad than the moribund star infested ads on display, and that is as it should be.


The Ad proper

Coming to the ad, the cinematography is precise and perfect. The colour scheme taunts you -- as if to say that the human expressions are so diverse, so many, that no colour is required to do it justice, and so, only black and while to give it that aura of brilliance. In effect, this ad signals the maturing of Indian advertising.

My personal favourite among the sequences that are potrayed is the one where the blind boy is reading a book in Braile. The expression on his face really got me to tears. To be able to achieve that look of satisfaction, of happiness, of achievement is truely worthy of veneration. If anyone has read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rnd, then this would be the expression on Dominique’s statue. And that is the greatest tribute I can give to this ad.

Hope there are many more such awe inspiring ads in future.


P. S. : One other ad that has caught my fancy is the one by Honda -- The Sproket ad. The entire ad is made up of parts of the new Honda Accord, put into a Tom & Jerry style complicated mechanism for some simple task... but the entire ad consists of just one punch line, that gets the message across. Amazing ad -- a must see. If you havnt seen it yet, just search for ’’Honda ad’’ on Google or try to navigate to it on the Honda site.


Aaditya