Smart network, not-so-smart commercial

Posted on by Parul Thakur

For over the past one week or so, a new Airtel commercial is doing rounds on the idiot box and I am sure even you haven’t missed it. It will not be wrong to say that in a way television alters the way we choose our shopping baskets. Though sometimes our brand loyalty take over newness, many a times we also pick what’s new in the market. TV commercials are important and they are usually well thought through and targeted towards a segment of the market.

What the Company wanted to show?

  • Airtel attempted to tap the DINK couples and their preferences over choosing a smart phone network.
  • A smart network makes life better
  • The company wanted to emphasize on how we are slowly progressing towards independence and authority of women, relationships in the present times and how Priya is managing her team at work that also includes her husband Rohit (this part is revealed later).
  • Today’s woman like Priya can delegate work, clearly state deadlines and is assertive enough to convince that works needs to done.

The plot: The 90 second commercial starts with a quick meeting that Priya calls with her team. She understands that time is less but emphasizes on how crucial things are. When it’s dark outside and seems like a late hour cos the entire building has no lights, Priya switches off her cabin’s light, checks on her team and heads back home in a chauffeur driven Honda car.

Then starts the part that I could not accept – She calls up Rohit to check what would he like to have for dinner as she is about to reach and with an ok disconnects the call. The modern saree clad woman is now home in a smart top and shorts. She looks into the refrigerator, pulls out a hand blender, and what seems like an expensive cook ware, starts getting dinner ready.  She prepares a great meal and then calls Rohit to check his plan. When he says, it will take time, he gets a video call this time when dear wife shows him the awesome food she has prepared and tells Rohit that she will wait for him.

What the Company showed instead?

  • Giving orders at work but taking dinner order from husband: If they are a working couple, the task of preparing food could have been delegated. Or it could have been ordered from outside, or a simple dinner made at home was also possible. A proper Chinese dinner just as husband wanted (remember wife got some answer and she did not have a choice when she asked “what will you have for dinner”) – Manchurian and noodles looks like too much!
  • When it comes to home, man is the boss: Was it the guilt of delegating too much work to husband or something else can’t say but how come a strong woman at work transforms into a coy wife at home? I felt there is gender bias when it comes to the topic of “who manages kitchen”. How so ever hard a woman works, at home she still needs to handle daily chores.
  • Not so progressive after all: If the need of the hour was to show a progressive TVC and thought process, Airtel could have skipped the “dinner making” part. Instead, they could have shown a manager who stays back along with the team to get work done, order dinner for all and then driven home with hubby dear. In my opinion, that would have been progressive.

A lot of people may argue about what’s wrong after all to be a doting wife and cook a Chinese meal for husband but my take is not that. My point is that when you show a woman working late at night, give her some rest too. Why can’t she come home where there is an already cooked meal or a come home to feel as relaxed as when the husband gets back home and there is delicious meal at the dining table? Why?

The interpretation if the commercial is my view and in no way undermining how good the actors were or the awesome Airtel network. After all, I use an Airtel broadband and I am a happy and brand loyal customer. Linking this post to Write Tribe’s Pro Blogger week. Also linking this post to The Daily Post – Matters of Taste – this commercial is being liked a lot of people but I think otherwise.

31 thoughts on “Smart network, not-so-smart commercial”

  2. I didn’t quite get what they wanted to convey really?! But I agree to what you say in these lines…’My point is that when you show a woman working late at night, give her some rest too. Why can’t she come home where there is an already cooked meal or a come home to feel as relaxed as when the husband gets back home and there is delicious meal at the dining table? Why?’

    Fearless…

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  3. I didn’t quite get what they wanted to convey really?! But I agree to what you say in these lines…’My point is that when you show a woman working late at night, give her some rest too. Why can’t she come home where there is an already cooked meal or a come home to feel as relaxed as when the husband gets back home and there is delicious meal at the dining table? Why?’

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  6. The boss could have ordered food for everyone at her office displaying the characteristics of an understanding superior. OR could have stayed back at her office working shoulder to shoulder with her employees. The boss wife and her junior staff/husband could have gone home together and both shared the responsibility in the kitchen.

    The ravishing Shobhaa De has written a piece on the same commercial. Read here http://www.mumbaimirror.com/columns/columnists/shobhaa-de/The-biwi-as-boss–/articleshow/39456999.cms

    The ad. had managed to grab eyeballs, create a buzz and generate publicity . In modern times any publicity good or bad is good for the product. Sigh.

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  7. Great Post! First thing- It’s way better than a lot other ads. It left me with a good feeling (no comments on connection with the brand 😀 ) I agree with the third point, but, I also saw it as a wife asking his husband what he would like to eat after a tiring day. As a couple and manager they could’ve stayed late, worked together, could’ve eaten out, lot of possibilities.
    But, isn’t this love, where she wants to cook dinner? Probably, when she is late in a meeting, husband could do the same asking her choice now that he is cooking. Cooking isn’t always work or duty, at times it’s love. Nothing can beat the home food. (Sorry for long comment. I am just saying. Food you prepare has love in it. Doesn’t it?)

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    1. I agree Shashank! It is way better than so many other ads.
      And yes, it may be love. But my point is entirely different. I just want to say that why can’t a wife come home to a cooked meal at home? Should she not get some time for herself just to relax at home after a long and may be stressful day at work?
      I am a working wife and I did cook meals out of love almost every night for entire 2 years. I used to reach home at 8 and VT would join after 2 hours around 10pm. I used to jump straight into the kitchen. Truly speaking, sometimes it was love but most of the times it was compulsion. what would we eat if I did not cook? Now when I have a cook at home, I feel so relaxed and I have a lot of time for myself. I have even more time to love VT!! 😉 I now write, edit Wikipedia and a lot more. Just saying that only one person can’t cook every day through out entire married life just for “love”.

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      1. Yup! Agree Parul! The work factor takes away all the “love”. My point was to say that the ‘he’ isn’t boss at home. Both could cook and definitely a cook is the best solution. I interpreted it as one normal day where she cooked and probably the other day the husband could if she was late 🙂 My views- wouldn’t want sb to get to cooking after they worked all day but probably I will still love to cook myself occasionally (even after work, not all 7 days. Now, that I am not messing up the Kitchen completely, Mum lets me cook for 3-4 days a week)

        But that’s me and guess the ad does gives away a wrong message considering it the regular (which I didn’t interpret at first because I don’t believe in working women doing all/any work at home alone, all time)

        Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Glad to learn you now have free time to utilize. Now, I guess I am on the same page as you 😉

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      2. You are right! The message is more messed up than anything.
        I was talking to somebody at work and this lady mentioned that Airtel wanted to please a lot of people at the same time and hence the mess up. They made the woman look strong and career oriented and the man getting all love and attention at home – in a way happy people all around! 🙂

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  8. I totally agree with Parul’s point of view. I also agree that nothing can beat the food prepared at home . But above all to prepare a good meal with love – a wife needs energy , tension free and fresh mood and of course not at all tired . i don’t like those adds where every time women are shown as working machines .

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  10. Oh my god! And I thought I was the only one who disliked the commercial. Everyone in my home was pointing out that how cute the ad was and I just could not agree. Thankfully, I’m not alone, or insane as my mum says. 😀

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  11. These days I am in USA . What I find here almost all Americans , Chinese prefer to have all meals in some restaurants or cafés . Many Indians also prefer to have meals in restaurants especially on Fridays , Saturdays and Sundays . The only time they have food in their sweet home is when the couples parents or inlaws are on visit to see their children !!!!!

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    1. Yeah – I kind of understand. I have seen my cousins abroad and with no domestic help as easily available as in India, they end up eating outside or even sharing cooking responsibilities.

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  12. My husband was always one to go 50/50 on household chores. Even in retirement we both still share the responsibilities. He is a great supporter of women’s equal rights. Bet there were not many women on the team that developed that commercial. We still have too many like that here in the US.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and taking time out to read the post.
      Having a supportive husband is really important and helps a woman focus on her passion, career and overall personality. Glad you and I have husbands who support us!

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