happiness and food

More than TV shows, I enjoy watching and analyzing TVCs. Philip Kotler must have given out a lot of theories on types of commercials but I see them in one of the below types:

• Promotional –  These are the ones we see almost everyday – the sun screen offered by all brands is the best. The refined oil that every brand promotes is good for a healthy heart. The toothpaste that keeps dental problems at bay is now in the market.
• Educational –  These are the ones that are issued in public interest. Sometimes to educate masses and sometimes to talk about policies implemented by the government. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan or Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojna.
• Informational – These are the ones that you may or may not be able to afford but they are aired to encourage tourism. Such commercials plant a seed in your mind about travelling. Kuch din to guzariye Gujarat mein and the Truly Asia Malaysia.

There is another kind that’s my favorite and I call them Inspirational. The commercials in this category touch hearts and subtly talk about the product that is in focus. Remember the Nescafe cafe I shared on Sunday Punch #2? Such commercials are great creative efforts to ensure consumers remain loyal to the brand not just through usage of the product but also through the messaging and communication.

Early this week, when NS shared a video with me, I had no clue about what this was. Today after having watched it for close to six times(cos I love it so much), I know that this one cannot escape a mention in my virtual space. This video brought tears to my eyes and it had a multitude of messages for me.

The storyline: A simple one. The dream of travelling all around the world. Edward’s grandson turns Edward’s dreams into a virtual reality by writing to WD. WD in turn gets its team all over the world together to work on this little project and the outcome is a lovely video with people showing Grandpa Edward the major tourist destinations in cities across the world – Qutab Minar, Eiffel Tower, London Bridge etc all recorded in a WD hard disk. Holiday season after all brings happiness to grandpa Edward.

Messages for me: This WD commercial is smartly done and kudos to the creative team for pulling something as thoughtful as this.

• Grandparents don’t stay with us forever. This video shows how much this young boy cares for his grandpa Edward. He understands Edward’s dream of traveling around the world and is sensitive to observe that at this age this may not be an easy feat. Going an extra mile in an intelligent manner leads him to WD and the team that come up with such a lovely package.
• The warmth of holiday season, the joy of spending a festival with family, the gifts under the Christmas tree and the hugs make this such a typical family scene that even if you do not celebrate Christmas, you will know it’s written “love” all over.
• Giving is a thing of joy. The happiness and contentment that you see on this boy’s face is so true and throughout the video it seems so genuine. Watching the video, grandpa Edward has tears in his eyes and audience like me is all so mushy with eyes welled up.
• The warmth and happiness associated with a dream fulfilled shows up in the form of tears. The tears of joy. The ones that reflect that life is made of dreams we see each day. Sometimes we chase them and move on to another and sometimes a loved one makes them come true.

WD subtly showed that memories can be captured in their devices and the things we treasure and keep close to our heart are technologically possible to preserve. Yes, commercials can be inspirational and they do keep us hope to leave our dreams and spend life in the company of loved ones. They tell us that life is beautiful and like this one, they leave a smile on our face.

What do you think about this awesome WD commercial? 🙂

New Year, New Possibilities! Thank you Readers for making 2014 such a great year and encouraging me to blog. Your comments, likes, shares and tweets keep me going. I promise to write better!