And 'The Most Amazing Ad Of The Year' Award Goes To...

...Chevrolet, for their 'Incredibly Spacious New Aveo U-Va' ad. (Wild roar of applause)

Having worked for years in marketing, having watched far too much TV in the last month while on leave, and having had my brain damaged irrevocably as a consequence of both, I believe that I am a person well-qualified to judge this. (Cannes, bah!)

What's that you say, however? You don't agree with this choice? How could you not? What's wrong with you? Just shows how much you know.

This ad has everything, and I mean everything a good ad requires. Just go and ask any friend you have who works in marketing, assuming you are the rare kind who has marketing persons as friends.

Analyzing the myriad virtues of this ad, we may note that:

a. It has two big Bollywood stars to grab your attention from the word 'Go': Saif and Rani. A winning combination with great chemistry. Furthermore, having Tiny Tim and Thumbelina in the story also makes the car look bigger, which is the entire theme of the ad. What an intelligent choice.

b. The Setting: The ad starts with Saif offering Rani a lift and her accepting the same. There is also a mention of 'coffee?' on Saif's part which Rani smiles knowingly at. While to the average TV viewer who, let's face it, is a mere lay observer, this little exchange may appear rather arbitrary. But allow me to elucidate: it is really in synch with a clever marketing ploy we like to call 'campaigning' - maintaining 'continuity' with a previous ad in the campaign (wherein he tries to take her out for coffee and she refuses).Very subtle.

c. The Branding: before Rani gets into the car, Saif mentions the car is not just the Aveo - but the 'new Aveo U-va'. Rani then repeats in loud, wide-eyed wonder 'U-va?'. You may be wondering if she is trying to draw a link to the movie, Yuva that she acted in - but this 'echoing' is being done in order to register the brand name with the unsuspecting viewer. Given how very naturally this is done in the ad, you may not even have noticed this - but believe me, the brand name is now imprinted deep into the recesses of your brain.

d. The Clever Twist, that Highlights the Key Message: Clearly, somewhere along the way, the honorable admakers decided this storyline needed some pumpin' up. And therefore, they introduce a third character into the plot - 1 no., giant gorilla, King Kong types, who when we first glimpse him, is busy destroying the city. Now, this brilliant twist in the tale, not only serves the purpose of providing the all-important 'element of surprise', but later, also of reinforcing the major point of how 'incredibly spacious' the car is - because eventually, Mr. Kong forces his butt through the car window, presumably in a bid to make good his escape by driving off in the U-va. All this is a part of a little thing we marketeers - and agency folks -like to call 'creative license'.

e. The Punchy, Memorable Wrap-up: Thankfully, once confronted by above new, aggressive, butt-thrusting character, Saif and Rani have the presence of mind to scream loudly, speedily vacate their precious car, and run to a safe distance (approximately twenty feet away) to observe. And that's when the clincher comes in. Rani makes the whole story crystal clear by exclaiming 'He's trying to get in the car?'. And finally, the 'punchline' comes in with Saif saying in his typical, scratching-head manner 'Hey, I know it's big, but...' His voice trails off, to let you hear the voiceover - 'The incredibly spacious Aveo U-va...'- at this point, you may also hear your own delighted laughter at the cleverness of the whole thing - you then rush out, trampling over your family members in your attempt to get to the nearest Chevrolet showroom, to choose the colour you want in your brand new Aveo U-Va.
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I rest my case.

So, all you judgmental people out there - kindly do not sit there and tell me this Ad isn't the best, most complete advertisement around. I challenge you to find another one that comes even close to this supreme specimen of brilliant marketing in today's world. And non-marketeers? It's about time you appreciated all the time, effort, logic, planning and money that goes behind every 30 second-ad that you choose to ruthlessly zap away with a simple flick of your cruel remote-wielding fingers.

Well? Let's hear what you have to say, then. Which ad beats this one and why? If you decide to do a post about about your 'favourite' ad on your blog, please leave a link.

(Note 1: If you don't hear from me for a while now, please do not assume straightaway that I have done serious harm to myself for being a part of the marketing profession.I may just be busy. Maybe. Maybe not. Dark, Sinister Laugh).

(Note 2: In the unlikely event that you are one of the few who don't quite get the spirit of the post and plan to leave a comment saying you actually 'don't like this ad that much' - please find yourself a good course in 'Basic Sarcasm', before attempting to read this blog again. But do come back then)