Symphony: Lost between thirst and cooling

The new campaign of Symphony promotes the newly launched cooler, Storm, with focus on its power to cool large areas. Industry observers calls it a fresh idea but also finds it to be disconnected.

During summer, people are often left in a quandary when it comes to cooling a large room, such as a living room. Symphony's new campaign promotes its newly launched cooler, Storm, with focus on its power to cool large areas, and the reason behind its positioning as the 'Bade ghar ka cooler'.

Conceptualised by Mudra Ahmedabad, the television commercial shows a haveli (mansion) and how the Thakur (lord) tries hard to battle the heat. However, given the large size of the room, it becomes next to impossible to maintain a cold temperature. The TVC then takes a turn and revisits old Bollywood movie scenes showing notorious Thakurs, only to return to the present where the Thakur is pacified by the wave of cold air from the Storm.

Speaking about the idea, Rajesh Mishra, head, marketing, Symphony, says, "We wanted to promote the Storm and therefore, the whole idea of the campaign was to focus on how this particular model is able to cool large areas, up to 1,000 square feet. Thus, it has been positioned as 'Bade ghar ka cooler'."

Ravinder Siwach, executive creative director, Mudra Ahmedabad, explains, "From an Indian point of view, a 'bada ghar' (big house) stands for a haveli (mansion). And, it is mainly the Thakurs who reside in these big houses. So, we thought of a plot where we could tie the two factors - big house and lords - and portray the USP of the product in an interesting manner. Also, because the cooler is very much an Indian product, it was felt that the TVC should incorporate the 'desi' factor."

Apart from the TVC, the company has launched a print campaign and outdoor activations across the country.

Funny in nature?

The television commercial draws mixed reviews from advertising professionals. While some find the idea fresh, thanks to the touch of humour, for a few, it is a perplexed advertisement both in terms of idea as well as execution.

Sanjay Sipahimalani, executive creative director, Bates, remarks, "The unexpected cheekiness of the spot is a breath of fresh air in the world of air-cooler/conditioner advertising. But I felt let down at the end - if the set-up is that of heat causing thirst, the Thakur asking for water after he's cooled down seems out of place."

Meraj Hasan, vice-president, strategic planning, Everest Brand Solutions call it a 'confused' idea. He says, "It is all over the place, lacking a central thought. Is it about thirst? Is it about thirst in a big house? Is it about the water cooler? I simply don't get it. Even the execution is all over the place, with that abrupt usage of a Bollywood cut and an already over-used Shakti Kapoor-type voiceover."