Mrs. Funnybones makes a case for Google Pixel

A look at #DayWithPixel, new ad featuring author Twinkle Khanna.

Pixel, the first phone from Google, has come up with a new campaign, '#DayWithPixel', featuring Mrs. Funnybones, Twinkle Khanna.

Google Pixel was launched last year in October. Priced between 57 and 75,000, it comes with the Google Assistant, Google Duo for easy voice calling, USB-C charger that gives up to seven hours of battery life in 15 minutes, unlimited storage with Google Photos and the 'highest-rated smartphone camera ever'.

Conceptualised by Lowe Lintas Delhi, the campaign depicts how Google Pixel is Khanna's perfect and helpful daily companion through a candid portrayal of a day in her life.

Khanna, who began her professional journey as a Bollywood actor, has carved out quite a niche for herself over the past couple of years as a popular author and columnist. A passionate interior designer, she is also an online celeb of sorts.

No prizes for guessing where I have landed today since every restaurant around me proudly states their state:) #tikkafreak #DayWithPixel pic.twitter.com/ZnSMDULEHZ

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) April 6, 2017

This and probably her Twitter Bio which goes "A bona fide member of an ambiguous tribe of the new age Indian woman; heavily armed with the weapons of my choice: Google and lame jokes," is what got Google interested in her.

The video begins with the Google Assistant taking a selfie for Khanna, as she reiterates, "all she needs to get through her day is Google (Pixel, to be precise) and lame jokes." In the close to two-minute-long video, Mrs. Funnybones can be seen juggling various roles and interests with Google Pixel by her side.

Khanna rose to popularity with the success of her first book, 'Mrs Funnybones' which sold over one hundred thousand copies making her India's highest-selling female writer of 2015 (NDTV). The book also won her the Crossword Book Award 2016. Her second book, 'The Legend of Lakshmi Prasad' is a collection of stories published by Juggernaut Books.

She won the 'India Today Woman Writer of the Year Award' at the India Today Woman Summit and Awards held on March 24. Recently, she was appointed the new face of L'Oreal Professionnel India. Khanna has also endorsed real estate brand Amara, AskMe.com and Micromax Q5 Bling in the past.

Just as I was about to begin sprouting 50 shades of grey, I am rather glad I am sporting 50 shades of L'Oréal instead:) #lorealproindia #iha https://t.co/snILlShWIn

— Twinkle Khanna (@mrsfunnybones) March 2, 2017

Known for her witty tweets and trenchant columns on a range of subjects, she recently created a buzz with her article on sexual harassment at workplaces in the context of TVF's Arunabh Kumar controversy.

Kumar had in an interview to a leading daily said, "I am a heterosexual single man and when I find a woman sexy, I tell her she is sexy. I compliment women, is that wrong?", to which Mrs. Funnybones retorted, "Sexy' is an acceptable compliment within a work environment only if she is a stripper and you are her pimp trying to boost her confidence before she takes the stage." This exchange of words was followed by her piece, 'Hey, corner office frog, keep that sticky tongue to yourself' in the Times of India blogs.

Review

According to Dinesh Swamy, senior creative director, SapientRazorfish India, it was an intelligent decision on the brand's part to focus on the key feature of Google Assistant considering the way technology has brought great ease to one's hectic lifestyle.

"The campaign captures the overarching message of the brand well. A simple format, show and tell always works well. For this campaign, weaving in a simple story of a day in Mrs. Funnybones' life with a well-placed demonstration of Pixel's features, is a wonderful narrative to connect with the target audience. It amplifies the impact of the campaign," he says.

Swamy, however, finds the execution slightly lacklustre, with no clear high point in the film. It could have been infused with more of Mrs. Funnybones' humour to add her signature touch to the campaign.

Chandrashekhar Mhaskar, vice president, digital creative and services division, Isobar India, seems unimpressed with the idea which he says has been done-to-death.

"People who own Android phones are aware of the Google Assistant. If this campaign is about Google Pixel, they should have harped on the special features of the phone and how it makes a difference to people's lives. Google is known to be innovative in their products and services. This is far from innovative. A big let-down." he states.

Questioning the choice of Twinkle Khanna for the campaign, he notes, "Her image doesn't correlate to a Mrs. Funnybones. She hasn't leveraged her possible comic image. It could have very well been '#DayWithPixel in Mr/Mrs. XYZ's life'."