A quick look at some memorable Raksha Bandhan ad films from this year's lot.
It is a known fact that brands love to hop onto the festival bandwagon every opportunity they get to make the most of the emotional buzz. Raksha Bandhan is one such festival.
Most of the ads released around this event and occasion is tactical in nature and meant to push sales for that day or period. Like every year, this year too, several brands have put in their effort and money to make some interesting Raksha Bandhan-based ad films. Here's a look at some of the ad films that grabbed our attention.
1. Amazon
Last year Amazon rolled out its tactical campaign #DeliverTheLove, in order to convey the message - 'While we can deliver the gifts, you need to deliver the love.' This year, the online shopping website, has extended their #DeliverTheLove campaign, which attempts to communicate that while they can deliver anything a user wants, but nothing is more precious and memorable than meeting your sibling on Raksha Bandhan in person.
Conceptualised by Ogilvy Bangalore and directed by Afshan of Good Morning Films, the film revolves around an elderly woman, preparing to meet her brother, who is going to come to her place for Raksha Bandhan. Her grandson fails to understand, why his granduncle gets jamun (a special Indian dessert) for her every year for the festival when there is Amazon, and he can order anything from the website. His grandmother makes him realise the importance of meeting one's sibling in person on special days like these through a sweet story.
2. Gits
Through its new ad campaign, #ThankYouBhaiya, Gits Food narrates the viewpoint of every single girl, who feels vulnerable when she shifts her base to a different city, away from the protective environment of her family and loved ones. And how in a lonely city, common people - such as taxi driver, watchman and liftman, with whom she meets on a daily basis - commonly addressed as 'bhaiya' becomes her guardian angel, ensuring her safety and security without being related to her. The core message is: It is time to appreciate all the 'bhaiyas' who are quite often unappreciated and taken-for-granted for their commonplace duties.
3. Reliance Jewels
This August, Reliance Jewels will complete a decade-long run, and is all set to celebrate its 10th anniversary on August 15. As an attempt to capture special moments from the lives of its customers, the brand has come up with its first video, #ReshmaThakursMemorableMoment, on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, with the tagline '10 saal. Unginnat pal. Har pal anmol'.
Conceptualised by Kaleido Communications, the film opens with a sister who is tying a rakhi on her brother's wrist and in return gets a pair of earrings. The girl is hesitant to accept the gift. The brother seems annoyed and goes near a wall and stares at the photograph of the girl's biological brother - a defense personnel who lost his life for the country. The sister then appears wearing the gifted earrings. The video captures the bond between the sister and brother who has never let her feel the absence of her own brother.
4. Lava
Lava, the mobile handset brand, has launched a new campaign that presents the brother-sister relationship in an extremely emotional way. Conceptualised by Soho Square, the film has been produced by UnCommonSense Films. The video opens with a young chirpy sister talking to her mother over a phone call and explaining why she is preparing poha for her brother rather than the puris her mom wants her to fry. The film continues like any other Raksha Bandhan commercial until the sister is seen performing the customary ritual of putting the vermilion on her brother's forehead. But rather than 'tying' the rakhi on her brother's wrist, she attaches the rakhi on his pocket like a war medal. Only then one discovers that her brother, an army personnel, has no arms, and no wrist. With almost no melodrama, this beautiful ad is made sensitively. The film ends with a message: 'Lava believes some relationships never let you down'.
5. Ferns N Petals
'Love knows no boundaries - Be united by love this Raksha Bandhan' is the message that Ferns N Petals, an online gifting platform, wants to convey. The central theme of the film is to tell people that it's not necessary that you can only tie rakhi or send rakhi online to someone who is related to you, but sometimes to other people who are not even connected in any form. It furthers the thought that as a society, it is important to break the sterotypes and present a new thought.