Lenskart remakes own ad, chooses ‘deo’ ad formula for new spots

In an age when deodorant brands are trying to ditch their own stereotyped advertising code of spraying and turning a man into a magnet for the opposite sex, online eyewear marketplace Lenskart seems to be pumping new life into it. Like most deodorant brands, Lenskart’s latest ads feature college-goers. In one of the ads, a guy waves at a girl only to be avoided. He then changes his spectacles to a slightly chic pair, and this time the girl is all over him. The ad also highlights Lenskart’s ‘Buy two pairs for Rs 999’ offer.

Only recently HUL's deodorant brand, Axe, ditched its age-old opposite-sex-magnet-maker stance and took up the cause of encouraging men to be themselves and not give in to societal pressure of behaving, looking and feeling a particular way. We wrote about it at length in this article.

The other Lenskart ad is set up in a library where the guy asks a girl out only to be shunned. He then shuffles through a few spectacle frames till he finds the perfect match. Next, he’s sipping coffee with the girl sitting on his lap. Apart from minor changes in the ad copy and visuals, the ad is a total remake of one of Lenskart’s own ads from 2014. The ad further builds on Lenskart’s feature of virtually trying on frames online.

But is it a relevant move? What does the Lenskart gain from such a communication? We ask experts.

Communications consultant, Karthik Srinivasan says, “The library ad seems similar except for younger models (in line with their TG) and I think they continue to sell the try-3D value proposition quite well. I wouldn't begrudge the attract-the-opposite-sex narrative at all. It works for so many categories and is a good enough pitch for most personal-use products. And since it is tied closely to the actual product visually, it seems apt too.”

“The other ad (admission queue) seems less convincing though, with only 2 frames being used by the guy. The exaggeration in the library ad worked because it took the thought to a new level, expanding on the idea with many, many frames. In this case, merely changing one frame to another and the girl being impressed with one frame over another was as silly and unconvincing as Shah Rukh Khan transforming from ‘Surinder Sahni’ into 'Raj' in the movie, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi,” Srinivasan adds.

N Chandramouli, chief executive officer, Trust Research Advisory (a brand intelligence and data insights company), thinks, “Spectacles are the new apparel and the concept of more than a few pairs to match your day is the new normal. From a functional use and one pair for life, the category has evolved to become a fashion accessory. When such a shift happens, being attractive, especially to the opposite gender, is a natural draw and Lenskart hopes to cash on that, much of which deos have already done.”

However, Chandramouli opines that the ditto retake of the brand’s old ad with ‘lazy’ creatives is unlikely to be accepted by audiences. “It had novelty in its first avatar, but what they have now is old wine in new bottle,” he adds.