Women have better colour sense, says Asian Paints in its new ad

Created by Ogilvy & Mather, the ad film was released last weekend on television, as well as on the Asian Paints' YouTube channel where it has already clocked over one million views.

Although men have always been considered the dominant gender, when it comes to putting together a beautiful home, women fare far better. Centred upon this thought is Asian Paints' recently launched new ad campaign.

Titled 'Asian Paints Colour Expert', the ad film revolves around a man's attempt to impress his wife by doing up their home with the help of a 'Colour Expert' from the house of Asian Paints. Created by Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai, the ad, directed by Vivek Kakkad and produced by the production house Curious, was released last weekend on television, as well as on the Asian Paints' YouTube channel.

"The ad can be viewed on television, digital platforms, and cinema screens," informs Amit Syngle, president -- sales, marketing and technology, Asian Paints. "We will have a digital extension of the same and it will also appear on radio, as well as in print media," he says.

Speaking about the campaign, Sukesh Kumar Nayak, executive creative director, Ogilvy & Mather, says, "The campaign will include a digital film series taking forward the same idea, followed by another film that will be launched on television after the run of the current film."

Talking about the idea behind the ad campaign, Nayak says that since Asian Paints' colour experts help you understand colour, design, and patterns better, the agency drew upon this core insight to create the brand's latest ad which highlights the 'expert' service extended to help consumers make the right choice when it comes to painting their homes.

The film is about a man who uses the 'expert' service in a most innovative manner to impress his wife.

According to Syngle, with the help of the brand's colour expert, consumers can visualise their homes in various colours and pattern combinations before making decisions regarding their perfect home makeover.

"With this campaign, we are reinforcing our expertise in colour in order to help our consumers understand colour and décor better to get the right look for their homes. Consumers can now give a missed call to 8050480504 to meet our 'Colour Experts' and transform their homes," informs Syngle.

Industry Speak

Ever since the ad film was released on YouTube, it has clocked over one million views. We asked our experts whether the idea of adopting the story-telling approach to promote the brand clicked with the audience.

"It's a sweet and simple film. There are some loose ends, but the performances and execution make up for it and does not take away from the core message. The husband trying to impress his wife and align with her vision of a beautiful home by getting an expert's help is a step in the right direction - for the husband, for the home, and for the brand," says Jaideep Mahajan, national creative head, Rediffusion-Y&R.

Bikram Bindra, vice-president and strategic planning head, Grey Group Delhi, says, "While the film has the right amount of gloss and production befitting the category, and also a likeable cast and music, for me the overall construct is a little hackneyed. A man trying to impress his wife at something which is stereotypically seen as more of a woman's domain is really old news now, and brands across categories, from milk powders to washing powders, are using this device with a very similar role. So, it is definitely not cutting the clutter for me."

Talking about the execution, Bindra says, "The film ticks all the boxes for a classic story-telling hit - slightly quirky performances, effective use of music, and just a touch of humour. It also effectively highlights new information, an innovation beyond the product, which is typically rare in this category."

Adding further, he says, "The film highlights a unique feature that the brand offers, and hence, adds another dimension to the 'paint your home' thought. It connects to a younger audience which is willing to experiment and enjoys engaging the help of experts."

According to Anu Joseph, chief creative officer, Creativeland Asia, with the new algorithms in place, online success is often a matter of your spends unless you have superlative content. "It's best to judge a film on the basis of whether it clearly communicates the message. What it (ad film) effectively does is to tell you that you can get home the paint and colour expert if you're challenged when it comes to aesthetics," says Joseph.