Cadbury Gems - the retro Gems pack vs the atom Gems pack

Cadbury Gems was one of my favourite chocolates as a kid. Still is. Its shape and the fact that it comes in such lovely colours, just make it stand out. The taste definitely is awesome. Crunchy from the outside, soft inside. It is a hot favourite not only with kids but also among adults.

A few days back, its new packaging caught my attention. There was something amiss. It lacks the fun, mischief and therefore the happiness that the brand promises. On a white background, these groups of connected circular shapes give more of a feel of a chemical formulation. And I guess that is what the problem with the new packaging is. Though the Cadbury gems website says that “Gems has changed its pack graphics to a more modern, contemporary and an edgy design, together with a change in logo graphics”, I am not sure if it truly reflects what Gems as a brand stands for. Designing is one thing, designing that truly reflects the brand is one thing.

Compare it with the Old Gems Packaging and you will know what I am talking about.

Hoardings/Billboards the way I see it

I rush out of the house and jump into an auto “Bhaiya, Andheri station.” Finally made it in time. Phew! Just then I pass by a hoarding “Aapne aaj naya kya kiya?”And almost instantly, something strikes me! “ Bhaiya u-turn lena please.” I head home straight. I have left my keys hanging on the door.

While traveling back home, my tired eyes scan the surroundings. I see a hoarding right before me. Everything else a blur. It says…Take a Break.Go to Phuket. Aah! I close my eyes and I am there, happy and relaxed. Suddenly I am rudely shaken by the train halting at one of the stations. Unperturbed! (surprisingly!) I still smile to myself. I gaze out of a window and my eyes fall on a hoarding which reads “When income stops, expenses don’t. Have you planed your future?” The thoughts of going on a vacation to Phuket has long since evaporated. My smile turns into a frown. I get worried and contemplate on restructuring my financials plans…

Just then the train halts again. I get off the train and see a woman smiling at me. I look at her quizzically – wondering if we know each other, if I have met her somewhere…my eyes falls on a badge she is wearing “ Loose weight now, ask me how.” Aaah! Now I know. “Next time please” and hurriedly I make my way out of the crowded station. I see a Mc Donald’s right out there. I am going to love it. I smile a greedy smile. What harm would a cheese burger do? But there is already that smiling face haunting me…Lose weight now.

I reluctantly turn to the fruit guy “Bhaiya, apple dena.”

People talk about how these hoardings/billboards/Mobile hoardings ( I use that word for the “Loose weight now, ask me how” kind of communication) are becoming a big nuisance. You find it everywhere. I find it very fascinating though. How each of the information your eyes chooses to pick and how it coaxes you to think and at times act. It forces you to think about yourself - They communicate to you when you do have some time to yourself. They don’t really interfere with your existence or come in the way of your work. Like it doesn’t pop out of your computer screen, when you are doing something urgent; it doesn’t come as a sms on your mobile phone when all you are expecting is a reply from close friend. It doesn’t annoy you the way those leaflets pouring out of your letterbox do. It doesn’t force their way into your life. See or Ignore - it's upto you.

aman ki asha!

I came across this in the 'Wedding Times', a supplement of the Times of India. An initiative by Aman Ki Asha aimed at 'joining hearts together across borders.'

What I really like about this, is the appropriateness.

Really?

I could spend an entire day in a Reliance Fresh/Food Bazaar/Star Bazaar/Big Bazaar etc etc just going through the endless products and the companies that own them. I also like to look for new brands on the shelves.

I spotted one a few days back. Now there is a reason why that particular Drinking water bottle caught my attention. I liked the name - 'BONAQUA'. Coca Cola recently launched 'BONAQUA' (april 2010) in select markets of North India.

The tagline for BONAQUA reads 'When taste matters'. Why should taste matter especially when we all know that pure water should ideally have no taste, colour or smell. It would have been a different thing if it had introduced flavoured water (which I think they do intend to in the months to come).

Also the visual that accompanies the brand name reminds me of versace though this guy looks slightly older :)

Basmati brand names...Bas!!!!

I was working on an Annual Report for a Client - the largest rice millers and exporter of Basmati rice in India. I am intrigued how most of the Basmati Brand names have names like 'Lion', 'Necklace', 'Aeroplane', 'Train', 'Handi' etc etc.

Considering that Basmati has always been associated with being a rich man's diet, these names don't sound as appropriate or in-class. Never-the-less, quite amusing.

But if you see, most of the guys who own these brands are thet baniyas and I guess as long as the 'biznes' helps him make pots loads of money, he would care very little about what name the brand is given.

Also, and interesting observation pointed out by one of my former colleague was that housewives at that societal level don't go grocery shopping. They generally send across their drivers, maid/man servant to buy it and the names are simple enough for them to identify with.

So indeed these name do make sense after all...

Frootreat! :)

Came across this. Interesting!

Capacity 3 idiots

To promote his movie, 'The 3 idiots', Aamir has printed these stickers for 10,000 ricks and has introduced them into the places like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Gujarat, Jaipur, Kota, Lucknow, Kanpur, Patna, Kolkata, Bhopal, Indore, Bangalore and Chennai.

'ME' too!

Egg sunday or eggs unday - either ways I like it :)

Advertising at its best

This should have been posted by mid-sept when this ad was published. I guess it just slipped off my mind. Never-the-less here it is :O)

Second Opinion on 'SECOND OPINION'

Each time I visit this section of the TOI, I can't ignore the way 'SECOND OPINION' is written. I do have a 'SECOND OPINION' on that! I realise, there is a visual idea there in the form of a reflected 'S' and I do like it. But having a reflected 'P' again, in my opinion kills the whole idea. Having worked in the field of logos and identities for a couple of years now, I know that the best of logos or wordmarks are the ones that have an idea and are extremely simple in their execution (Fedex as an example has been overused. A few that come to my mind randomly are.

I just tried removing the reflected 'P' in 'SECOND OPINION'. Doesn't this work better ?

Peeo G please!

I visited the Bandra festival sometime last week. As I passed a particular stall, there were people standing outside saying “Peeo G” and handing you a cup of hot tea. They were actually promoting a new brand of tea called “Peeo G” by Lahejjat tea. The tea did taste nice and i did leave the place after having bought half a kg of Peeo G. I don’t know If i’d ever buy Peeo G again (not too fussy about tea brands) but I will definitely remember the ‘Peeo G’ brand experience for many days to come :O)

The simplicity of the ugly truth

I came across this. And I absolutely adore it for the sheer simplicity in which the message has been conveyed :O)

Airtel - tell tell :)

After months of reluctance to creating an online account in the AIRTEL’s site, I finally gave in. Not that I have an aversion towards it. I am plain lazy. Having created an account, I was checking out the various links when my eyes fell on ‘Bill analysis’.

It’s a wonderful thing they’ve done. They analyse your call usage patterns under four or five broad headings - 1) Favourite numbers 2) Favourite local calls 3) Day wise usage pattern 4) Whom do you call the most? 5) Personal and Official usage

Can’t say the analysis turned out to be 100% correct in my case but the ‘whom do you call the most?’ question did make me smile.

Just an added feature can make a consumer see a brand in a different light altogether. Though, that definitely doesn’t or can't guarantee lifelong loyalty to the brand.

The 'Lite' Wave

Take a guess

I love the ever changing Google logo (how it reflects seasons, events, tributes, anything and everything really) and I do believe that a brand should always be that engaging lest it gradually fades from its stakeholder’s minds or get reduced to being a blind spot.

Google celebrated its 11^th birthday yesterday (September 27, 2009) and little did it come as a surprise that they had a doodle done for it. However, it was very different. Different enough for me to wonder if it was a fake - a different company called Googlle trying to copy google; or had I typed a wrong spelling hence this page. After some research I realized it was their 11^th birthday hence 11 or LL in the word ‘google’

To me, stretching your brand that far, hoping people will anyways decode is not always the right way to go.

Continuing that thought - today ( 07/10/09) they have once again come up with something. Like to take a guess?

A ‘bill’ful experience

I caught up with a few of my friends at Tamarind Café, Powai, a few hours ago. The perfect place to hang out especially if you want to spend some good time chitto- chatting.

The veg. junglee grilled sandwich was out of the world (Finger licking good). But what really appealed to me was the bill… he he. Now how can a bill ever make someone smile, you’d ask? When you have a handwritten note adorning the back of the bill, of course, it makes you smile.

A small yet thoughtful gesture is enough to make me want to go back to that place again. Isn’t brand loyalty all about experience?