HP Slate - God save us from celebrity endorsements and cheap tacky ads!

Why do Indian advertising agencies feel the need to rely on a celebrity to promote a product in India?  Isnt the product good enough on its own?

So take a look at the Indian version of the HP slate ad.  I'm not sure if the ad is about the slate or about Deepika.  Not that I have anything against her personally, but half the ad is just a personal blog for Deepika.  Its just 'me, me, me'.  Yes its awesome you can play badminton.  Youre a model too, wow thats nice.  Oh and youre an actress.  Oh my, you are just perfect and you can do so much and you are so accomplished.  Oh and by the way, so is the HP slate.

And did anyone else catch the fact that she says she used to be one thing and then moved on to do something else.  Thats not exactly what the HP slate is saying though.  HP is saying it can do many things- is basically multitasking, multi-talented and the best of everything.  So the analogy isnt actually very good.  Clearly something not thought through properly from the agency copy department.

And if we really want to be critical, which we do, then does anyone else notice the setting for the entire ad.  Some sort of surreal modern cave that would have cost a fortune from a vfx company that ads no value to the ad and just looks cheap and tacky.  Come on guys, give it a little thought.

Now take a look at the international version of the commercial.  No celebrities.  No endorsements. Its all about the product.  Real world examples for real people.  And it works!  When will advertising agencies in India 'grow a pair' and stop finding the easy way out by using a celebrity to make a tasteless add.

Its sad knowing that overpriced talentless agency hacks are ripping off the public and companies to churn out slop.

HP India gets a big thumbs down! 

Old Spice India - Cant even do a decent copy of a commercial

If you have seen the original old spice commercials then you know how I feel.  I feel sad.  Very very sad at how badly we can screw up even copying a commercial.
And for a commercial that requires the bare minimum of acting, Milind fails miserably.  Really Milind? Is it that difficult to pull it together for just 60 seconds?  You do know that this is meant to be a slapstic spoof right?  Not an audition for a Bollywood item number!

There is absolutely no emotion in his voice.  He doesnt space the sentences in the right places and places the emphasis on absolutely the wrong words.  He rattles on at breakneck speed in barely legible English and the expressions on his face are, well, just all wrong.

You cant blame Milind entirely.  The scriptwriters were clearly uninspired or half asleep when they wrote this lame copy. And the big cheeses at Old Spice need to shoulder some of the blame too- Considering the amount of money it would cost to pay Milind and produce this commercial, you think they would want a decent bang for their buck.

So so sad.

Milind and Old Spice India get my unequivocal thumbs down. And how!

If you want to see how it should have been done: