27
A series of three commercials, the first one shows Pakistan off spinner and number one ODI bowler of current time Saeed Ajmal playing basketball. Even the Afro doesn’t help him fit in with the sport and his shining the ball was probably the best shot in the commercial, proving he’s only ‘Made for cricket’.
‘Boom Boom’ seems to be back from his island adventure. Leaving Misbah behind with the woman, the leg-spinning all-rounder decided to give golf a shot with his madcap batting style. His inability to control his urges to slog every ball that comes his way has made him a crowd-puller the world over. Back strain or not, he proved to be a compulsive basher with his golfing style as well, his muddled hairstyle too added valuable affect to the setting.
Pepsi has a strong supermarket mainstay and since soft drinks really don’t have a healthy Unique Selling Point (USP), a clever celebrity endorsement like this is bound to be effective, especially in our part of the world where people are really passionate about cricket and it provides benefits by capturing the hearts of the people.
Whether the campaign is successful or not, Pepsi seems to have at least answered my question from the previous blog – What can you learn from a soft drink? Just like our boys learnt they were only ‘Made for cricket’, if you’re also wondering about what you are made for, then apparently you need to gulp down 300ml Pepsi to find your answer. It may also help you get rid of a ridiculous getup if you have one; because it appears that people who don’t drink Pepsi have a bizarre fashion sense.
The letdown however came from Noori’s disappointing cricket anthem. It somehow does not bring out the zest and zeal in a nail-biting cricket match.
Countless attempts have been made to rouse the nations patriotism but having lived through the era of Jazba Junoon and Dil Dil Pakistan, such mediocre attempts have only managed to stir disappointment.
Cricket season always brings with it a deluge of jingoistic ditties. The constant generation of such songs might be a mechanism designed to give us some sort of validation – constantly reminding us that indeed we are a nation of winners poised to reach the skies. But what people fail to notice is that when these songs are combined with a product, it’s actually trying to rouse national spirit in order to sell that product. This manner of expressing fidelity to one’s country is a disgrace to prescribed patriotism. But that also means that these products may not stand anywhere without playing on the nation’s emotions.
We should not depend on such morale boosters to remind ourselves the need to stand together. It is our responsibility to stay unified and for that having confidence and mutual understanding is paramount.
In current times we may not have mutual understanding in all affairs but we are confident about one thing – we do stand together when it comes to cricket. So bring out the zest and zeal and let’s support the green team for the big match tomorrow and let’s hope that Pakistan brings back the cup so that we can celebrate victory by popping soft drink bottles in true desi style.
Follow the Advertising Analysis series here.
