Xylo brand managers must be the rare marketers who conceal the good and reveal the rubbish
So, that multi utility vehicle (MUV) called Xylo has come a long way. From 'The Time of Your Life' nonsense, they have moved on to promising many 'Happy Legs'. Looks like a step in the right direction. Or so it seems.
Xylo’s earlier commercial totally went over my head. The swank gaadi boasts some cool features: foldable flight trays, walk-through aisles, flatbed seats, individual reading lamps, digital drive assist system, etc. And what did the commercial highlight? Hard partying dudes and tight close ups of anatomies. All grooving to the eighties track, ‘Have the time of your life!’ Serious ad spend down the tube, is the most polite way to describe this.
Well, at last they seem to have found their bearings. Only somewhat. Now the ad is pushing space and comfort. Well, at least that’s tangible, at least now Xylo stands for something! And in order to make the effort a little more memorable, fashion photographer Atul Kasbekar has been hired to do the honours. No issues with that. A much better choice than the done-to-death movie and cricket stars. He doesn’t plug a hundred other brands, so that’s unique for Xylo. What the photographer does in the commercial is to place lots of pretty, leggy models in his Xylo, who, because of the ample space in the car, arrive at the location of the shoot with happy legs, and perform well.
Now here’s where things go horribly wrong, although the strategic intent is right. The commercial is extremely shoddily conceptualised, directed and edited. The expressions from Kasbekar and the models are forced and artificial, and whatever little they may have captured at the shoot, gets lost in the edit suite. In fact, the film is so badly crafted, even the legs of the pretty models give out no expressions! And that’s saying a lot. And Kasbekar looks so out of place and lost, it’s almost as if he’s yelling loudly, “Guys, please let me be BEHIND the camera!” And just in case you forgot their earlier ridiculous commercial, this one ends with the same old: ‘Have the time of your life!’
Wow, some more fat loads of money down the drain! What I don’t understand is this: Mahindra Xylo has great features. Why don’t they create nice little commercials revolving around them, so that at the very least the audiences know about them, at least the ad offers something fresh. And yes, if they have signed a long-term contract with Atul Kasbekar, their best bet is to hire his services to do what he’s best at: shoot cool stills of the sexy, lovely legs.
Xylo brand managers must be the rare marketers who conceal the good and reveal the rubbish. — Anil Thakraney
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