The new Ritz ad whizzes past my mind the moment it’s done, just as the car whizzes past the highway. Another bunch of crores of rupees and creative man hours down the tube

To be quite frank, the brand name Ritz kinda worries me a bit. It just doesn't work for a car, and no, not even for a lowly hatchback. Ritz sort of cues stuff like wafers and biscuits and condoms, the instantly perishable types. But for a product that costs me around Rs5 lakh? Something's not right here, which probably explains why the Maruti blokes have been tinkering with Ritz's ad ever since the car was launched just about two years ago.

The latest ad tries to make the brand stand for something. And the punch line 'Live the moment' to mean something for the car buyers. So the commercial is a collage of shots of young people enjoying their 'special moments'. Baby at peace in the car. A kid trying to climb the roof of the car to pluck a fruit or some such thing. Another sod proposes to his partner by scribbling on the vanity mirror, etc, etc. 'How many moments have you lived?' asks the voice over.

Well, don't know about that sir, but the special moments you have portrayed in the ad I have lived again and again and again. Not in my entirely boring and unhappening life, but in adverts for all sorts of products and brands. Booze, cars, bikes, insurance, chocolates, detergents, lipsticks, fans, ball bearings even… I have lived these clichéd moments repeatedly. And now these 'special moments' at beaches, highways, traffic junctions, forests, etc, leave me totally cold and numb. They work for just about any product, ergo, they have NOTHING to do with the Ritz, and they hold no value for me. They tell me nothing about the car that's unique; neither in terms of features and styling, nor in terms of an emotional connect. The ad nicely whizzes past my mind the moment it's done, just as the car whizzes past the highway. Another bunch of crores of rupees and creative man hours down the tube. Tch, tch, tch.

And oh, that very floozy brand name. Even if the ad had rocked and won a Cannes Lion, I ain't spending Rs5 lakh (taxes and RTO bribes extra) on a waffle. So count me out anyways.

By the way, wish you all a delightful new year. May your life be filled with special moments. No, not the Ritz kind, I mean really special. Cheers! — Anil Thakraney