Simplicity always works best. But simplicity should not be equal to boring. Reliance 3G has put out a cold, antiseptic campaign which fails to engage the viewer

Anil Thakraney  

Reliance Communications, for its 3G campaign, doesn't want to solve the nation's population explosion problem (unlike IDEA). Good idea, that! They have tried to keep the ads completely product centric. And the attempt is to bring out their 3G superiority over 'ordinary' suppliers through a product demo. Just as diligent salesgirls would do at their outlets.



I watched two commercials. In one, a cute little girl is seen chanting a nursery rhyme. The TV screen is divided into two halves. When the girl enters the left side (indicating the 'ordinary' 3G supplier) the picture appears heavily pixilated. When she moves to the right of the screen, which is the Reliance 3G zone, the picture is sharp and clear. Similar treatment is given in the second ad. A guitar playing lass is performing a Hindi song. On the left side of the screen her image hangs. And keeps buffering forever. On the right side, of course, it's a cool, uninterrupted show.



Now, I can imagine where the advertiser is coming from. Too much noise on 3G already happening. Too many outlandish creatives going around. Thus confusing the hell out of the user on what exactly 3G does. So let's keep things simple and straightforward. And focus only on the user interface.

Agreed, Sirji. Simplicity always works best. But, and this is important: Simplicity is NOT equal to boring. What Reliance 3G has done is to put out a cold, antiseptic campaign which fails to engage the viewer. Yes, the message is clear, but after that what? How many times can I watch a scientific demo during my entertainment hour? Where's the jaan in the ads?

In fact, these commercials, criminally replicate on TV all that we abhor about press advertising. On the left side of the page is 'sadharan detergent'. And on the right side 'Surf detergent'. And then the inane comparisons. Ads that treat consumers as morons. And to think Reliance has done the same number on the electronic media! Simply crazy, I say.
 
Even if they wanted to stick to the idea of user interface, there had to be a degree of wit happening in the stories to keep the viewer hooked. And this is no rocket science; this is basics of advertising.

By the way, on another note, I took the trouble to watch these ads on the Reliance 3G network. And the ads took their time buffering. This is the haalat of 3G in India. All noise, no substance.