It has become the trend in the ad world to use children when no other idea comes to the head

I like simplicity in advertising. It's a huge turn on. Especially when a giant financial services company de-complicates its activities and tells us what they do in a simple, endearing manner. And that's what Religare attempts to do in its new corporate commercial. So that's fine. But when that simplicity is projected in a hackneyed and boring method, the whole purpose of the exercise is lost. It just leaves you cold and detached in the end. Guess no one bothered to inform the Religare managers about this.

Religare's new commercial tries to highlight its various brands under one umbrella. And that umbrella is children. The done to death route. Yup, children are cute, charming to watch and they tug at your heartstrings. But when so many bachchas have happened in them ads, you suddenly want to shut the cuteness out. I think it's now become de rigueur in the ad world to use children when no other idea comes to the head. Almost as a default option. And frankly, it's getting on my nerves now.

So, 'loans' has a boy offering a little girl a ride on his bicycle. Children playing the game of Monopoly is 'investment banking'. Children dutching in to buy ice cream is 'mutual funds'. Kids taking shelter from the rain under a raincoat is 'insurance'. And yes, that mother of all clichés: Children saving in piggy banks is 'wealth management'. And as if all this boring stuff isn't enough to make you doze off, the background score is so languid and dead, it wonderfully replaces mom's lori. Perhaps the last shot should have been children nodding off to equate it with 'peace of mind'. Much like the rest of us.

Tch, tch, tch. Complete waste of ad money. The commercial is a total blind spot, and I would be stunned if in the post-test of the commercial, even a few respondents are able to recall the brand name. And that's bound to happen. We have seen such kiddy stuff dime a dozen. And even if Religare HAD to use children-assuming their ad agency failed to come up with any better-and the deadline bell was ringing like a church gong, the least they ought to have done is to show the kids in offbeat, surprising situations. By digging deeper into the various products. And consumer insights. But that was not to be.

Right now, the best use of the commercial is as a cure for insomnia. Is Religare into health care as well?— Anil Thakraney