ICA Pidilite's first India ad film has all the drama of an Italian opera

ICA Pidilite has just released a short film depicting how their glamorous wood finishes influence people's moods, tastes and preferences. 'The Mother's Visit' is a unique film based on the simple insight that good taste can influence and win over even the most cynical and hard-to-please.

The film begins with an Italian couple welcoming the girl’s rather stern mother into their luxurious and well-designed home. At the outset, we see an air of nervousness between the three as the mother struggles with the fact that her daughter eloped and married without her consent. We see the young leave the room to give the mother some time and space.

The mother, now left alone, looks around herself. She spots a picture frame of the couple. As she looks at it she breaks into opera in Italian expressing her woes. She places the picture down on the console and gets distracted by its attractive metallic finish - Luxurious Moon Rock textures combined with a Satin Metallic touch. She looks quite impressed with the finish. Continuing to sing, she looks around herself, and slowly we see her mood start to shift from distress to joy and wonder. She catches her reflection on a dining table's high-gloss ICA Lucido mirror finish and admires herself in it. She then saunters over to a wall with an artistic finish on it - ICA Maltawood (due to the use of colourless resins in their formulation, these products give the surface an elegant and polished appearance). Last but surely not least; she stops to take a selfie next to a gorgeous bar cabinet with knobs finished using the ICA Creativa Metal series (designed to give surfaces an antique look, while maintaining superior aesthetics). Its unique and distinctive look easily sets it apart from other wood finishes. 

The luxurious house with its gorgeous finishes appears to have mesmerised the once-upset mother and uplifted her mood, even adding a new spring to her step. She seems to have accepted that even though her daughter married someone without telling her, she chose well – an aesthete, a man of good taste. The film ends with her in a joyful embrace with the young couple.

Commenting on the campaign, Manish Airee, Senior Vice President, ICA Pidilite, said “This is the first time we have released a film made in India for our audience. We want to communicate to our consumers how persuasive design can be. Through this film, we want our consumers to know that ICA Pidilite's good taste and great finishes are recognizable and that they meet the same high-quality standards as in Italy. We at ICA discover how changing consumer preferences can influence businesses and we try to respond to continuously evolving trends and tastes.” 

On the creative strategy, the Creative Team of Alok Nanda and Company (ANC), said, "Our decision to use opera as a medium was governed by the Italian provenance of Brand ICA Pidilite. Our objective was to create a film that looks like an out-and-out Italian production, and that’s why we had an opera singer from Italy sing it for us. With sophisticated humour, an elegant cast, brilliant music, and a very premium setting, we were able to stay true to the DNA of the product: Premium Italian Wood Finishes. With a gorgeous product, a talented team, and high production values, we knew we had all the ingredients to create a great film. And now, if the viewers like it, we won’t be surprised. After all, good taste shows.”