Return of Onida Devil delights people, but fails to impress ad fraternity
The Onida Devil – perhaps one of the most well-known mascots in Indian advertising like the Amul Girl, Asian Paints’ Gattu, Air India Maharaja, Vodafone pug and ZooZoos – returns to the ad world, once again, in the latest campaign for Onida’s air conditioners.
The TVC, which hit the screens earlier this month, has been timed for the Indian Premier League 2018 season as Onida earmarks Rs 20 crore for IPL advertising alone.
Taking on the mantle of giving the Devil his due in the ad campaigns this time is Taproot Dentsu. Mindshare is the media agency. Sourav Chakraborty dons the Devil’s avatar in the latest campaigns and he has big shoes to fill in as the earlier Devils were essayed by the likes of David Whitbread (who played the Devil for 14 years), Rajesh Khera, Aamir Bashir and Ashish Chaudhary.
The last time the Onida Devil was seen in an ad was eight years ago. And all this time while the Devil was hibernating in hell, he acquired a wife (played by a Russian model called Daria).
He further said, “I don’t just want to use this Devil as a product, but it’s a brand face for Onida. The Devil will cut across all the product segments – be it TV, Washing Machine, AC and Microwave. The moment you see his face, you can easily recall the brand identity, which is a great thing. Basically, there are three things that make your brand work out. One would be the visual which is the Devil, then there is jingle that we don’t have, and the third would be the signature line for the brand. For some reason we had changed it and honestly after that we didn’t experience any great success. I’m pretty much convinced now that the Devil is the brand Onida. He will change the whole perception about the brand. He is not our product ambassador, but he’s our brand ambassador.”
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Creative gurus on whether the Devil works for the Millennials
There have been a lot of comments on the return of the Devil – some are happy at the return of one of the most loved brand mascots, while some can’t believe that the devilish charms have been domesticated. And the advertising fraternity wonders if the Devil will still be relevant for the digital generation that wasn’t even born when he first came on to our television screens.
Brace for their candid comments...
KV Sridhar, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Hyper Collective and Trustee, Population First, ASCI Board Member:
“Currently, it won’t be relevant unless they do it something very creatively. I was the first person to criticise when Flipkart stopped using the kids in their ads. Likely they brought the concept back. There are a few things that are now not considered scandalous anymore, like a two-piece bikini. There are a lot of things that have changed from my time. Lots of things have changed from social to economic.”
“The idea that worked for brands, say Asian Paints, don’t work today. The idea of Asian Paints – ‘Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai’ – is an expression of who you are and will always remain effective because people from every generation feels the same way for it. The idea will remain contemporary all the time because that expresses yourself through your homes, whether you are a millennial or a couple living in a chaotic space or in spic and span rooms. Various characters created, like the Maharaja, do not remain as effective as every other coffee shop has evolved. Newer symbols have emerged and they are quite different. Anything reminiscent of our father’s age does not remain relevant anymore.”
Manish Bhatt, Chief Creative Officer, August Communications:
Naresh Gupta, CSO, Managing Partner, Bang in the Middle:
Sundeep Nagpal, Founder Director, Stratagem Media:
“Millennials today are not likely to form a large part of the Onida TG. And even if they did, the brand may well believe that this communication is effective even for first time/ younger audiences...perhaps an attempt to re-create the same differentiated brand identity.
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