The crunch !

Brand communication can be very powerful.

ITC has been building hotels and packaging chana masalas, biscuits, matchsticks and agarbattis for years now. Known for its huge span in the market and, at times, under-recognized market value, the poyshadaar company has come with another food product -- this time a potato chips brand -- and is using the communication tool of advertisement well to make us crunch some of the tangy and crispy Bingos.

The recent ad on the TV has tickled the funny bone of viewers, all right. The story is set in a Chinese or Japanese (inventions you know) studio where some shabbily clad bozos create sound effects of talkies by using their feet, a belch, a brush -- and even by munching the crispies.

Over the months, the Bingo ads have appealed to the light and fun loving tastes of the audience...be it the spoof on the Tele Brands commercial (with a cat named Jemima et al) or the pawngo vaango okurango Tamil-edged ad, the Bingo ads are loved by all and I believe that the sales of the potato munchies have shot up too and the ads have been a major contributor to the profits. The commercial in question targets our love for crunchiness and new flavours, which the company has successfully cashed in on.

I believe that the ad could have been a bit shorter and better elements of sound effects could have been introduced. The element of surprise is maintained as a first time watcher cannot gauge that the commercial shall be actually on chips.

After satirising the Tamils and the old doc who certifies a woman as being preggy as she craves for Achari Masti (remember Salaam Namaste), the agency (dunno the name) uses paao wrinkly chinamen to a successful effect. 

So much for selling chips,though!

Please, the next time you rip open a pack of Bingo and enjoy the crunch, please don't think about Godzillas romping about or have doubts about your inflated tummy (sip a bit of Gelusil, insted). 

Bingo! :-)