 "Parents are not bystanders in Bournvita's boxing ring")
The young girl has opted to pursue a "masculine" sport, boxing. She looks longingly at a punching bag and is determined to excel in her chosen field, goaded on by her mother. The girl trains with boys, puts in long hours to perfect her technique. Having done all this, she opts one day to practise with her partner without her helmet. Life, in a sense, comes a full circle for the girl, who is ready to take on her opponent bare-faced and with confidence.
There are multiple messages that Bournvita's new on-air commercial, part of the Tayyari Jeet Ki (Preparing to win) campaign, is conveying. At one level, it takes forward the idea mooted by its predecessors titled Race, Vault and Basketball - that hardwork and determination can take you places.
At the second level, it takes off from where the Race campaign ended earlier this year, showing the mother as one who believes in leading by example. In the Race commercial, the mother is shown running through woods and along river banks with her son in a bid to encourage him to improve his stamina and technique.
But the third and most interesting aspect of the new commercial is girl empowerment. In other words, there is nothing that can prevent a young woman from achieving her dreams if she puts her heart and mind to it.
At a time when the demand to protect the rights of women has gained momentum, the new Bournvita commercial strikes a chord. Tayyari Jeet Ki, in the last two years, has emerged as a break from conventional milk food drink advertising in India which has dwelt largely on functional benefits. What marks this commercial is the message that girls can storm what is perceived as a male bastion if they want to.
Manjari Upadhye, vice-president, marketing, cocoa beverages, Cadbury India, says, "As a brand, we believe that parents are no longer just bystanders, but partners in their child's journey. Parents try to instil good habits in their children, to prepare them for life's challenges. And good habits stick, when children enjoy them. The girl versus boy angle is a nuance built in to explain that one can improve one's standards if one trains with an individual who is better-skilled."
Standing out from the rest
This is possibly the first instance of a social message (that of girl empowerment) creeping into milk food advertising in India.
This is the second commercial in the broader advertising universe in the last few months that has dwelt on the subject of women's empowerment.
The last being a commercial for jewellery brand Tanishq which spoke of the subject of remarriage of women, many of whom, like the central character in the ad, have children.
That the Tanishq commercial was hailed as a break-through conveying the message that the brand was a woman's best friend in a refreshing (and daring) manner was not lost on viewers.
Social media was agog with messages of how the commercial was progressive not only for touching upon a taboo subject, but also for depicting a dark model who walks around the wedding fire with her partner, a conventionally good-looking man, and child in tow.
Being different in a cluttered advertising environment is something that brands have resorted to time and again, say experts.
But how one does it is key, they point out, especially in a category like malted beverages that have limited avenues available to them to propagate their message. The challenge is, say experts, of being different without steering off course.
Bournvita appears to have managed this transition well by touching on subjects that combine product usage and posturing.
"The role of parenting is extremely significant to a child's all-round development especially in today's times, when the pressure to excel is tremendous on children," says Upadhye. "Our advertising has moved with the times to reflect the changing needs of consumers," she adds.
Says Santosh Desai, MD and CEO, Future Brands, "There are very few variables in a category such as milk food or health food drinks. Finding a new way to essentially say the same story, which is about performance, achievment or addressing the mother and child, has been a challenge for most brands in this category. In the last few years, however, Bournvita has attempted to address this challenge by being distinctive in its communication."
Rivals, of course, are watching every move that Bournvita makes as it attempts to raise the pitch in milk food advertising.
There are multiple messages that Bournvita's new on-air commercial, part of the Tayyari Jeet Ki (Preparing to win) campaign, is conveying. At one level, it takes forward the idea mooted by its predecessors titled Race, Vault and Basketball - that hardwork and determination can take you places.
At the second level, it takes off from where the Race campaign ended earlier this year, showing the mother as one who believes in leading by example. In the Race commercial, the mother is shown running through woods and along river banks with her son in a bid to encourage him to improve his stamina and technique.
More From This Section
In the current commercial, the mother does not hesitate to enrol her daughter into a boxing academy, making sure to sit through her practice sessions, even as she runs a small food joint to make ends meet.
But the third and most interesting aspect of the new commercial is girl empowerment. In other words, there is nothing that can prevent a young woman from achieving her dreams if she puts her heart and mind to it.
At a time when the demand to protect the rights of women has gained momentum, the new Bournvita commercial strikes a chord. Tayyari Jeet Ki, in the last two years, has emerged as a break from conventional milk food drink advertising in India which has dwelt largely on functional benefits. What marks this commercial is the message that girls can storm what is perceived as a male bastion if they want to.
Manjari Upadhye, vice-president, marketing, cocoa beverages, Cadbury India, says, "As a brand, we believe that parents are no longer just bystanders, but partners in their child's journey. Parents try to instil good habits in their children, to prepare them for life's challenges. And good habits stick, when children enjoy them. The girl versus boy angle is a nuance built in to explain that one can improve one's standards if one trains with an individual who is better-skilled."
Standing out from the rest
This is possibly the first instance of a social message (that of girl empowerment) creeping into milk food advertising in India.
This is the second commercial in the broader advertising universe in the last few months that has dwelt on the subject of women's empowerment.
The last being a commercial for jewellery brand Tanishq which spoke of the subject of remarriage of women, many of whom, like the central character in the ad, have children.
That the Tanishq commercial was hailed as a break-through conveying the message that the brand was a woman's best friend in a refreshing (and daring) manner was not lost on viewers.
Social media was agog with messages of how the commercial was progressive not only for touching upon a taboo subject, but also for depicting a dark model who walks around the wedding fire with her partner, a conventionally good-looking man, and child in tow.
Being different in a cluttered advertising environment is something that brands have resorted to time and again, say experts.
But how one does it is key, they point out, especially in a category like malted beverages that have limited avenues available to them to propagate their message. The challenge is, say experts, of being different without steering off course.
Bournvita appears to have managed this transition well by touching on subjects that combine product usage and posturing.
"The role of parenting is extremely significant to a child's all-round development especially in today's times, when the pressure to excel is tremendous on children," says Upadhye. "Our advertising has moved with the times to reflect the changing needs of consumers," she adds.
Says Santosh Desai, MD and CEO, Future Brands, "There are very few variables in a category such as milk food or health food drinks. Finding a new way to essentially say the same story, which is about performance, achievment or addressing the mother and child, has been a challenge for most brands in this category. In the last few years, however, Bournvita has attempted to address this challenge by being distinctive in its communication."
Rivals, of course, are watching every move that Bournvita makes as it attempts to raise the pitch in milk food advertising.