 "brands, brand value, marketing, companies, advertising, advertisements")
In a hospital waiting room, a woman offers a stranger a cup of chai. He refuses, but as the aroma hits him, he agrees to take a cup. The man’s father is admitted. The woman lives across the street and is there just to give company to the lonely attendants of patients.
This is Red Label’s (Hindustan Unilever) hospital ad, winner of the creative effectiveness award in the food and beverage category, 2023, given by marketing data and analytics company Kantar.
“The ad has the right amount of emotion, showing that chai can build bridges. Indians love a story and that is why the ad becomes effective,” says Soumya Mohanty, managing director and chief client officer- South Asia, insights division, Kantar.
This is in line with the findings of the Kantar creative excellence awards, which reveals India’s most creative and effective ads. Out of 400 ads, tested across categories, markets, target groups and media channels, Kantar has awarded standout performers across seven categories that include personal care, technology, and services among others.
Mamaearth won in the personal care category, while Burger King's 'Rs 50 stunner menu stuns Hrithik Roshan' won in the services category. Google's voice search director ad won in the technology category.
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The data analytics company’s report says that the most creative and effective ads generate more than four times as much profit for a brand. It ranks the creative quality of an ad as the second most important advertising profitability driver after brand size.
The report suggests that creativity needs to connect intuitively with the brand to create a stronger recall value. This is done by using a distinct style or visual that helps set a brand apart, using a jingle or slogan (for example: Surf Excel’s Daag Acche Hain), or celebrities to promote products.
It further states that creatives for the digital medium are also a growth area for brands and will continue to be so in the future as well.
The report says that while spends on branding in the digital space have increased, they are not necessarily bringing in more returns for brands, as this content is not tested before being put out on digital platforms.
The 2023 report suggests that tailoring or customising a creative according to the platform it is being shown on makes a massive difference to the impact it creates. The study shows that a tailored creative will be viewed for 10.1 seconds as opposed to an original creative (that has not been tweaked according to the platform), which will only be viewed for 8.1 seconds. Additionally, the completion rate of a tailored creative is 20 per cent—up from the completion rate of 17 per cent for an original creative.
Welspun’s QuikDry towel ad won Kantar’s standout performer for digital award this year.
However, the report points out that there has to be a certain degree of integration – like using the same colour scheme — between creatives for the same product used on different mediums like print, TV, and digital.
Kantar says that rural markets in India have grown significantly, and that brands need to keep certain creativity factors in mind while targeting this audience. One of them is keeping the product at the centre of the ad, and entertainment as the secondary factor. These ads also need to clearly state the payoffs the customer will receive.
Some consistent patterns of creatives have emerged across the country, says Kantar.
Like in Mumbai, viewers are more open to evolved themes, fresh storytelling approaches and subtle sign posting. In north India, viewers demand direct, uncluttered narratives with loud and clear rational messages.
Meanwhile, east India has a preference for textured storytelling and emotional context and payoffs. In the south, the preference is for aspirational themes with a touch of vibrancy and local cultural elements.
Consumer attention spans are also an important consideration for brands who need to adapt to newer advertising structures and storytelling styles. The report states that creativity needs to make an impact on a viewer’s mind within 15 seconds.
Out of over 1,000 ads tested every year by Kantar, the proportion of 15 second ads have risen from 1 per cent in 2018 to 13 per cent in 2022.
“Short ads, designed for 15 seconds or less, now require meticulous scripting and visualisation to captivate audiences and meet higher standards for entertainment and engagement set by rampant popularity of short-form video content on social media platforms,” says Prasanna Kumar, head of creative domain and executive vice president- South Asia insights division, Kantar.
The ingredients that make up a successful 15 second ad are sharp focus, a singular reason to consider the product, vivid dramatisation for recall value, and humour.
Kala Hit’s (Godrej consumer products) Dark side of mom ad for TV won the Kantar short format award.
