Josy Paul (L) and Rajeev Raja (R)
Here's what Paul had to say about the lot:
"The Radio Murders
Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Radio is dying, spot by advertising spot! All of us are involved in these serial murders, including myself. Listen to this sampler of six. Except for Sab TV which is trying hard to save the medium, the rest are stabbing this ‘theatre of the mind’ with mindless scripts and poorer executions. Everybody’s hoping that nobody will notice, and it won’t affect anybody’s reputation. After all it’s not mass media television. Out here there’s no scrutiny or critical gaze! So let’s fool the audience, the client, the brand and ourselves!"
Colgate 'Bye Bye'
JP: What an apt title. This is not a radio spot. This is the brief. The agency got a few innocent kids to sing the ppt.
RR: The easiest way out. The absence of an idea has been compensated for with a jingle. Doesn’t take me anywhere.
Goodknight Naturals mosquito repellant cream
JP: Lame excuses to avoid going out of home. Such an old idea! Terrible execution. Sounds like someone is reading out the script at gun point.
RR: A familiar idea of creating excuses to mask the real reason for not doing something. Even if one excuses that, one can’t ignore the fact that this idea is not particularly relevant to this category. A tired creative attempt.
Gorbatschow 'Be Pure' Music CDs
JP: Confessions of cross dressers, sinners and whatnots. Cheap home production that’s trying to be surprising and revealing. 2D scripts that turn live radio into dead print.
RR: Another tried and tested idea of there being many sides to people, but it’s being yourself that really matters. Linking it rather tenuously to a Vodka and signing off with ‘Be Pure’. Again, a ship that passes in the night.
MTNL 3G
JP: “Mumbai ka crowd puller kaun?” Sounds like someone is reading out the headline of a badly written press ad (with a bit of SFX) - hoping to disguise the lazy script.
RR: Another weak analogy of Mumbai’s greatest crowd pullers- ‘Ganpathi Bappa Moriya’ and MTNL’s 3G JADU. C’mon guys, give me a break.
MTV 'Male Fantasy'
JP: Mechanical robot trying to sound seductive as she reads out plastic script of a one night stand… fall! Help!
RR: There has to be a better way of communicating the ultimate male fantasy than a woman crooning sensuously about a one night stand. Doesn’t turn me on, sorry.
Sab TV
JP: The only saving grace in this killing fields of careless sound. A warm crew of joint-family members flying together to entertain you with “Halke phulke programs”. Such a beautiful phrase!
RR: Aah, finally the hint of an idea. There is some surprise and humour in this spot which touches a very Indian chord. The best of the bunch in my opinion, but that’s still not saying much.
