The Emergence of Creative TV Advertisements in Bangladesh

A walk down memory lane for you all...happy reading :-) 

The Emergence of Creative TV Advertisements
Faizul Khan Tanim takes a look at the past and present state of the creative television commercials in Bangladesh

It is true that Bangladeshi creative TV commercials (TVCs) tend not to feature cutting edge technology and special effects, but in the face of the invasion of  an army of ads from the TV channels of our neighbouring country, a few of our own are standing out on their own merit.
With the introduction of good production value, fantastic music and visualisation, our TVCs are set to compete for the highest awards in the world, many believe.

Take for instance the Seylon Gold Tea TV commercial. Based on a simple yet beautiful  script, with an excellent cast, background score and set design, this ad has won the hearts of millions instantly (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mgfg2o3WU0w).  Its simplicity is based on romantic impulses and the perennial Bengali phenomenon of love over a cup of tea.

The simpler the ad one produces, the more appreciation the ad makers and companies can count on garnering, as they leave adequate room for last minute improvements and can produce creative commercials without much sweat. A good example of this is the contemporary Chaka Washing Powder TVC, which shows villagers becoming scared when they see a white ghost approaching on a bicycle, as powerful vehicle headlights are beamed on the apparition. But as the spirit comes closer, the villagers realise that it’s just a man whose clothes have been washed by a specific brand of detergent power, resulting in brilliantly white clothes. With a fantastic payoff line, this TVC brings comic relief to an audience that is constantly being assaulted with greasy and cheesy TVCs showing lanky girls trying to impress their men with ‘spot-fixing’ face creams.

Simplicity always proves to be the winner, and nowadays a lot of ad makers are focusing on this virtue. When talking about simplicity and its three constituent parts: cleanness, freshness and purity, we cannot help but remind ourselves of the magnificence of the animated AP 15 Kesh Tel (Ap 15 Hair Oil) or the sheer brilliance of Maach er Raja Ilish arr Battir Raza Philips TVCs almost two to three decades back. I remember a lot of residents recalling their memories singing the lines Shajabo shokhi torey keshoboti korey debe Ap 15 kesh tel and to their surprise, they would actually see school and college boys sporting long ornas (long scarfs) to mimic women dancing in the TVC and depicting a scene where they are holding the long hair of their friend in front, proving the usage of that oil to be the best for hair care. And as for the Philips ad, remember the street urchins in Cox’s Bazar who ing and dance Rupban Nachey Komor Dulaiya for a nominal 15 Taka? Those interesting brats were still around back then and they used to narrate the full length conversation of the Philips TVC. Those TVCs were simple, beautiful and are still all that jazz. Another good example is the ad of Jui Narikel Tel, where all men could not help but fall in love with the innocence of the model Chaity (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ipxuo8v6W00), and we would see our good-looking and also not-so-good-looking friends, suddenly switching brands.

The creative evolution of our TVCs has been fantastic. Simple but great use of humour and creativity are the reasons for their success, for example, after recently introducing an array of ads for Power Energy Drink sporting the tagline Gutiye noy, Chutiye bacho (Don’t live like a pessimist but an optimist), they are now one step ahead of other energy drink brands according to retail shop owners in the race for the number one spot in the market
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGPF9j14B8k&feature=relmfu).

Our creative TVCs are not only selling products but are also changing lives, doing their bit of CSR, inspiring us and helping our teams win trophies. Bangladesh has been depicted on TVCs in different ways over the years, but has any of them managed to send a shiver of patriotism down your spine? This particular advertisement gave me goose-bumps. And although, like others, this ad aims to cash in on the sentiment of the consumers, there is no denying that it carries a spirit of achievement.

In the 150 seconds ad titled ‘We, Cricket and Bangladesh’, it starts with rural Bangladesh, children with eager expressions and the making of a pennant of pride and victory – a cricket bat. Cricket, cricket, cricket. It’s everywhere - metropolitan rooftops, lazy classrooms with uptight teachers, car lit city field, in vivid imagination and computer games, in urban romanticism, in a village kid trying to find fun in water and in a random flirtation during a street game.

The visualisation was excellent and the jingle has been crafted to hum! The lyric is extremely catchy and is delivered with a melodic tune. As soon as the tune and jingle voices the phrase Lal Shobuj er…Potaka, you immediately feel a greater part of your heart crying aloud – Bangladesh! The finale apparently touched every one as it shows how this game unites the whole nation irrespective of class, creed, religion and gender. With prayers offered in mosques, temples, monasteries and churches and in the hearts of millions of Bangladeshis, the least that our team can do is PLAY A GOOD GAME!
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbnJHb1ld4Q)

Telco Robi is also keeping up with the good sport of meaningful TVCs with their Shadow Kid campaign (www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvQHeu5WsG0), as is Banglalink with their Din Bodol campaign portraying Mr Azad of Azad Products (www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aRMZPTQpFw). Until recently, Banglalink had focused on song and dance merry-go-rounds, and drenched-in-the-rain ads with their Desh campaign, which successfully inspired their competitor Robi and other non-Telco companies.

And in the kingdom of cheesy and greasy advertisements, no one can beat the magnificently ludicrous Black Tiger Energy Drink ads. It tells the annoying story of the agony of a grown man, rejected in love, and has decided to commit suicide by jumping off the Mohakhali Flyover. But he is rescued by two girls who believe in the spirit of energy drinks, specifically, Black Tiger. One must watch it to laugh, or if you have no sense of humour and feel compassion for the histrionic Romeo, then you must have a few drops of Black Tiger, a little harder than soft drinks (www.youtube.com/watch?v=REDylAbKI70).

Speaking to The Weekend Independent, Arafat Kazi, a very creative writer from the Bangladesh circuit who presently works as a copywriter in a renowned Glass Agency, Sacramento California in the United States, said, “I think that we’re making beautiful pieces of cinema in our TV ads. And it makes perfect sense, because all the great ad directors are very much immersed in the culture of cinema. They create wonderful narratives, and since we have so many private TV channels now, it’s easy to make these stories heard”.

“But at the same time, I can’t help but feel that we’re ignoring the much larger opportunity: the online world. Online is a wholly different universe, and that’s where the world has been going these past 10 to 12 years. These days I see some brands being kind of active on Facebook, by posting status updates, but that’s nothing. Interactivity opens up so many ways to build a relationship with your consumers. And every day, tens of thousands of Bangladeshi youth (in desirable target markets too, since they have internet access) are joining social media sites. Why aren’t agencies reaching out to them more?” Kazi added.

Kazi said that few of his most favourite ads are: Olympic Battery TVC from the early 90s (chaka chaka boom boom papa), Panther Dotted: Ashol Purush (in his opinion the greatest Bangladeshi ad ever), the cinema spoof ads by the then Warid Telecom, Citycell Palabe Kothaye campaign, the Djuice free running ad and few others.

All said and done, we must admit that our ad makers have made significant strides over the years, and have given us a reason to admire and talk about creative advertisements which plays a vital role in branding the economy of Bangladesh.


*This article was first published in The Independent's Weekend Magazine Friday June 29 - http://www.theindependentdigital.com/index.php?opt=view&page=53&date=2012-06-29