Cadbury: Kuch meetha ho gaya!

AA brief look at Cadbury Dairy Milk's latest campaign 'Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye'. 

So the commercial break has just started and you dig back into your newspaper till your TV programme returns. And then you hear that familiar piano tune with some more familiar dining hall talks of a middle-class family. You look up from the newspaper, smile to yourself and probably chuckle that well, this does happen in other houses too eh! This has to be the unique campaign of Cadbury's 'Kuch meetha ho jaaye' that spans into five ad commercials, each tapping into the usual household banter of 'aaj khane mein kya hai?'

What a spot on hit. Trust O&M to feel the Indian pulse and make us vulnerable and convince into biting into that Cadbury how much ever monotonous the idea might be. Abhijit Avasthi, National Creative Director, Ogilvy India says, “Each of the episodes has tried to capture the magic that Cadbury Dairy Milk can bring to the dining table, be it physically or metaphorically. " And captured the magic they have - the astute script is high on ethereal emotions and successfully captures the minor tiffs in a middle class Indian household arguing over 'aaj khane mein kya hai?' If you are an Indian and have grown up in a nuclear family even if for a while, you'll realise that it is no doubt one of the most important conversation starters that either leads to a giggle, chuckle or a scorn, from the mommy's or the cooks generally. Here's a dekko at the five television commercials!

No 1 : 'Dinner'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf0X0ycQz3I

This one  has the grandmother playfully teasing her grand-daughter that her Cadbury would suffice their post-dinner meetha craving. Do not miss the part were the girl is pseudo-miffed at the granny and the granny apologetically smiles back 'Sorry haan'... haha. Adorable moment!

No 2: 'Lauki'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIVIRjC4py0&feature=related

Lauki, tendli, shalgam are words that make me cringe too if cooked for dinner and thus I totally identify with this one! 'Kal bhi lauki bani thi yaar!' What makes these ads so identifiable is the natural flow of how actors knit into each other's dialogues with their effortless reactions. It definitely feels like we are eavesdropping at some private moments of a simple loving household.

No 3: 'Bath'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C44vihlOixk&feature=related

Called the 'bath', since that is when the husband tries to strike a conversation with the wife who is freshly out of the bath, using 'aaj khaane mein kya hai?' bait to get her talking. Priceless expression when she says 'karela'.

No 4: 'Getaway'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8lclD5cn0g&feature=related

Haha, lauki again. No wait, lauki ke kofte the mother-in-law justifies. The poor father-in-law is bound to extract your sympathy when he's caught unawares with his wife wondering where he's leaving too. Blinking eyes, hiding lies, totally vice!

No 5 : 'Romance'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l_UBH_wX3s&feature=player_embedded

Well now this one, haven't seen it on the television really, but stumbled upon it on the web. Of what I gather, this is the latest and last straw of this campaign - Surely more intimate than the others, no doubt they left it for the last. The wife in a witty confrontation catches her husband off-guard with a 'when was the last time u told me I love you?' Of course the husband is smart enough and lets the Cadbury do all the talking.

Have to mention, the actors are phenomenally underplayed and subtle and that's what makes it so real. Footcandles, the production house that has executed the perceptive script has undoubtedly done a brilliant job under director Vinil Mathews. Of course the music that makes us smile cannot be forgotten, composed beautifully by Amar Mangrulkar.

I dont remember really a judicious move like this where they risk a series of ads, which is almost like a tv serial - a serial within a serial literally. Honestly, I may hate soaps, but if you make one of this exact family, with these illusive characters and promise it would be full of tongue-in-cheek and heartwarming moments as seen here, I might just end up watching and loving it!

Credits:

Agency : O&M
National Creative Director: Abhijit Avasthi

Senior Creative Director: Manoj Shetty (Copywriter) 

Client Servicing: Sonali Sehgal, Kaustubh Mahajan and Nidhi Dangayach

Planning Team: Kawal Shoor, Ganapathy Balagopalan

Production House: Footcandles
Director: Vinil Mathews
Music: Amar Mangrulkar