Changing the fame

This was just one of the many in the funky,earthy and earnest series from the soft drink giant that helped unleash the World Cup fever. It has a whiff of modernity and a zany earthiness,that only humour can inject. A small-town man teaching Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MSD) to do the ‘helicopter shot’; actor Ranbir Kapoor teaching Virender Sehwag his ‘upar cut’; a young woman dropping her pallu,then picking it up to teach Sri Lankan player Tillakaratne Dilshan his famous dilscoop,and a hip college student teaching Harbhajan Singh how to bowl the doosra. At a time when ‘Go India Go’ became the mantra for most of the campaigns around the World Cup,this campaign,created by Mumbai-based agency TapRoot India,stood out. It cut through jingoistic anthems,to connect directly with the masses.

“When I first heard the scripts,I knew this campaign would make an instant connection with the public. It celebrates the unorthodoxy that has risen in cricket in recent years. It shows that cricket is still a young,growing and relevant game,” says Prasoon Pandey,of Corcoise Films,who filmed these ads.

That’s precisely what TapRoot was aiming for,says Santosh Padhi,co-founder of the agency. “Everyone remembers Pepsi’s ‘Nothing Official About It’ campaign,when Coca Cola was one of the sponsors of the 1996 World Cup,” says Padhi. TapRoot wanted a bold,innovative and youthful campaign. “So,we thought of highlighting the improvisations and innovations that have crept into the game,” he adds. To highlight the game’s changing character,the agency even shot an ad with umpire Billy Bowden,known for his quirky signals.

They omitted formats which would show cricketers being above the common people. “The beauty of the campaign is that commoners are using familiar things to teach these cricketers their highly unusual style,” says Padhi.

In fact,all elements — music,styling and locations — had to be just right to ensure the mass connect. While the ads were all shot in Mumbai,the sets were built to resemble a vegetable market,a village field,a sari shop,among others. All the characters in the ads had to look believable. That’s why actor Anshuman Jha was dressed street style in a ganji,printed shirt and faux aviators. Designer Aki Narula kept the masses in mind even while styling for Ranbir Kapoor.

The music captures the soul of the campaign,affably switching tones. “Each ad film showed a different aspect of the game. We played with the tunes,” says composer Loy Mendonsa,of the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio.

The radio campaign and the theme song for the advertisement series too celebrate this need for change. Swanand Kirkire and Shantanu Moitra of 3 Idiots fame composed the track Bindaas Badlo Yeh Game. “We created lyrics that were in sync with the nature of the campaign. It is about the youth,taking risks and striving for excellence,” says Kirkire. He is right. Pepsi ads have changed the face of the advertising industry.