Mr. Jack Daniel – NO SAINT!!

After a very long time, I have seen a print ad which has a headline which made me sit up and take notice. The creative doesn't seem very out-of-the-world yet it grabs your attention. The icing on the cake, as I said, is the headline. And so true it is. I am a teetotaler but I know the kind of following and influence Jack Daniel’s has on my friends who are whisky connoisseurs.

I liked most about the creative that it draws an analogy with guitar player. The individual who plays guitar is in some sort of a trance when he plays it (this is what I have heard, I don’t know whether it is true or folklore). Even better is the end copy “Make Mr. Jack proud. Celebrate responsibly”. A direct reference to the target audience who are at a particular stature in the societal ladder, both in terms of affluence and respect. Hats off to the creative team. No key number is visible thus indicating that it is an ad showcased in the developed world and been directly released in India. 

Siyaram’s- Casting Coup

Brand ambassadors, they say, should fit the brand in terms of its character and personality. When a brand needs to take that leap into the luxury and aspirational segment, the lineage & heritage is highlighted. But when you are Siyaram’s who has always been a mass-market brand with strengths in the semi-urban and rural areas and quite less aspirational value, trying to position one of its products as a luxurious is difficult. Siyaram’s has always been playing catch up with Raymond’s and Reid & Taylor

Siyaram’s though has come up with the ultimate casting coup. They have signed on Bollywood’s original stylist and fashion designer Manish Malhotra as the face of their luxury product Royale Linen. Considered by them as “the most luxurious linen to be introduced in the market” which is “100% pure”, Siyaram’s plan to ride on the fashion quotient of Manish Malhotra to make its presence felt in the luxury space.

Of its various brand ambassadors over the years, from sports stars and Bollywood actors Hrithik Roshan & Priyanka Chopra, this seems to be the perfect brand-fit which will add weightage to Siyaram’s as a luxury brand. It could also help in its distribution if Manish Malhotra lets them showcase their range of fabrics in his exclusive boutiques. They could use his influence in the world of fashion through his fashion shows.

The company plans to spend about Rs. 30 crore on promotional activities. The above print ad in the Bombay Times of Times of India (1st May 2012) could have been placed better. Probably the first page would have been a better option. The ad creative though, nothing out of the ordinary, is elegant.