Top 5 Worst Indian Ads (Part 2)
India is the 2nd largest country in the world & perhaps the largest market in advertising & marketing. With so many great innovative ads, India has truly paved the way for the future of advertising. But in this huge market, they are bound to be mistakes. And thus, India has also produced unfathomable ads along its way that will make you question the thought and reasoning behind them!
In this blog, we have brought you the biggest blunders in Indian ads that are hilarious & downright outrageous. Let’s have a look at the 2nd edition of Top 5 Worst Indian Ads.
1. Finolex – Mind Blowing Fans (Literally!)
Let’s start with a bang with an ad that dared. The concept is funny, but the audacity that the advertisers showcased here is funnier! The 2016 ad for Finolex Fans ventured into the unknown space where no Indian advertisements had gone before. The ad is so well crafted (or you might say so ridiculously crafted!) that you won’t get an idea about the product until the last shot of the ad.
We see an astronaut who, for some reason, is wearing a space suit inside the International Space Station. He opens a hot case of freaking parathas to eat. But Alas… He is out of achaar! And the whole country below goes into a frenzy. Politicians are asking stupid questions, as usual, celebrities are banning space travel, and news channels have gone berserk. It’s the whole shebang. This montage of reactions is perhaps the only realistic portrayal we see in the ad. Everything else is notched up to 11. We won’t give you any more spoilers. See the ad for yourself.
2. Fogg – Yahan Kuch Bhi Chal Raha Hai
Fogg has always ridden on the unique factor but often in the most absurd ways. The issue we have with Fogg is there is not one particular ad that we can pinpoint as being weird, ridiculous or worse. In fact, we can do a whole blog on the worst ads of Fogg alone. The most mind-boggling campaign we have come across is the company’s “Fogg Chal Raha Hai” campaign. When you see its ads, it’ll make you wonder what it is they are trying to convey? Where is it going? Why is it in this setting? Although many perfume ads take this route, Fogg takes it to another level of inanity. So, here’s a compilation of Fogg ads that will make you ask 5Ws & 1H.
It’s not over yet. Have a look at what the brilliant minds at Fogg made addressing the COVID pandemic with a call to action to take precautionary measures & stay safe. (With at least a cast & crew of 100 people)
3. HAA… HAA… Hi, It’s Heinz
Heinz’s 2006 ad is impactful, to say the least. Sometimes, when alone at night, I still think of this particular ad. How did an ad that marketed its product’s biggest flaw in the most superficial way, get shortlisted at Cannes & New York Festival? Isn’t an ad’s most important job to attract consumers with creative communication? If so, how much did Heinz ad’s novelty factor turn into actual results? It still baffles me to date.
The setting is simple. A south Indian woman is telling her grocery shop guy a list of items she wants. With fantastic diction & proper vocabulary (with a substantial hint of an accent, of course) she lists out all items. Until Heinz Ketchup comes into the picture. She is unable to take the name and appears as if she is encountering a seizure. But then it is revealed that since Heinz ketchup is thick, it takes time to come out. Not even kidding. Watch the ad below.
4. Greenlam Laminates – Ajeeb Karne Ka Dil Kare
Taking a hilarious plot point & shaping it to market your product is a great concept. Unfortunately, Greenlam Laminates is far away from doing it correctly. The company’s 2007 ad has a twist bigger than Abbas Mustan’s movies. But it doesn’t have the same impact and totally fizzles out when the product is shown.
It’s the story of long-lost friends Naresh & Suresh who meet again by the grace of fate. Suresh, along with his family, invites him home. But things turn sour when Naresh refuses. What happens next is something you should watch yourself to believe. Take a look at the ad below.
Weird Fact: I’ve never seen an ad have its own screenplay in the description of the video on YouTube. A little peculiar to notice, I know. But why is it there?
5. Ching’s Secret – Captain Ching (Unfortunately) Returns!
How can we miss talking about Ching’s secret when we talk about the worst ads? Therefore, we saved the best of the worst for last! Ranveer ‘Ching’ is back at it again, this time teaming up with Ali Abbas Zaffar as director & Karishma Tanna as co-actor. After seeing the horrific rip-off of Mad Max Fury Road in Ching’s Secret 1st ad, we thought we had seen the worst. But Captain Ching was not done yet.
This is the 2nd ad in this list that is featured in the space. An all-women space surveillance group discovers a big asteroid throttling towards Earth! Its speed doubles every second! Everyone is doomed! Great set-up. In this time of distress, only one superhero can save the planet. Who has… fire in his backside. I kid you not, it’s an actual dialogue in the ad which is then demonstrated visually…painfully. I have nothing more to say.
If you’re looking to produce ad films for your brand, I hope you know what not to do by reading this blog. And if you’re looking to crack the code to successful marketing, find the perfect advertising agency by checking out their work. And remember… With great power (read money), comes the responsibility of making great ads.
About Author
Sandeep Hati is a copywriter at Sanket Communications. He is passionate about advertising trends and stories. He aims to explain the many intricacies that run the advertising and marketing world. When he’s not working, you’ll find him buried in a book or watching period cinema or failing gloriously on the same level of video game infinitely.
