Campaign: Address
Brand: Union Bank
Company : Union Bank of India
Agency: DDB Mudra
The Campaign
There is a wedding in the corner and Pankaj Kapoor and his son are at the printer?s office, getting invitation cards organized. The printer says that the cards will only be available in five days. Despite this being a happy occasion, the mood is somber and hum drum. Kapoor gets sentimental and says that he had hoped to give his daughter?s hand in marriage from their own house, but reconciles to doing so from a rented house. Later, when the family is in a car, Kapoor looks at the invite and tells his son that the address printed on the invitation card is wrong. Feigning ignorance, the son drives into the address printed on the card. The other family members in the car seem to be in the know as they smile at each other coyly. The son hands over the keys to the house to Kapoor, revealing that it is their house. The brand?s message of processing housing loans in just five days is then put forth.
The voice over comes in: Your dreams are not yours alone.
Our Take
This film has no ornaments, other than its simplicity. At the heart of it all is the great Indian aspiration of owning a home. In country of a billion, for many of us, this is the ultimate dream. The agency is talking about a bank here, but instead of focusing on the rate of interest, or the bank?s many schemes, it keeps the focus firmly on a middle class family and their preparations for an upcoming wedding. Pankaj Kapoor is absolutely the right choice to play the part of the family patriarch. The ad starts off on a somber note. Kapoor is sentimental about giving his daughter away, and wishes that it could be from his own home. He resigns himself to fact that it couldn?t possibly happen. The son keeps his thoughts to himself, as he quietly goes about making his father?s dream a reality. The subtle execution of the commercial adds intensity to what the bank is trying to say. This ad will resonate with a lot of Indian families. While the west is largely about individual aspirations, India is about families and collective dreams. We dream a dream together. The advert warms the heart. Banks are often seen as cold, impersonal entities that habit glass offices and deal in hard cash. Union Bank tries to project itself as much more than that. This is a bank that makes human relationships richer. It is no less than any private bank and responds quickly to human needs. A housing loan can be processed in five days. The commercial tugs at the heart, and at the same time, gives great joy. A dream getting realized is always a beautiful thing.
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