Campaign: Na Tameez
Brand: Pepsi
Company: PepsiCo India
Agency: JWT
The Campaign
The ad opens on a bus carrying the Indian cricket team stuck in the bylanes of a town. The entire neighbourhood turns up to gape at the players. As MS Dhoni is about to open a bottle of Pepsi, Ranbir Kapoor appears out of nowhere and starts questioning him on the tactics he plans to use at the T20 World Cup. Kapoor then goes on to chat up Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli, but every answer of theirs is received in an irreverent manner by Kapoor and the people gathered there. The players are taken aback at the temerity of these fans who instead of putting them on a pedestal are virually making fun of them and their mannerisms on and off the pitch. Irked by their behaviour, Dhoni asks Kapoor, ?Yaar, yeh kya tameez hai?? (why are you speaking like this). Kapoor responds by saying, ?Yeh T20 hai boss, na tameez se khela jaata hai? (this is T20, it?s not supposed to be played in a respectful way). The fans gathered there then add, ?Na tameez se dekha jaata hai? (nor watched in a respectful and restrained way).
Our Take
Being one of the global sponsors of the ICC World Twenty20 2012 Sri Lanka, Pepsi brings Bollywood superstar Kapoor and Indian cricket team skipper Dhoni together on-screen for the very first time. The campaign shows how the Indian cricket fans led by Kapoor change the game off the field. This campaign is focused towards the viewing experience rather than the brand or the sport.
The premise for this ad is that cricket today is more about fans than the players. It is more about entertainment than sport. Twenty20 is played in an unorthodox manner with the rules for the gentleman?s game having changed drastically. When it comes to viewing this roller-coaster format, the action loving fans too do not hold back any punches. Hence, the positioning, ?Yeh T20 hai boss? na tameez se khela jaata hai? na tameez se dekha jaata hai!?
However, the execution leaves a lot to be desired as the ad ultimately does not say anything. The pointless banter, or rather heckling, leaves the viewer confused on what exactly the ad meant to say. It also ends up highlighting the T20 game rather than the brand.Again, with this ad, Pepsi is shifting back to cricket after its short tryst with football. Is this all about strategy, or is football a non-starter in this cricket-crazy nation? That remains to be seen.
