Thank you for taking time out to comment on my post on the SBI campaign.

Please see my response to Anisha in the context of my overall positive appreciation of the SBI advertising.

Also please take time to appreciate that there is a huge difference between “understanding” and “execution”. Perhaps the team that created this campaign has all the right understanding and insights. But I do not like the choice of the word “every” – as both, a communication specialist, and as a member of the larger audience.

I never had an SBI account, neither does anyone in my family…

As for slamming those who mindlessly use expensive brand ambassadors, I am on your side – please check out my other posts on the subject:

Noshtradamus on celebrity endorsements

How celebs get fired

This said and done, please do return to my blog, randomly even, and post a comment whenever you can. I would love to hear from you again.

Regards,
Noshtradamus

Let me state upfront, that I have no agenda against SBI or the people that created it, whom I am sure put in a lot of effort to build it to the scale at which it was built and broadcast. I have in fact, over the years greatly admired SBI advertising and have even written about the brand positively in many of my international advertising reviews published elsewhere.

I agree with Anisha on the simplicity and brilliance of SBI campaigns, albeit not on this one. Most SBI campaigns are deeply insightful and connect with its audiences – which includes its customers in great measure.

The fact is, advertising doesn’t come with explanations and riders of intent beyond the stated – in headline, copy, or fine print. The keyword here is “stated”.

Bringing out clearly what is “implied” is the creative team’s responsibility, and not something for audiences to imagine or investigate as a parallel.

In the twenty years I have spent so far in this business I have created hundreds of campaigns for scores of brands. And I myself have been at the receiving end of flak – for silly mistakes, oversights, and sometimes for obviously stupid campaigns. So I can understand the other side as well, and apologies if its upsetting people.

But am I changing my opinion on this campaign??

Nope.

As Anisha pointed out, perhaps the offending word is “every”, and the core of the idea is actually insightful and brilliant. But as a member of your audience, I reserve the right to ‘take out’ what I want from the campaign at first pass and express my opinion on what it did to me.

You can write here and try and explain to me what was “implied” and I will even publish your indignation and clarifications. But you cannot do that with “every Indian” who doesn’t get it… can you?

Well if one cannot appreciate an organisation’s making a difference, by not having to lean on BRAND AMBASSADORS ( Read: Bollywood for all the trouble they are worth) the least you could have done is not to slam the campaign for the undersatnding that it has.

It stands for the trustworthiness of the bank ( VALUE ), if you read Kotler correctly for Ad Communication basics right.

If you run this place randomly..great you deserve precisely..random shoves.

I love the Maruti “India comes come in a Maruti” line and campaign.

Here India is the spirit, it is the people, and the brand is not audacious or corny enough to suggest/presume ‘every’ one of us drives a Maruti.

The SBI line is clearly amateurish, and not thought through enough.

The agency and client should have done due dilligence and deliberation on the merits and nuances of the line.