‘Honi ko anhooni karde. Unhooni ko honi.
Eek Jagah Jab Jamma hai Teeno Old Spice, Wieden aur Kennedy.’
Most of the advertising in India is highly invisible. The stated reasons can be different, but they all point to one single direction; the firm belief in safety and the inability to take a risk. There are few clients who are willing to give their agencies a freedom to expand their scope. The agencies are happy keeping the relationship alive on the state bed of conformity. And it will continue. I see no reason, why it will change soon. Indian advertising has been the industry of media might. Push the invisible creative so hard that even the blind can see, and the deaf can hear it. The other side, very few have genuinely used the expression and execution as the amplifier for really visible engaging advertising.
So, here today I share the recent work by the freaky brand ‘Old Spice’. Work like this gives creative teams orgasm in their dreams. Most of the clients fear these stupid thoughts. It makes the creative impotency and the spinelessness apparent.
Nevertheless, such ‘Acts not ads’ seem to shake the audience and the industry. They disrupt the complexity with their simplicity. The brand and the message are uniquely bonded that it is tough for it to be signed off with something else.
Old Spice has an Antiperspirant Spray called ‘Invisible’. The name leads to thoughts like Mr India, the Invisible Man and many such simple ideas. The brand takes a big step forward and pushes the boundaries of self-imposed constraints.
They created a full two-hour ‘INVISIBLE’ Movie. Yes, you got me right, an Invisible Movie. Okay. An almost-invisible movie, there are audio and video placements throughout the duration.
Invisible movie was posted on Thursday 24th on YouTube and game-focused streaming service Twitch. ADFREAK where I came to know about it states that Invisible Movie has already got 7 million views.
‘Invisible World’ movie is far better than a lot of visible-invisible work we see.
At the very start it tells you that ‘The Human eye is composed of more than 2 million working parts and can see over 7 million colours. And it starts like a normal movie. ‘Old Spice Presents – an Old Spice Invisible Spray Production’. It catches your attention with credits like any regular movie. Names like Hans Holsen, Joann Schinderle, , Lapiz Sacapuntas, Amy Miller… the game is on.
The screen introduces a spray that fogs out everything.
Now you are in the invisible world, you do not see anything. You can hear and read the subtitles.
Around 180 seconds into the movie, is a little question ‘ Is every line in this movie going to have a gag about the fact the audience can’t see anything’. And an equally baffling answer ‘You tell me. You’re the one holding the time-vortex mirror. Take a look into it, dummy’.
In the absence of visuals, the imagination is all yours in the invisible world.
Sometime later – all you hear are voices that help you imagine what is happening in the Invisible world.
I got the point and gave up around 7:50 minutes when the conversation was becoming interesting. Do watch the ‘Invisible World’- an Old Spice production. Do tell me what all did I miss. And they even have the credits rolling at the end. That has every possible role, and responsibility filled in. At the end, they seem to be appreciative of the audience and have this simple thought.
‘A LOAD OF WORDS. THAT TOGETHER ALL ADD UP TO LOOK LIKE A UFO. A COOL UFO. KINDA THAT DIDN’T WORK BUT HOPING YOU CAN IMAGINE IT… THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO AUDITIONED.
Love these guys, when at the end they share the fun fact. This movie was 2 hours 2 minutes and 57 second long. There is a whole set of things one could’ve done at this time. At the very last, there is a pertinent question I have many times asked. Does anyone read this stuff? I mean the credits. Do let shortneckgiraffe@gmail.com know. As you are reading this, I presume, you have read it this far, what about letting me know with a comments or SMS or whatsapp or e-mail
Now, let me tell you the truth, ‘Invisible World’ is not worth watching.
It makes a point of brave stupid creativity, and I love it.
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Sanjeev Kotnala has over 30 years of corporate experience and is founder of Intradia World; a Brand, Marketing & Management Advisory. Additionally, he focusses on Ideation, Innovation and design thinking. He loves sharing the concept of Brand-i, a deliberate strategic framework to create and control your image and impressions, to be the brand. Email sanjeev@intradia.in tweet @s_kotnala web: www.intradia.inwww.sanjeevkotnala.com.
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