Page 46 - Seniors Today December 2020
P. 46
Once Upon A Time | Advertising
’Tis
The Season
Holiday and Christmas advertising is often a chance for humour as well as
social messages, writes Prabhakar Mundkur
There is a certain air about holiday India because we don’t celebrate it on the
advertising that pervades most celebrations; scale of the West. Christmas advertising is
Diwali in India, Xmas in the UK, and the also different because of the holidays that
Super-Bowl or Thanksgiving in America. surround Christmas. Schools and offices
Celebratory advertising is full of the close on or before Christmas Eve and open
symbolism of the festival being celebrated, only after the New Year is over. That’s at least
it is Goddess Durga for Durga Pooja, lights a good 7-8 days, which is why it also goes
and lanterns for Diwali and Santa Claus, under the label of holiday advertising.
the sock, mistletoe, reindeer and other
symbolisms for Christmas advertising. Omino Bianco
Over the years another change has Omino Bianco is the leading detergent
happened. We have moved from traditional additive brand in Italy, and sells in several
media like print and TV to social media. segments in Europe. This particular ad
Social media in many ways can do what harps on what detergent makers have been
print does and often even what TV does. No impressing upon customers for decades now.
wonder TV watching is on the decline and Separate your whites from your coloured
giving in to digital media the world over. clothes. The trend is yet to catch up in India
These are some of the campaigns I selected and no doubt in Europe people still tend to
on Instagram and other media because wash their coloureds and whites together.
they caught my attention. Naturally there This ad has Santa Claus in his colour-faded
is not much Christmas advertising in costume which strikes a pretty funny note.
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