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Debating over it in advertising hallways is one thing; but when one overhears strangers in a public place bonding over a discussion on 'that ad on TV last night' and 'how shocking it was', one knows that the advertising has done its job.
For television viewers, it was hard to miss the now infamous Rin commercial, which was unleashed on Indian television screens last Thursday (February 25, 2010). Perhaps bombardment would be a better word: the high-voltage TVC was supported by a media plan that included primetime slots across all major GECs and news channels, in an effort to deliver maximum impact over the long weekend.
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The ad shows two mothers waiting at a bus stop for their children, who are returning from school. They spot each other's shopping baskets - one woman's basket sports a packet of Rin, while the other has purchased Tide Naturals. The Tide lady looks proudly at her purchase and brags about Tide's 'khushboo aur safedi bhi' offering (fragrance combined with whiteness). The Rin lady simply smiles.
When the school bus rounds the corner and drops off the two children, the Tide lady's boy is wearing a visibly dull shirt, while behind him emerges a boy clad in a spotless white shirt, who runs past the shocked Tide lady, over to his 'Rin' mother. To make things cheekier, the boy asks his mother, 'Aunty chaunk kyun gayi?' (Why is aunty so shocked?), where the word 'chaunk' could easily be a reference to Tide's punch line, 'Chaunk gaye?'
The voiceover concludes that Rin is 'behtar' or superior to Tide, when it comes to whiteness, and at a 'chaunkane wala' price of Rs 25, at that. A super, 'Issued in the interest of Rin users', completes the commercial.
Comparative advertising is, quite obviously, not a new phenomenon by any standards. Every other brand has dabbled with it at some point, while it is almost formulaic for some categories. However, to make comparisons with competition involves discretion in execution, such as air-brushing or pixelating a competitor's brand name/pack shot, and most definitely, keeping away from referring to rival brand names.
With this ad, however, Rin seems to have broken every rule in the book. But what may seem like a publicity stunt to some, is, in all probability, a well-thought out strategy on the part of Rin's makers, Hindustan Unilever (HUL). afaqs! investigates.
Legal eagle
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has, over the last few days, received several complaints from customers/viewers, who feel that the comparison is "not fair". According to the ASCI spokesperson, "We are writing to the advertiser concerned about the complaints received and are seeking a response."
In order to make comparatively superior claims, an advertiser has to keep the following ASCI Code in mind, which states that advertisements containing comparisons with other manufacturers or suppliers or with other products, including those where a competitor is named, are permissible in the interests of vigorous competition and public enlightenment, provided:
• It is clear what aspects of the advertiser's product are being compared with what aspects of the competitor's product.
• The subject matter of comparison is not chosen in such a way as to confer an artificial advantage upon the advertiser, or so as to suggest that a better bargain is offered than is truly the case.
• The comparisons are factual, accurate and capable of substantiation.
• There is no likelihood of the consumer being misled as a result of the comparison, whether about the product advertised or that with which it is compared.
• The advertisement does not unfairly denigrate, attack or discredit other products, advertisers or advertisements directly or by implication.
While no official confirmation could be obtained at the time of filing this report, sources reveal that there are sufficient grounds for HUL to be taken to court over this matter.
On being contacted by afaqs!, an HUL spokesperson justifies the commercial, stating, "Rin is a household detergent brand and is used by millions of consumers across India for its promise and delivery of superior whiteness since its launch in 1969. The latest advertisement of Rin brings alive the superior whiteness delivery of Rin, vis-à-vis competing brands in the market."
Further, HUL adds that this advertisement reinforces the promise to consumers that Rin delivers superior whiteness. "This claim is based on laboratory tests done through globally accepted protocols in independent third party laboratories," the spokesperson adds, to substantiate the claim made in the TVC.
Bharat Patel, chairman, Procter & Gamble (P&G, the makers of Tide Naturals), was unavailable for comment on this matter.
Knockout or washout?
Unleashing this communication on a long weekend (Eid-e-Milad on Saturday and Holi on Monday) is no coincidence; industry watchers even feel that Indian courts being shut over the weekend has helped Rin's cause, as anyone taking offence to the commercial could not do much about it during this period. In the meantime, Rin gained with high visibility on TV.
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Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults, calls this the "putting your finger in competition's eye" kind of advertising. "Of course, this is a gimmick to create 'hungama' or noise. But if the facts are correct and Rin is able to prove them in the buckets of the nation, then its job is done. But I see the chances of that proof as slim," he says.
On the flip side, HUL is considered a "buzz generating, edgy and trend-setting" company, so there isn't any reason to not tom-tom about its superior products, Bijoor adds.
Ask him if the ad is distasteful, and Bijoor shakes his head in the negative. "What was distasteful 20 years ago isn't now, and the younger generation's palate of what is acceptable is fast changing," he muses. And so, Rin's well-planned strategy - both of taking on competition head on, as well as a weekend release - may not be a bad thing at all.
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But there are contrarians like ad guru Alyque Padamsee, CEO, AP Advertising, who, incidentally, is the brain behind Rin's trademark lightning strikes and whiteness positioning. "This is comparative advertising to its extreme," he declares.
To him, this is equivalent to hurling stones at another in a manner that doesn't say, 'I am better', but that 'You are worse' - a tonality that hurts both brands. "My guess is, a significant dent in the sales of Rin, much due to Tide, may have led to this blatant, gloves-off approach," he reflects.
Ask him how Tide should react, and Padamsee says, "When people throw stones, it is because they have nothing to say. If I were Tide, I would not launch a counter-communication, which itself should put Rin in its place."
The adman is also dissatisfied with the 'faded shirt versus white shirt' mnemonic used to bring out Rin's 'superiority'. "The consumer is not a moron (as David Ogilvy said), but the advertising agency that uses such tactics, is," he signs off.
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Naresh Gupta, director, strategy and planning, Dentsu Marcom, too, feels the only reason for such an attempt by Rin could be Tide's entry into its whiteness territory. The fact that it targets Tide Naturals, a variant, and not Tide itself, may just be a 'by the way' thought, or a way to avoid some legal problems.
To Gupta, the marketer in this case has shown gumption to say 'I do this, they don't.' Air-brushing and other such means are, in fact, the coward's way of doing things. "At the end of it all, it does evoke a chuckle or two," he shrugs. "This is better than a lot of competitive advertising out there."
As an analogy, Gupta muses that such an ad is akin to the two marketers picking up the phone and talking down to each other - something that is so interesting in itself, that the lack of a big creative idea (Padamsee's 'faded shirt' grouse) can be forgiven.
Brand experts conclude that this could well spark off a trend, to release controversial, capsule-duration advertising campaigns, which do their job by the time they are pulled up. But on the other hand, brands with limited, finite budgets may not have the financial muscle, or the gall, to walk this path.
'Wash' this space for more.
© 2010 afaqs!From Nikhil Kalia, Sun 07 Mar 2010 11:03:51 AM In every creative brief from the client for any new commercial is aimed to be "clutter breaking".But In real advertising world there are very few ads who are really clutter breaking.India is loaded with emotional relationalship touch,there are very few ads who put their comm. which are straight forward without geting into drama. The Creative, The communication has achieved its objective..
The advertisement is breaking the clutter, It got the higher recall as compared to any other TVC in the same segment..do check the Brand Equity . .
From abhishek, Sat 06 Mar 2010 06:34:10 PM Hi i think sitting outside HUL for any of us to guess their strategy is plain stupid, they did not make this ad for the advertising community so please continue using Tide.....they made this ad for the 999 million other consumers who are not so cynical about advertising...BTW was there not this same furore in recent memory wrt to Horlicks & Complan?
this kind of advertising has always been RIN's strategy so nothing new, just wish that in trying to idiot proof the ad they had not shown the competitive kid in an almost brown shirt!
From krishnarao, Sat 06 Mar 2010 05:54:21 PM never expected this type of cheap advertisement from HUL normally big organizations like HUL never talk about competators, I feel this will give more publicity to Tide than Rin.
From Anshuman VORA, Sat 06 Mar 2010 05:54:12 PM F A I R & M A N L Y ?
1 . THE VERY FACT THAT WE ARE RESPONDING MEANS PART OF THE JOB'S DONE . UNPAID MEDIA COVERAGE IS , IN FACT , BEING ACHIEVED . HUGE SUMS MUST HAVE BEEN SPENT TO GET " EXTRA ADVTG , FREE " !
2 . BALANCE PART OF THE JOB WOULD ALSO BE DONE IF RIN SALES GO UP SIGNIFICANTLY NOW , EVEN FOR SOME TIME , AND MAINLY AT THE COST OF TIDE ' N ' .
3 . FOR THE VIEWERS , IT'S ' FILMY ' RELIEF [ WITH THE USUAL DISBELIEF ] : DHISHUM . DHISHUM ! THUD !
' DHHONDHATE RAHE JAAOGE ' FROM THE SAME CO. & AD AGENCY WAS MORE IMPACTFUL , IN A POSITIVE SENSE .
4 . IF P & G " OVER - REACTS " [ UNLIKELY ] , BOTH WILL BE WOUNDED .
5 . 'CORPORATE' BRANDS ALSO GET AFFECTED : " MACHO " OR " DESPERATE " .
6 . BRAND MANAGER , RIN WILL BE A SUPER - LISTER OR A SCAPEGOAT NOW , DEPENDING ON OUTCOMES BEYOND THIS YEAR'S APPRAISAL !
ANNUAL PERFO - REVIEW OF TIDE'S BRAND MGR IS ALSO AT STAKE , EITHER WAY .
7 . CASE STUDY FODDER FOR MKTG PUNDITS WHO ARE BUSY COLLECTING CLIPPINGS OF NUTRALITE VS AMUL .
KEEP IT UP , MR PARANJAPE !
Anshuman Vora , a loyally polygamous Brand - user .
From Nitin Narang, Sat 06 Mar 2010 03:07:07 PM Strange, but interesting, as this becomes the start of an era of these kind of comparative and controversial ads in the industry... If not strictly acted upon (depending upon if RIN is able to prove the facts) - - This is a Big Time Transition that the industry is going to witness... So Way to Go...
From AGV Narayanan, Sat 06 Mar 2010 01:52:30 PM Really shocking to note that a Company of HUL's stature stoops down to this level to make a dig at the competitor's brand. Though HUL is known for its aggressive marketing (pushing !), this particular strategy is quite unpalatable. It shows its desperation and frustration since it has been losing the market share (as well the mindshare) to the competitors...I suggest P&G keep quite rather than reacting and getting its image taken a beating...
From Aashish Bosman, Sat 06 Mar 2010 01:47:12 PM I think it's a good example of nice media planning, no matter whatever people talk or say the commercial has left its mark on everyone's head.
From Gunwant Wadibhasme, Sat 06 Mar 2010 01:41:11 PM What nonsense, the first thought that is coming when you watch this advertisement is that how could HUL come up with such a advertisement directly pinpointing the competitor. They themselves are showing that we are not on Top. By showing this Rin level is came down. The advertisement that RIN is better than TIDE is completely lost.
From Umair Bin Imiaz, Sat 06 Mar 2010 11:33:22 AM I think TIDE has already got the buzz....so what if it is negative promotions for TIDE at the cost beared by HUL. TIDE's puchline got one more translation of CHAUK GAYE?
From mansi bhambri, Sat 06 Mar 2010 10:55:33 AM i dont thing so anything wrong has been advertisied...........earlier complan and horlicks also did that......
good strategy adopted by them and i am sure rin must have undergone a lot of research before advertising this......
From Gaurav, Sat 06 Mar 2010 10:27:44 AM Have not we seen comparisons in Mutual funds, Supermarkets so why not detergents, its not that wrong, c'mon...
From Saikat, Sat 06 Mar 2010 10:06:30 AM Rin sounds like a bad loser with the execution of the ad .. a real winner does not stoop low to prove its point .. it laughs competition away .. this ad would have worked wonders if the theme was humour. Rin will lose brand equity for sure.
From Arif Husain, Sat 06 Mar 2010 02:43:21 AM There is saying in football game, Dont hit the player hit the ball.Unilever is hitting the player instead of ball ( Quality of the product). This shows how HU is desperate & lossing ground in every category...This is the wrost creative ever seen & gen-x will understand that Rin is no more a iconic brand...Brand manager of rin must resign on moral & ethical ground or otherwise vist the market to understand consumer ........Hul made it saas Bahu aur Sabun..................
From ankur a-cube group, Fri 05 Mar 2010 06:51:38 PM great effort !!
awesome job done..!
this is how our monotonous and pathetic ad world will touch heights,
From Heena Minocha, Fri 05 Mar 2010 05:10:50 PM Very sad to learn that HUL took such a stance to show its competitor down. It was clearly showing onesself superior by showing the other inferior
From ruchika kumar, Fri 05 Mar 2010 11:54:36 AM I will still buy Tide cos it costs me five rupees less than Rin for a 500gms pack...this has clearly and unfortunately for Rin, been shown in this TVC.
From Suveen, Fri 05 Mar 2010 10:37:12 AM To all those lamenting the aggression in the ad, I say, go take a hike. It is refreshing to see some good old aggression in advertising, instead of the wimpy waffling we had been seeing lately. And even better that it looks like it will come from erstwhile stars like HUL and P&G. Let's face it, as those much more knowledgeable than me have pointed out above, these are categories that need a reason to grow, and the big boys will need to do that. With whatever it takes.
More importantly HUL has shown that it still retains some of the old aggression that took it to where it is today, and which it seemed to have lost for the past 5 years. Their growth numbers will bear this out. First the Axe effect ads, then the spirited defence of the fairness cream communications, and now this. I am glad someone is itching for a fight there. Also speaks well of the level of decentralisation, where category heads seem to have more discretion than you would expect with brand communications. In the good old days, we would have expected the chairman of HUL India to explain this tactic, but now I would be thrilled for them if even the marketing head keeps his hands off it.
From Tejas Harad, Thu 04 Mar 2010 04:29:52 PM When I first saw the ad, I was literally shocked. This is a very disgusting ad. And you least expect such a thing from a big company like HUL.
From Shivani, Thu 04 Mar 2010 02:40:33 PM Read a report in the papers today - There is nothing naturals in Tide Naturals ! Even the perfume is synthetic.Incredible ! P&G taking consumers for a royal ride under the grab of ethics and morality. A wolf in sheep's clothing,trying to play the victim while being the culprit. If you add the two together, Rin has done nothing wrong by telling consumers that it is better than Tide which calls itself Naturals and does not have anything natural.
From Kajal, Thu 04 Mar 2010 02:01:06 PM I think the comperision was unfair as Tide cannot be compared with rin in terms of whiteness. As far as whiteness is concerned Tide is the king.
From nitika, Thu 04 Mar 2010 11:31:20 AM I dont think rin has done a great job by degrading tide . Rin shud be creative enuf to use a diff. strategy by advertising it not by defaming a brand just to have its popularity , I dont think this will affect the sales much of both the brands..... wat stupidity...........
From Kunjal Sinha, Thu 04 Mar 2010 09:43:49 AM With a short term perspective coming out with an advertisement like this can be advantageous to the brand. If we look at the long term perspective then such advertisements may create a negative image of the brand in the minds of the consumer. There could have been somehthing better and creative than this. But at the end of the day Rin's work is done. We can only wait and see what happens to the brand. As consumers have short memory they tend to forget everything in the long term.
From Shiksha, Thu 04 Mar 2010 01:36:58 AM Rin just can't prove itself better by portraying such 'hard hitting' commercial against Tide.. This marks a big question mark on the ad-agency who simply lacks a superb idea to position Rin.. or simply lack in confidence on the brand HUL against P&G as whole.. is this merely a product fight or a brand fight out in open??
From MyBMM.co.nr, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:55:16 PM RIN just proved that it is a weaker brand. S**** on HUL and Rin.
From Ankit Dohare, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:41:43 PM 1. Ad voice over says "Rin is better than Tide" while the visual shows "Tide Naturals" a cheaper variant of Tide. hence if the tests which HUL claims are true against "Tide Naturals" then pointing out "Tide" is blatant lie and HUL should be sued for millions of dollars for defaming a brand againt which it doesnt hold superiority.
2. while it's been an industry practice to say my brand give amazing benefit Vs. "ordinary brand" and exxagerate the benefit for dramatic effect. But if this ordinary brand is given a "name" (like "Tide " in this case) one cannot exxagerate benefit. So even if Rin is able to claim "better whiteness" than the cheaper version of tide , "Tide Naturals" the difference in shirts show it's an exaggerated difference as what's shown can never be reality even if the other shirt is washed with plain water! This is again disparagement of a competitor's brand.
The back ground to HUL's desperation is the culmination of two things:
1. Rin is at it's lowest share in 7 years at 4.6% (down from 7.2% in 2003) . on the other hand Tide at 8.8% has become almost double the size of Rin powders despite being a very new player (up from 2.4% in Jan 2003)
2. The pressure from global Unilever on the Indian arm to deliver results at any cost has led to such unethical aggression. But for sure approval for such ads cannot have been given by anyone below the rank of Inits India head.
From ashoksinh, Wed 03 Mar 2010 09:19:32 PM Always people aims to compete with the best or a benchmark.Whether hul is convinced that tide is the one?
From Manuj, Wed 03 Mar 2010 09:05:00 PM RIN is following they following the political wind within INDIA, as a politician in Mumbai was giving & gives controversial statement to grab public attention the RIN is also following, but as that politician has negative image in public, by this AD RIN will create a negative image.
A brand behaves like this when it has nothing new to give to public & is scared of his downfall
From Moses Raj, Wed 03 Mar 2010 08:13:16 PM How often do the makers of RIN & TIDE wash their own clothes...................
From Gurpreet , Wed 03 Mar 2010 07:51:28 PM Rin delivers superior whiteness. "This claim is based on laboratory tests done through globally accepted protocols in independent third party laboratories," the spokesperson of HUL said but i suppose it must be considered that even whiteness of tide is no where comparable with whiteness as shown in the advertisment, as it has also been proven in the bucket of nationalite house holds
From Shivani, Wed 03 Mar 2010 07:46:11 PM Just because such ads are rare should not mean they are illegal, as commented by many people. If you refer to the ASCI guidelines on comparitive advertising reproduced in the article,I feel Rin has fully adhered to them. The tvc is not disparaging Tide, but merely saying that Rin is better. Comparisions are fundamental to human nature.We do it everyday- in our homes, in the market,with tangibles and intangibles. Whats wrong if we see it on tv ? My vote is for Rin.
From Vikas, Wed 03 Mar 2010 07:33:46 PM this ad can be easily be classified as 'unethical'....but has engaged the masses and created a buzz...hence, should also be considered as a 'success'....the fact that it's been discussed from offices to homes stands testimony to the fact....seems, the blatant and blunt nature of this one might pave the way for many such HIT-&-RUN ads....but as they say, 'consumer is not a moron.'
From shailu, Wed 03 Mar 2010 07:14:00 PM rin done his job....एक सुनार की सौ लोहार की
From Manoj Sharma , Wed 03 Mar 2010 07:08:50 PM RIN is givng free publicity to TIDE ...what awastage of money as they can do much creative and appealing
From KGA, Wed 03 Mar 2010 06:04:54 PM It tells that HUL is afraid of P&G. Isn't it?
From Eanjiee, Wed 03 Mar 2010 05:19:05 PM i strongly feel rin could have done a better job than getting into all this. By doing this Rin is setting publically a competitor ithout any reasons.
From Kavit Asher, Wed 03 Mar 2010 05:04:11 PM I just would like to say to both the Brands, just as Russell Peters says " Somebody is gonna get a hurt real bad"....!
From sankaranarayanan, Wed 03 Mar 2010 05:03:01 PM HUL has been making several such tall claims of the attributes of it's product portfolios /catagories and the benefits to the consumers who use the Products/Brands through their ad campigns for many years.
Most of the time,the consumers either not bothered or have the time to check the credentilas of such claims and still keep buying on impulse.
The consumers will ultimately decide what product he/she wants to pick up from the market and it depends largely on their perception,expectations and whether the campaign can deliver this or not, is the question.
"Rin " type of commercials may give some initial response of brands switch from Tide (may be from other brands too) and to that extent the campaign will help and nothing else.
From suneel, Wed 03 Mar 2010 04:00:47 PM not at all a good strategy to promote your product which is more better than competitor. this kind of advertising only can create a buzz through the mass appeal but can't establish a brand nor can create a positive brand image in the minds of potential and actual customers. It only can make a point to discuss in the market. I not a right strategy to promote your any product.
From Sarika Sharma, Wed 03 Mar 2010 03:35:21 PM Putting competitors product with our product in same ad is like, giving them out publicity through our expenses.. completely Insane Idea but as far as advertisement is consider I think it has helped gaining attention of the viewer and prime time blocking for the advertisement during long weekend, is again definetely thoughtful strategy by HUL..
From Jaydev , Wed 03 Mar 2010 03:33:00 PM I am completely with IB, Sudeshna etc... This clearly shows how much the brand RIN got scared of brand TIDE's increasing sales. The moment u start talking about others... i.e. u r not sure of what u wanna say...
From shantanu, Wed 03 Mar 2010 03:28:09 PM Rin has hit bullseye. Look at the number of comments in this forum. I have never seen such a response to any Afaqs article before.
Today the success of any ad, initiative or promotion depends upon word of mouth and thats what the ad is doing. It has got we argumentative indians to argue about it. Cheers !
From Shubhendru , Wed 03 Mar 2010 03:02:07 PM Leaving right and wrongs aside, I believe such comparative ads help Indian consumers (which I consider less aware about the products as such) to make better choices in this 'sea' of alternate commodities. Which in turn depends upon the credibility of the claims made in the given ad. Its another way to help make consumers make educated choices. Now if Rin was wrong in sayng that it is better than Tide then Im sure Tide won't stay mute...
From mypov, Wed 03 Mar 2010 02:55:06 PM I agree with SGM! Guys, a 30 seconder should make a well researched claim, and should get a point through in an interesting, shocking, sticky, etc. etc. manner. (In this case, people are talking about it!) If it can live up to it, the ad's fine- Time will tell.
From N. Chandramouli, Wed 03 Mar 2010 02:53:06 PM A 4-decade old brand, Rin, has lost credibility by behaving like a 12 year old. For anyone who thinks that this advertising create 'a chuckle' and is therefore acceptable is not aware of the damage that such communication has done.
The guerilla attack is not smart and ends killing the credibility of a leader. Rin will suffer the consequences of this for a long time. Remember that people's memories are not short at all and that the damage has been done.
From Prem, Wed 03 Mar 2010 02:49:01 PM A nice ad.. but my innocent question is; why should RIN waste their money, produce an ad that and share it with TIDE?
From Manoj Sahay, Wed 03 Mar 2010 02:48:18 PM Comparative advt is not a new phenomena, however this is probably the first that we see in FMCG brands. I personally dont think, it is going to make any difference to either brands. Other than the media and the FMCG fraternity talking about it for a while and giving opinion about it. Comparative advt is acceptable when the attributes are measurable i.e. subjectively measured . That is the reason why we have comparative advt in auto sector and it works as well , but in FMCG brand, how bright the shirt is cant be measured - it is very subjective . So other than creating a topic for debate these advt is not going to work and if at all it works it will be negative not positive for sure.
From sudarshan, Wed 03 Mar 2010 02:25:19 PM what next Rin? Are you going to go up against soft drinks saying Rin produces more bubbles in water than the fizz produced by Colas? Well if you do so i won't be surprised.
Or go up against condoms saying ultimate protection for clothes.
Or Rin washes faster than a Volkswagen can travel a stretch on the Autobahn
Or start applying Rin on your school canvas shoes. They get brighter and smell great so that your dog loves fetching them for you.
Or Don't use any ordinary brand to whitewash your house. Just use Rin - for walls that go white and stay white.
Shame on the b**** manager (who i guess cannot write an agency brief to save his life). And the agency for not believing that advertising can still work with CREATIVITY than "So called Strategy".
From Anand Manaswin, Wed 03 Mar 2010 02:21:42 PM Simply bad... I asked mom : do not purchase RIN again they are evil...
From pradip, Wed 03 Mar 2010 02:14:02 PM i heard a viewer asking whether RIN and TIDE are brands of the same company while seeing this TV Ad......that is the extend to which RIN helped the brand TIDE through this ad.....haha
From Sanju, Wed 03 Mar 2010 02:07:53 PM Guys..Let's just get over this ethical & moral rights or wrongs..There is always a first time...Rin has chartered into into new territoriy and we should appreciate the guts..Moreover comparative advertising is done in many categories. Look at Car ads in print media, they always do comparative advertising in their Ads..They compare their brand with the competitor feature by feature...and just think like a consumer..wouldnt you like to get the comparative information which helps you in decision making..or atleast makes you aware of the choices..nothing wrong in doing that..If we all do what we have bben doing in the past then we will never evolve ...may be its time to get into comparative advertising in FMCG too..and 10 years down the line you may say that it was Rin who started it all..
From Raj, Wed 03 Mar 2010 01:57:44 PM Whatever it be... ethical or unethical... but I think the tvc has done its job... its has buzzed the buzz...
From Ajay Dabar, Wed 03 Mar 2010 01:29:17 PM This Ad kills the Lalitaji's ' Saaf Suthri Image' which is still in women's mind.
From minu, Wed 03 Mar 2010 12:54:16 PM For the first time i hv seen such commercial where one leading brand directly targeted competitor brand name in tvc commercial.
gr8 job----------
From Sudhir Mishra, Wed 03 Mar 2010 12:43:18 PM I think the Cretive Director is a student of Viru Sahasrabuddhi(VIRUS) of 3 Idiots. Because he only taught recently that to move ahead "Kill the Competition". But the Idiots in the film are Smart but this type of idiotic attempt will only help to laugh but not in rise of Sales figures.
From Tushar, Wed 03 Mar 2010 12:41:33 PM I think HUL was scared that TIDE is eating up their Sales. This is Cheap game played by HUL. I think they dont trust their own brand. Please learn to fight your battles. Dont take someones elses indirect support by showing them in the bad light. I just hope TIDE dont have counter strategy for the same. please continue running your current campaign. Dont get scared by these cheap Gimmicks. We consumers are smart enough to understand these mind games. BAD WORK & BAD AD RIN.
From Aastha, Wed 03 Mar 2010 12:35:07 PM When the facts are clear and legal attributes are adhered, then the ethical unethical dilemma does not carry any weight. The ad is though noticed because of its ethical implications but the root reason is creativity in advertising. Marketers are perhaps the most wide thinkers today so getting noticed is one thing but getting noticed with a modest attitude is real thing.
From lb, Wed 03 Mar 2010 12:06:55 PM Absulute madness and no smart thinking behind the ad with no communication objective being met by rin. wondering on the fact that rin had to implement this weird starategy of standing tall and claim being the losers in the segment despite of being the leader.. Leaving aside the end communication and stick with the brand value i would say that there is not an existence of superiority of rin perhaps a joint promotion between rin and tide----- i am glad that tide achieve the brand recall with no investment----
i extremely feel sorry for the entire commercial and the thinking gone on the same------ wonder experience people can showcase their bad creativity -----
Thums up to P&G-----
From Vikramjit, Wed 03 Mar 2010 12:00:32 PM And jokes apart, i think rin is just being nice here. They need not have been. Instead, they could've gone the full mile ahead, hired a few Mumbai goons and beat the hell out of anyone who didnt agree to 'Rin being whiter...'.
From Gaurav Agarwal, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:56:05 AM For people like us who like spending their energies writing sections like these hoping someone would read, this ad definately is worth the energy spent. Detergent industry enjoys loyalty and any cross-over requires some serious conviction on the part of the customer and great offering on the part of the brand. Even if go to try Rin out will i really see any great difference in results? Or will i stop using Tide once having tried Rin because with the same results i am still better off paying Rs. 5 less? And what if Tide drops prices? And are customers buying Rin sensitive to Rs. 5 difference?How far will this commercial go? Or it never wanted to go too far, what if...... so many to ask let me just wash my hands off this now...
From Shikha Poddar, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:53:12 AM RIN has done a Commendable job by hitting the Competitior in the eye...
In India, a middle class housewifes every month wants to save money, & tide was portraying the best detergent powder for the middle class as it is cost effective, 20 rupaya mein safidi !!!!
but now RIN says "you can get more whitness than Tide @ 25 Rs"
this commercial has targetted the Tide USP of being "Sabse white ho to tide ho".
there are high chances of a Tide users being converted to RIn user
From Vikramjit, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:51:52 AM With due respects to the creatives who worked on it, i think it ll be a little tough for them to live with themselves after this.
From sunil, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:49:54 AM Hi,
This advertisements clears the way for drastic change in the ..brand war.. in the field of bussiness marketing. its just not an advertisement.. is the timing.. its the attack.. it says.. we can go beyond any limit.. here media too is playing the role of a catalyst. though its against the morals.. market is heading towards an era of ..pro customership.. this may result in a big strategy change. our customers will get benefitted in this rat race.
and in the matter of these 2 companies.. they will fight in court and may result for a party's damage but it too would prove to be big increase in the company share of these two companies. everyone will get benefitted only the morals will suffer.. but who cares..
From Abhijeet, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:46:31 AM a very unethical ad... i feel rin is getting dominated by tide and he has proved this thing publicly by airing such ad... i just wana ask 1 thing is it legal to use ur competitor's name in such a way.. can tide sue them for using thr name??
From urvashi, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:44:38 AM Consumers who respect ethics have already started disrespecting Rin. A learned consumer understands that this ad must be done by Rin because Tide is eating its market. This has been done in favor of Tide. The ball has been rolled and it will gain momentum as time passes. What tide can do is just release an ad without naming Rin...something like a news reporter giving a direct telecast of a situation saying that Tide ne sabko "chaunka" diya!!! Hail Tide!!!
From sheetal, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:40:38 AM Its not right i too do not agree what rin is doing. who says that if we use rin then we get better whiteness. I am using rin since a year but there is no changes in the whiteness. As per my and many of other people believe that whichever product we use tide or rin whiteness is same only price matters
From Manish Makhija, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:39:54 AM The faded shirt dilutes the credibility of the ad.I ,as a 25 yr old male , know that a shirt washed in Tide or RIn will come out looking exactly the same. How can they fool housewives who presumably are the TG of this TVC.
This is how I would do it.I would show 2 shirts , one washed in Tide and one in Rin , both looking exactly the same.The I would get an opinion leader , a familiar voice/face , to say that Rin maintains parity when it comes to cleanliness but comes at a lower price point.The reason for the lower price (backward integration,superior distribution,economies of scale, learning curve etc ) can be then explained in laymans terms.That would have a more positive impact and break through the clutter.I also think that the current adds to the brand salience of Tide!Does a housewife actually watch the ad so intently so as to understand the ad in detail. Maybe so. But maybe not.
Man I want to work an FMCG company! Love detergent wars!
From Ambika Rathi, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:38:27 AM I feel that the main aim of any advertisement is to cut the clutter and be remembered. and the ad has served its purpose.And they say`everything is fair in love and WAR !!!!
From Sukrit Garg, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:30:34 AM I kind of like the commercial, but im still not sure about the strategy that HUL is betting on. Why exactly would HUL do what it did. Well here is my second guess to the strategy...
From Shayan Belliappa, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:29:37 AM This is really a shame on the ad industry.. where did all our ethics go? If whitening is the credibility of RIN it nowhere means it should be shown this way. Let the consumers decide upon it, and that would make some sense instead of this ridiculous stuff. It is a negative publicity for TIDE.
From SGM, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:24:24 AM Guys - in the midst of creative ideas / evolution of advertising etc etc we must keep in mind the essence of every ad should be to make the consumers better off and help him make an informed choice.
While I do see the avalanche of opinion against Rin I personally do not see anything wrong in the ad. Tide has reduced its price through the launch of Tide naturals. It may be that the co has launched a stripped down product to make the price competitive which makes the particular variant inferior to Rin on product terms.
A co like HUL will not launch such an ad without doing its homework. Am sure lab tests etc are in place. If Rin is truly a superior product then let the truth come out and let the consumers decide for themselves. The ad just makes a claim (which is the most an ad can do in 30 / 45 secs). Let HUL's PR / legal justify the claims and respond to Tide's possible legal notice
From Anand Dubey, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:14:19 AM Not at all in good taste... Let the customer comment/ decide on superiority while using the product/ service. This is like too much getting into the mindset of customer. This communication strategy will not work in favour of the advertiser. P&G guys should relax as they have received good mileage ... baithe baithe on a long weekend!!!
From rana, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:14:18 AM RIN has spent more than 50% of the time talking about time.....notice the housewife talking abt tide properties....tut tut HUL, u hv given Tide the spotlight even with those not considering its usage by clubbing them in the ssame league...and if i were TIDE i would offer sachets in RIN-strong markets to those buying RIN and ask them to try...probably with a a tag " Courtesy RIn"
From kanika , Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:12:29 AM Amidst the right's and wrong's.....
I shall like to congratulate HUL for using such a smart strategy....
Post watching the commercial, I plan to try Rin :)
From zapy, Wed 03 Mar 2010 11:11:47 AM Its a very old saying in hindi....jo doosre ke liye gaddha khodate hain wahi usme girte hain.
I thot Ad industry is growing...but thnx to rin creatives they proved me wrong..the person behing this idea has embarrassed the whole industry...even the washing industry. if rin was a leader there was no point proving it and to market it there r hell of respectful ideas...grow up ppl!
From Karen Lasrado, Wed 03 Mar 2010 10:56:38 AM I agree with Rashmi regarding this, its a cheap publicity stunt by RIn & I'm sure just to spite this move, consumers will buy TIDE! Rin... Don't get yourself dirty to prove that you'll are the best cleansers!!
From Dhobi Baba, Wed 03 Mar 2010 10:46:40 AM Chauk gaye .... hum sab..ye dekh ke ki RIN is level tak gir jayega...hum to Tide hi use karenge..ye ad humari loyality nahi badal skati...samajh gaye rin use karne walo....
From Rashmi, Mumbai, Wed 03 Mar 2010 10:34:53 AM In an emotional country like India such advertising is self-defeating. Here no one appreciates this way, so in long run TIDE will gain over emotionally and even who never tried it before will go for it.
My suggestion to Rin : Do not lose purity in the name of whiteness.
Rashmi
Mumbai
From Seema Singh-Zokarkar, Wed 03 Mar 2010 10:04:33 AM Noting wrong in using comparative advertising - as long as it is factual. In the case of Rin there is too much of subjectivity involved. some Indian automobile companies have already made use of the comparative advertising successfully but based on quantifiable features - more believable. Rin's ad miss the classy touch.
From the madguy, Wed 03 Mar 2010 09:47:33 AM Gosh, when will indian advertising move on ? even bollywood has ! this ad illustrates the lack of creative ideas when agencies are made to communicate the same, yet simple proposition of washes whiter. It's so 60's, is neither engaging nor memorable and is arguably india's weakest contribution to the industry ! i don't know whether to blame the agency since it looks like it's been written by the brand manager !
is there any child in the entire world who comes back at the end of school, looking as if the day has just started ?!!! both the boys have their ties properly knotted, shirts looking white (and whiter) at the end of a school day ! does that ever happen in real life ? if it did. surf excel better close down !
come on guys, can't we produce better advertising ? or we've so run out of ideas that we have to use direct comparison and naming (which is in itself not a bad thing) of the other guy just to get noticed !
the madguy
From Nishith Dalal, Wed 03 Mar 2010 09:29:38 AM It is a very simple strategy on the part of Rin. Rin does not want its customers to cross over to Tide, so the brand is trying to make things very clear - that it is better than Tide, and cheaper too. Those using Tide won't be amused at all, but Rin users have a reason to feel proud about. For those using Surf, Ariel, etc. it is entertainment.
From Sudeshna Banerjee, Wed 03 Mar 2010 09:28:56 AM What rubbish, why do you need to show another competition brand to prove your own superiority. This kind of advertisement can create buzz for some time but will not help to promote sales in the long run. The first thought that is coming when you watch this advertisement is that how could HUL come up with such a advertisement directly pinpointing the competitior. The communication that RIN is better than TIDE is completely lost.
