Tanishq unfolds tales of traditions

Indian women are known for being emotionally attached to their ‘signature asset’ called jewellery.

Even then, most jewellery TVCs still look like catalogues, as they continue showcasing the company’s collections or promotional offers, where as emotions can be judiciously used in these ads.

And till recently, premium jewellery brand Tanishq was no exception. It also followed the same mundane route in its commercials, propagating either special festival offers, value perception, or showcasing its collections. Tanishq tried to leverage the price sensitivities of Indian consumers by positioning itself as an affordable brand.

But now with its latest TVC, Tanishq is trying to break away from this clutter. So much so, that it takes a while for one to realise that it is actually a commercial for a jewellery brand.

Based on the back drop of an affluent Bengali family of around 1920s, there is a complete story, which unfolds in the latest Tanishq TVC.

The TVC opens with a woman applying ‘sindoor’, ‘kajal’, ‘bindi’ and wearing bangles. As she tries on her jewellery, she hears a car honking. Peeping behind curtains is a little girl, who is looking at the elaborate process of the woman dressing up in all her finery.

One can trace a hint of mischievousness, when the woman winks at the little girl. The honking of the car gets incessant, and the woman peeps out of the window. In the next scene, the woman is shown moving out of the house. She stops, when she hears the chiming of a bell, indicating that ‘puja’ is going on in the house. She bows her head and folds her palms showing reverence to the Gods.

On moving ahead, she spots her in-laws, and stops to cover her head with her ‘pallu’. She bends down to touch the feet of her father-in-law and seeks his blessings.

On her way out, she sees a little boy playing with his toy car. She stops to acknowledge his playmate and waves at him before moving ahead.

After descending down the staircase, she comes to the porch of a palatial house. One can clearly make out the sparkle in her eyes and a smile on seeing her husband, who is waiting for her. In the next shot, both of them take off in their car.

Few yards away from the house, the woman is seen as asking her husband to let her drive the car. At first, the husband seems reluctant, and shakes his head, declining her firmly. However, the woman knows, what she wants and assures her husband that she knows what she is doing.

In the next shot, the woman takes to the wheel and speeds away. The mother-in-law, who has been witnessing the entire episode from a window in her house, smiles at the triumph of her daughter-in-law. The next shot shows her driving with content and happiness written clearly on her face with her husband beside her, cheering.

The voice-over concludes, “Parampara Ki Nayi Kahani…Tanishq”.

The commercial, which has been shot in Kolkata, is accompanied by an ‘alap’ (classical music track) that plays in the background. This music adds to the ethnic look and feel of the commercial.

What further makes the TVC stand out is that it portrays the perfect blend of tradition and modernity. It celebrates the spirit of Indian woman, who upholds traditions, but is not trapped by them.

Any Indian woman takes the pride to flaunt her collection of jewellery, which probably her mother or grandmother has left for her. In fact, she still upholds the sanctity and values of traditional jewellery, irrespective of her modern sensibilities or how progressive she might be. And the latest Tanishq TVC has successfully managed to portray the same values of Indian women.

As Aanchal Jain, marketing manager, Tanishq says, “Tanishq is a progressive jewellery brand, which understands the traditions of India and even tries to incorporate them with contemporary design. Our aim was to reposition Tanishq as a brand, which stands both for traditions and modernity.”

Explaining the creative strategy behind this TVC, Vikram Satyanath, senior vice-president, Lowe, says, “Given the era of the past, and its various diktats for women, it gives us an opportunity to show the strides that women took in order to assert their independence. It is important to understand that this commercial does not mean going against traditions. Rather, it implies that it is possible to adhere to the traditions and yet remain progressive in one's outlook.”

He adds, “There is too much clutter in jewellery advertising on television. In most of the commercials, the focus is on looking good and not on the kind of person that wears the jewellery. Tanishq's campaign is refreshing because it shows the personality of the woman adorning the jewellery.”

Rahul Sengupta, executive creative director, Lowe who has worked on the Tanishq commercial, says, “Each of the nuances in the commercial brings out a distinctive personality of the Indian woman. For instance, she covers her head, when she sees her elders; her love for automobiles comes across, when she stops to play with the little boy with a toy car, or even her mischievous wink at the little girl.”

Another reasons why this TVC gets easily noticed is due to its resemblance with the latest Hindi blockbuster ‘Parineeta’. Even the lead protagonist of the TVC looks similar to the female lead of the movie, Vidya Balan, probably due to the traditional make up.

However, Sengupta rules out the idea of being inspired from the movie. He says, “It’s a sheer coincidence that the commercial looks like the movie ‘Parineeta’, and it was completely unintentional. When two people set a story in a certain milieu, it is likely that they will also come to the same conclusion as we did. Any Bengali affluent house during that era would don a similar kind of look, and that is what gets highlighted in the commercial.”

© 2005 agencyfaqs!