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CRED explores Ravi Shastri’s wild side of yore in a new spot
The party-loving, straight-talking, never wasting a drink former cricketer and coach makes it to the possibly CRED’s last IPL ad.
Like a tracer bullet, the party and the action follow wherever Ravi Shastri goes if one were to go by CRED’s new and possibly last spot for IPL 2022.
Be it giving one back to the journalists, training his team in the ways of partying, bowling one-liners to women at the bar, or being respectful of every last drop, the former India cricketer and coach of the men’s team, in the new spot, lives life king-size and with aplomb.
Devaiah Bopanna wrote the spot with Tanmay Bhat, Puneet Chadha, Vishal Dayama and Deep Joshi.
Shastri’s appearance in the CRED ad breaks away from the nostalgia-filled ads the credit card bill payment rewards app had doled out throughout this year’s IPL.
Karisma Kapoor recreated the 90’s Nirma ad, Renuka Shahane and Annu Kapoor once again hosted Antakshari, while a third ad was reminiscent of the simple yet humorous banters the characters of 90s ad would have amongst themselves.
Also, Shastri’s portrayal as a guy who enjoys the good life isn’t far off from his real self unlike a Rahul Dravid getting angry or a bunch of cricketers forming a boy band in CRED’s ads from IPL 2021.
CRED’s relationship with the IPL started in 2020 when it released a series of ads featuring celebrities auditioning for a role in a CRED ad.
Ayappa, co-founder, Early Man Film and the director of the Shastri ad remarked in a press note, “As Mr Shastri said, a day with him is never dull. We had a great time shooting and exploring the wild side of his life. He was quite a sport, pun not intended”.
Kunal Shah, founder CRED, said in a press note, “At CRED, we are constantly working to enhance members' experience to make it more engaging, frictionless and rewarding. With new design philosophy, gamified rewards constructs, best offers and high value jackpots, we are consolidating our message of rewarding the right financial decisions and the privileges that come by being a member of the CRED community”.
The CRED ads have remained a staple of the IPL since 2020 and have done enough to generate awareness of the brand but there are questions about what now after all these years? Until we get an answer, how about, like Shastri, says, “2 cough syrups, on the rocks”.